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In Country (1989)

5.8
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Ratings: 5.8/10 from 1,751 users  
Reviews: 24 user | 11 critic

Samantha Hughes, a teenaged Kentucky girl, never knew her father, who died in Vietnam before her birth. Samantha lives with her uncle Emmett, who also served in Vietnam. Emmett hangs around... See full summary »

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(novel), (screenplay), 1 more credit »
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Title: In Country (1989)

In Country (1989) on IMDb 5.8/10

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Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
Emmett Smith
...
Samantha Hughes
...
Irene
...
Lonnie
...
Tom
Peggy Rea ...
Mamaw
...
Anita
Daniel Jenkins ...
Dwayne
...
Pete
...
Earl Smith
Richard Hamilton ...
Grampaw
Heidi Swedberg ...
Dawn
...
Jim Holly
Jonathan Hogan ...
Larry
...
Cindy
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Storyline

Samantha Hughes, a teenaged Kentucky girl, never knew her father, who died in Vietnam before her birth. Samantha lives with her uncle Emmett, who also served in Vietnam. Emmett hangs around with Tom, Earl, and Pete, three other Vietnam vets who, like Emmett, all have problems of one kind or another that relate to their war experiences. Sam, as Samantha is known, becomes obsessed with finding out about her father and his experiences, but Emmett and the other vets don't want to talk about the war. Sam pushes everyone to attend a dance honoring the town's veterans, but Pete and Earl get into a fight, Emmett disappears, and Tom takes Sam home for an unsuccessful tryst. When Sam reads her father's diary, she begins to understand what his life and death meant, and she and Emmett, with a trip to the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, come at least temporarily to terms with the war in their lives. Written by Jim Beaver <jumblejim@prodigy.net>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

The story of an American family.

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | War

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

29 September 1989 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Un héros comme tant d'autres  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$3,531,971 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(70 mm prints)| (35 mm prints)

Color:

(Technicolor)
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Ken Jenkins, who plays "Jim Holly" (the organizer of the veteran's dance), is the father of Daniel Jenkins who plays Sam's father in the Vietnam flashbacks. Their casting in the film was purely coincidental. See more »

Connections

Referenced in The Bench: Life Before 'Seinfeld' (2004) See more »

Soundtracks

"Dancing in the Street"
Written by William Stevenson, Marvin Gaye, Ivy Jo Hunter
Performed by Martha & The Vandellas
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User Reviews

 
The Vietnam war used strictly for sentiment...
8 March 2009 | by (las vegas, nv) – See all my reviews

Modern-day story has an inquisitive young teen unearthing the past and discovering the father she never knew by reading his diary; he died in combat before her birth, and the girl's interest spurs her war-scarred uncle to take her on an emotional visit to the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial. Opening in late September 1989, this film was touted in all the major newspapers as Bruce Willis' Oscar role (though he was overlooked by the Academy when the time came). Seen today, the picture doesn't seem to have any purpose except to showcase the actor's range (limited as it is) and also to squeeze dry the remaining emotions left behind by the Vietnam experience--Hollywood style. Emily Lloyd, as the kid in question, and Peggy Rea, as Mamaw, are tiresome copies of distinctly old-fashioned archetypes--the wise juvenile and the salty matriarch--used over and over in similar movie scenarios since WWII (and probably beyond). Norman Jewison directed, without an ounce of honest inspiration. Whatever discussions or suspicions are addressed in the script, they're pretty much forgotten by the finale--which does everything just shy of saluting. *1/2 from ****


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