classicsoncall There is perhaps no better illustration of poetry in motion than the fluid rhythm of casting a fly fisherman's rod. The scenes of Reverend Maclean (Tom Skerritt) and his sons Norman (Craig Sheffer) and Paul (Brad Pitt) fly fishing in the Big Blackfoot had an almost hypnotic effect on this viewer; if only I could pursue the art of casting a fly rod with such grace. The story will resonate with those affected by father/son relationships, and possibly even more for anyone who has, or had, a brother who meant as much to them as Norman and Paul did for each other in this film. It wasn't until I finished watching this movie that I found out it was based on the real life story of Norman Maclean, an American author and scholar who published a book under the same title as the picture ('A River Runs Through It and Other Stories').With Robert Redford helming the movie as director, I couldn't help notice a number of scenes in which Brad Pitt resembled the iconic actor using Redford's charm and mannerisms. Redford himself would have been ideal in the role of Paul Maclean had the picture been made some three decades earlier. In one of his earliest starring film roles, Pitt exudes the charisma and charm that would eventually make him a celebrity and star of the first order.There is some irony in Paul's statement to brother Norman as quoted in my summary line above. Vowing never to leave Montana following Norman's invitation to move to Chicago with him and his new wife, Paul's demons eventually caught up with him to insure that his vow would be fulfilled. What led to Paul's death can be conjectured from the type of life he led and the type of people he became indebted to, leaving unresolved the relationship he shared earlier in the story with an Indian girl. Taken in it's entirety, "A River Runs Through It" is as much a testament to Paul's short life as it is to his older brother's.

aefuller-32718 This film truly captures the great wilderness spirit, and it really just makes you want to walk down the trail the the Maclean family walked all there life. Robert redford directed an incredible film with an all-star crew

edwagreen Very good Robert Redford film dealing with a strict minister and his children. The latter grow up and the younger son, a reporter, has a lust for drinking and gambling which cause his ultimate downfall.Tom Skerritt is excellent as the stern minister dad. He comes to see nature as part of his religious training and emphasizes the sport of fly fishing to his young charges.Time periods seem to go very quickly in the film, such as the older boy attending Dartmouth.The usually feisty Brenda Blethyn has a rather benign part as the mother of the two boys. Besides her, I would have liked to have seen more of a character study of Jesse's brother, smitten with Hollywood and a drunk as well. Did he show homosexual tendencies?The nostalgic ending was terrific as we returned to nature to exhibit our values.

travis12-611-474521 Cinematography is great, but that a great movie does not make -- there is nothing at all special about this indulgent autobiographical exercise in nostalgia and sentimentality. A trite, mundane, trivial story with no dramatic tension and dull dialogue. Take away the period costumes and the simpering strings score, set it in today's world, and you'd say, "this is a story worthy of a feature film?" I'll sum it up:My brother and I grew up in Missoula, had some rowdy times (like millions of other brothers), I went off to college, he stayed home, I came back to Missoula and met a girl, then brother was killed in a barroom brawl (which is not depicted). And we went fly fishing a lot. End of story.And how do you make a film spanning several decades in Montana without a single winter scene? It might as well be Florida, with mountains. The attempt to make fly fishing some sort of poetic symbol of life in general falls is just dumb and doesn't salvage this quotidian story at all.