The Milagro Beanfield War (1988)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Robert Redford

Writers:

John Nichols (novel)
John Nichols (screenplay)

Release Date:

18 March 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Drama

Tagline:

Milagro, New Mexico. Population 426. Nothing had changed here for 300 years. But there's something about this day...

Plot:

In Milagro, a small town in the American Southwest, Ladd Devine plans to build a major new resort development...

Plot Keywords:

Water | American Southwest | Small Town | Governor | Pig

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Rubén Blades	...	Sheriff Bernabe Montoya
Richard Bradford	...	Ladd Devine
Sonia Braga	...	Ruby Archuleta
Julie Carmen	...	Nancy Mondragon
James Gammon	...	Horsethief Shorty
Melanie Griffith	...	Flossie Devine
John Heard	...	Charlie Bloom
Carlos Riquelme	...	Amarante Cordova
Daniel Stern	...	Herbie Platt
Chick Vennera	...	Joe Mondragon
Christopher Walken	...	Kyril Montana
Freddy Fender	...	Mayor Sammy Cantu
Tony Genaro	...	Nick Rael
Jerry Hardin	...	Emerson Capps
Ronald G. Joseph	...	Jerry G

Also Known As:

The Milagro Beanfield War (Australia)

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #29090) | Singapore:PG | Iceland:12 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Espanola, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Esparza

Trivia:

In a scene at one of the local Milagro stores where John Heard's lawyer character is dropping off his newspapers, a woman is shopping for Newman's Own salad dressing. The store owner tells her, that's no good, buy something else - an obvious in-joke in which director Robert Redford tweaks his longtime friend and frequent co-star Paul Newman.

Goofs:

Continuity: As Bernie pulls up to the Forest Service office during the scene with Joe's cow, his truck creates a large dust cloud which sweeps over everyone. In the next shot, the cloud is completely gone.

Quotes:

Nick Rael: Hey, what are you doing? You can't buy bullets with foodstamps grandpa.
Amarante Cordova: It's the same as money.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Thing That Couldn't Die (#9.5)" (1997)

well crafted and engrossing

Maybe I'm a little biased, but any movie where Christopher Walken pops up when you don't expect him to just becomes ten times better. His role isn't big, but it's very important and he does a great job. I like Christopher Walken.

But he's only a small part of a great movie. "Milagro Beanfield War" is about a group of New Mexicans trying to save their homes from being bought by developers who want to turn it into a resort. The interaction between the townspeople is wonderful, and you probably won't find this kind of community spirit in any other movie. At some times it's touching, at others it's humorous. In fact it was a funnier movie than I expected it to be, so if you're looking for a mix of light comedy and serious subject matter, this is for you.

You can find a downside to most films, but it's tough to find one with "Milagro Beanfield War". The directing is great, the script is great, the actors are endearing, the music is great and it makes you think and feel like no other movie.