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1969

1988, Movie, R, 90 mins

1969: Review

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Generational conflict, Vietnam protest, and cultural upheaval become Hollywood-style banalities in this earnest but thoroughly predictable melodrama set during a pivotal year in recent American history. At its best, 1969 plausibly represents bourgeois angst in an era of moral crisis, but renders little of the politics, passion, and hope that set off a social revolution. College sophomores Ralph (Robert Downey, Jr.) and Scott (Kiefer Sutherland) hitchhike home in time to see Scott's Marine brother shipped off to Vietnam. After witnessing a bloody confrontation between students and police, Ralph's sister Beth (Winona Ryder) protests the war in the valedictory speech at her high school graduation. She teams up with Scott to continue the protest after Ralph is imprisoned for breaking into the draft office. Apparently operating on the premise that a movie about the Vietnam era is automatically profound, writer-director Ernest Thompson neglects to give much depth to the characters or action of 1969. The result is downbeat and dramatically flat. The costumes and art design lend authenticity, while the soundtrack offers up vintage Jimi Hendrix, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Moody Blues, among others. Unfortunately, the movie's uncompensated gloominess outweighs its nostalgia and middle-brow social commentary. leave a comment
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