Although Tom Selleck's performance is comparable to his others, the supporting cast is average. The greatest disappointment comes from having seen the original "Monte Walsh" movie in the 1970s with Lee Marvin, and then comparing. The original movie was sad and gave you the feeling that a way of life had disappeared and things would never really be the same. Lee Marvin made you feel the disappointment and depression from leaving his way of life and his friends behind. At the end, you felt a sense of relief and optimism with the final scene as he seemed to forget all that was now behind him and look to the future. In contrast, the current version of "Monte Walsh", while following the same basic plot, and quoting some and paraphrasing other from the original movie, doesn't seem to convey the emotion of the situation, but is more like just the telling of a story of hard times. The relationships between Monte and his friends and his lady seemed closer and more genuine in the original movie than Tom Selleck conveyed. The ending seems to convey more of an escape from the past rather than a look to the future and feeling that life goes on.
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