I'm a big fan of the original Waltons series, and I've seen the original Waltons homecoming film, a movie older than me, at least a couple of times. And I always enjoyed it. When I heard about this new reboot, I was willing to give it a chance. . .and was sadly disappointed in it. I realize that, any time a remake is made of a beloved film, people are inevitably going to nitpick it, but this version missed the mark in so many ways!
First of all, you didn't get the sense of a poor, struggling family. The house -- and the people living in it -- seemed more like a suburban middle-class family than a poor farm family. Everybody had some pretty nice clothes, and there was some nice furniture in that home, too. And some of the characters didn't seem to match up with the original characters. The guy playing John Walton was WAY too young for the part, and as a conservative, his constant use of the d-word was irritating to me. And some of the kids used that word, too! The original Olivia Walton would have pitched a massive hissy fit when one of the kids, and even her husband, would have used that word on the show, but here, when her kids say it, she barely bats an eyelash. Back in that era, most kids weren't even supposed to know that word, and would certainly not have gotten away with using it! I think I know why the producers did this, though. They probably threw in the swear words so that the film could get a PG rating, because they apparently believe that if you give a film a G-rating, only families with little kids, and very conservative families, would watch it. But the swearing was TOTALLY unnecessary for a family film, especially one based on a classic story about a very conservative, church-going family! And then the line about Mary Ellen being upset over Santa not giving her breasts for Christmas -- who thought THAT was a good line to put in a supposedly family-friendly film?
And while there was plenty of sibling rivalry in the original series, the kids seemed to be even snippier with each other in this version. Except for John-Boy's tender attitude toward Elizabeth, and Mary Ellen when she told John-Boy she had read some of his writings, and said that he was really good at it, you didn't really get a sense of sibling love. Jason, Erin and Jim-Bob seemed to be afterthoughts here, and Ben was nonexistent. Mary Ellen's feminist ideas were also rather annoying, and a deliberate attempt to slip some 21st-century feminist ideals into this remake. And she never wanted to be an aviator in the original series -- that was Jim-Bob's dream! And the little girl playing Elizabeth, while she was adorable, seemed to be too old for the part. They should have either made her a bit older, or cast a younger girl, because a girl who looks to be about seven or eight, playing a five-year-old, just isn't very convincing!
And while the white family visiting the black church was a nice touch, I enjoyed the scene in the original where the kids were putting on a Christmas play, which gave the movie more of a Christmas movie feel. In this version, there was nothing that really made the church scene feel like Christmas, except for the singing and candle lighting part, which was probably the best part of the film.
I also felt like I couldn't really connect with any of the characters, or sense how they felt. I really couldn't sense their poverty and despair that they supposedly had, especially since they looked well-fed and living in a nice home, nor could I sympathize with the worry and fear about John when he didn't come home. In the original film it was a long journey on a stormy winter night, with all kinds of things that happened before John was finally able to come home, and it was a trip that was filled with tension and anxiety for John-Boy, and the rest of the family. There wasn't really that sense of fear in this film, especially since the special effects didn't really give the impression of a major winter storm, just a nice snowfall. John Boy was able to borrow the Baldwin Ladies' car, drive to the accident site in a relatively short time, without running out of gas or getting the car stuck in a snowdrift, and when he reaches the site, just as he's about to have a full-on anxiety attack from not being able to look for his dad, John just suddenly appears out of nowhere, and then they drive home! And then she scene with the white stag -- it just seemed out of place in this film, somehow. It all just seems a little too contrived to be real, especially if you've seen the original film.
This movie would have been much better as a stand-alone film, with completely original characters and setting. As a remake of the beloved Waltons film and TV series. . .it's pathetic!
9 out of 10 found this helpful.
Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Tell Your Friends