That Evening Sun (2009)

An aging Tennessee farmer returns to his homestead and must confront a family betrayal, the reappearance of an old enemy, and the loss of his farm.

Director:

Scott Teems

Writers:

Scott Teems (screenplay), William Gay (short story "I Hate to See That Evening Sun Go Down")

Stars:

Hal Holbrook, Ray McKinnon, Walton Goggins

11 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Hal Holbrook	...	Abner Meecham
Ray McKinnon	...	Lonzo Choat
Walton Goggins	...	Paul Meecham
Mia Wasikowska	...	Pamela Choat
Carrie Preston	...	Ludie Choat
Barry Corbin	...	Thurl Chessor
Dixie Carter	...	Ellen Meecham
Barlow Jacobs	...	J.D. the Cabbie
Anthony Reynolds	...	Hollis the Phone Worker
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Brian Edward Keith	...	Deputy Keith (as Brian Keith)
Bruce McKinnon	...	Sheriff Roller
William J. Mode	...	Deputy Davies
Jacob Parkhurst	...	Steve Goodwin Jr.

Storyline

An aging farmer fights to keep the home that is rightfully his after fleeing from a nursing home and discovering that his son has leased the family farm to his old nemesis. Placed in a nursing home by his son and promptly forgotten, Abner Meecham (Hal Holbrook) realized that waiting to die was no way to live. Determined to enjoy his last days, Abner packed his bags and set his sights on the family farm. At least there he could die on his own land, in familiar surroundings. But Abner is in for a rude awakening, because upon returning home he discovers that his son has leased the farm to Lonzo Choat. Abner never cared much for Lonzo, and when Lonzo refuses to leave, Abner takes up residence in an old tenant shack on the property. Before long, their dispute becomes volatile, each man believing himself to be in the right, and refusing to back down from his position. Betrayed by his son and haunted by dreams of his beloved deceased wife, Abner draws a line in the sand in an attempt to ...

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Plot Keywords:

tennessee | farm | elderly protagonist | subjective camera | hospital | 

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Taglines:

I worked too hard. And too long. I aint goin down without a fight.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language, some violence, sexual content and thematic elements

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dixie Carter does not have any lines in the movie.

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Quotes

Abner Meecham: You still got that old Cherokee?
Thurl Chessor: Ya, I got it, but I can't drive it. They took away my license
Abner Meecham: Why'd they do that?
Thurl Chessor: Oh
[waves dismissively]
Thurl Chessor: , I hit some folk

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Connections

Featured in Maltin on Movies: The Romantics (2010)

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Soundtracks

Blue Yodel #3
Written by Jimmie Rodgers
Performed by Drive-By Truckers

User Reviews

Hal Holebrook's finest hour, and deservedly so.

An aging Tennessee farmer returns to his homestead and must confront a family betrayal, the reappearance of an old enemy, and the loss of his farm.

This is the perfect example of how to write an old bull can against the young bull one. Holebrook's character doesn't want trouble, just his pride and the right to go on living the way he once did. He doesn't have much left, but pride. The movie does a great job of making us care for Holebrook, something that was hard to pull off consistently. Hal Holebrook is magnificent, and Oscar worthy here in his portrayal of Abner Meecham. It was hard to pull off, but Holebrook manages to maintain likability along with his grouchy, potentially off-putting role. There's never a moment where we don't sympathize with him, even when he pushes the limits, we manage to emphasize with his actions. I've not seen Holebrook perform a better role than this one. Ray McKinnon is excellent as the hot-shot antagonist, wanting to take over the farm. You'll hate him, and possibly even understand his actions in some cases. Walter Goggins is very good as the ungrateful son of Holebrook's, he did well.

Bottom line. The Sundance Film Festival struck gold with this one, and you will too. A must see

9 ½ 10

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 March 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

I Hate to See That Evening Sun Go Down

Filming Locations:

Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,330, 8 November 2009

Gross USA:

$281,350

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$281,350

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dogwood Entertainment, Ginny Mule Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1