When I look at the two men painting a house who are annoyed by Michael Douglas's pesky inquiries on what's going on in their mind as they work, I think to myself in my own modern terms, then flashback a few decades when my mentality was closer to the college age kid coming home. My current self calls his character a pesky upstart, while looking back recall my own pesky self and how older folks responded.
Having avoided the Vietnam War up till now, he's decided to enlist but confront the enemy in a passive, love thy neighbor hippy mentality. His ultra conservative father (Arthur Kennedy) is annoyed by his liberal rantings and older brother Peter Strauss is annoyed by his presence back at home and a painful memory. Mother Teresa Wright, in typical 60's housewife terms, just wants everyone to get along. Everybody has their secrets, including the parents whose picture perfect marriage ain't so perfect.
An anti-establishment drama that focuses on character, including some very eccentric locals such as a reclusive woman who lives in a cage, some very serious minded conservatives and the young women whom Douglas meets while visiting. This is stronger as an exploration as to why families fall apart, and performances are all excellent.
Kennedy, who co-starred with Michael's dad Kirk in "Champion", is excellent as usual, and Wright is sweet but secretly troubled and delusional to her family's problems. Louise Latham (the cave dwelling eccentric) and Carmen Zapata (the cook, her secrets also heavily a part of the story) are also super here. Definitely a film of its time, thought provoking and philosophical, a great debut for Douglas who shows great star potential here. The big lesson for me is that our older selves would despise their younger selves and vice versa, and the sooner we accept that, the better off we are.
Having avoided the Vietnam War up till now, he's decided to enlist but confront the enemy in a passive, love thy neighbor hippy mentality. His ultra conservative father (Arthur Kennedy) is annoyed by his liberal rantings and older brother Peter Strauss is annoyed by his presence back at home and a painful memory. Mother Teresa Wright, in typical 60's housewife terms, just wants everyone to get along. Everybody has their secrets, including the parents whose picture perfect marriage ain't so perfect.
An anti-establishment drama that focuses on character, including some very eccentric locals such as a reclusive woman who lives in a cage, some very serious minded conservatives and the young women whom Douglas meets while visiting. This is stronger as an exploration as to why families fall apart, and performances are all excellent.
Kennedy, who co-starred with Michael's dad Kirk in "Champion", is excellent as usual, and Wright is sweet but secretly troubled and delusional to her family's problems. Louise Latham (the cave dwelling eccentric) and Carmen Zapata (the cook, her secrets also heavily a part of the story) are also super here. Definitely a film of its time, thought provoking and philosophical, a great debut for Douglas who shows great star potential here. The big lesson for me is that our older selves would despise their younger selves and vice versa, and the sooner we accept that, the better off we are.