IMDb > The War at Home (1996)

The War at Home (1996) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.0/10   1,142 votes
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Director:
Emilio Estevez
Writers (WGA):
James Duff (play)
James Duff (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The War at Home on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
20 November 1996 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama more
Tagline:
There Is A Secret About To Explode.
Plot:
Jeremy Collier is a Vietnam veteran who has returned home and is struggling to cope with the war experiences that haunt him... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
3 nominations more
User Comments:
What a surprise! more (34 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Emilio Estevez ... Jeremy Collier

Kathy Bates ... Maurine Collier

Martin Sheen ... Bob Collier

Kimberly Williams-Paisley ... Karen Collier (as Kimberly Williams)

Corin Nemec ... Donald
Ann Hearn ... Prof. Tracey

Carla Gugino ... Melissa
Marcus H. Nelson ... Pvt. Poe

Michael Wiseman ... Lieutenant
Jena Kraus ... Coffee House Singer
Chad Morgan ... Bus Station Clerk
Penelope Allen ... Marjoree (as Penny Allen)

Geoffrey Blake ... David
Renée Estevez ... Brenda
Tuan Tran ... Viet Cong
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for a war-related shooting, an intense sequence of violent threat, and for language.
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
119 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Stereo
Certification:
Iceland:16 | USA:R | Singapore:PG | Argentina:16
Filming Locations:
Austin, Texas, USA more
Company:
Motion Picture Corporation of America (MPCA) more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
In one scene, the camera slowly heads towards the dinner table. Bob (Martin Sheen) is facing the camera on the far end of the table, Maureen (Kathy Bates) is to his right, and Jeremy (Emilio Estevez) is to his left. This position of the family and the shot is lifted from another family drama film Ordinary People (1980). more
Quotes:
Jeremy Collier: I'm not having dinner
Bob Collier: And why not?
Jeremy Collier: I had a big breakfast.
Bob Collier: Jeremy, I'm not joking around out here!
Jeremy Collier: I'm not laughin' around in here!
more
Movie Connections:
References "Have Gun - Will Travel" (1957) more
Soundtrack:
Me and Bobby McGee more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
6 out of 8 people found the following comment useful.
What a surprise!, 16 August 2003
7/10
Author: Wayne Malin (wwaayynnee51@hotmail.com) from United States

Emilio Estevez actually directed a good movie--who woulda thought? I sat through two previous films Estevez directed--"Wisdom" (with then girlfriend Demi Moore) and "Men at Work" (with brother Charlie Sheen). They are lousy films---badly acted, directed, stupid and offensive. Estevez is a good actor but lousy as a director. I turned this on in pure curiousity--it has a great cast and I had nothing else to do. Damned if it didn't pull me in.

It concerns Estevez coming home from Vietnam permanently scarred by what happened over there. His parents (Kathy Bates, Martin Sheen) and sister (Kimberly Williams) try to reach him but can't. Something in Vietnam has affected him deeply...and he's about to explode...

A bit overlong but still very good. A lot of the material is familar but the cast is so good that they make it seem new. Estevez is good, Sheen is terrific (and Estevezs' real life father), Williams is touching and Bates is just extraordinary--trying to hold the family together. It all leads up to a powerful ending which REALLY surprised me.

Well worth catching.

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Message Boards

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The ending tuet
favorite lines? POSSIBLE SPOILERS mark-3217
What a piece of junk michael10301
'That's What I Wore Last Thanksgiving' markann-2
The play is even better.. iwishiwerejamesdean
Been there myself hiwayman1951
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