Where the Red Fern Grows (2003)Where the Red Fern Grows is the heartwarming and adventurous tale for all ages about a young boy and his quest for his own red-bone hound hunting dogs. |
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Where the Red Fern Grows (2003)Where the Red Fern Grows is the heartwarming and adventurous tale for all ages about a young boy and his quest for his own red-bone hound hunting dogs. |
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| Watch Trailer 0Share... |
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Joseph Ashton | ... | ||
| Dave Matthews | ... | ||
| Renee Faia | ... | ||
| Mac Davis | ... |
Hod Bellington
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| Kris Kristofferson | ... | ||
| Ned Beatty | ... | ||
| Dabney Coleman | ... | ||
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Gary Anson | ... |
Bully Wendell
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Orvel Baldridge | ... | |
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Robert Bauman | ... |
Hunter #2
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Andrew Dickison | ... | |
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Stuart Dickison | ... | |
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Julia Downs | ... | |
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Tess Downs | ... | |
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Kevin Gourd | ... |
Bully Garth
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Where the Red Fern Grows is the heartwarming and adventurous tale for all ages about a young boy and his quest for his own red-bone hound hunting dogs. Set in the Ozark Mountains during the Great Depression, Billy Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for 2 years to achieve his dream of buying two coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in God as he faces overwhelming challenges in adventure and tragedy roaming the river bottoms of Cherokee country with "Old Dan" and "Little Ann." The movie follows the inseparable trio as they romp relentlessly through the Ozarks, trying to tree the elusive "Ghost" raccoon. Their efforts prove victorious as they win the coveted gold cup in the annual coon-hunt contest, capture wily ghost coons and bravely fight a mountain lion. Through these adventures Billy realizes the meaning of true friendship, loyalty, integrity and heroics, in this timeless and poignant coming of age story. Written by Anonymous
The problem with this movie is the pacing. I was, perhaps foolishly, anticipating something grand when I rented the DVD, since I love the book and quite liked the original 1974 film. I had been told that the 2003 remake was accurate to Wilson Rawls' novel. Strictly speaking, this is true, but therein lies it's downfall.
Movies adapted from books often have to have sections removed or characters cut because, unlike films, no book is designed to be enjoyed in a single sitting. In this movie the acting is beyond hurried as people race through their lines, desperate to include every utterance of the novel in less than two hours. The results are dismal. The only time I've seen worse butchery of a good novel was the atrocious movie version of "The Hotel New Hampshire" by John Irving.
If you love the book, read the book; or maybe get nostalgic and rent the original. Don't rent this version unless you just need something, anything, to sit some kids in front of for an afternoon while you balance your checkbook.