Blueghost It's hard not to like a film that has a lot of positive qualities, especially one that's been touted as a classic and has otherwise had praises heaped upon it. And, as if to add more laurels, Barry Levinson is at the helm of something that is very dear to his heart. I really love the picture for all of its positive qualities, but wow, what an emotional downer at times.This film offers a slice of Americana that's all too familiar with people east of the Rockies, and depicts the various eras it travels through with great ease and artistic thoroughness. Everything from the young can-do energy of the offspring to the stern wisdom of the family heads. Their loving moments, pitfalls and other emotional crests and troughs are depicted with tender loving care.But my God how depressing. I feel like I just had dinner with a Russian Jewish family, and went home with not only some leftovers for tomorrow's dinner but a healthy portion of guilt.It's as if the film is a backhanded criticism of the good things America offers. The family grows, diversifies (as all families do) and eventually comes to an end as a traditional Euro-Asian clan might once exposed to the rigors of American society. We're given guilt, but the main character never comes to a realization of how or why it is things have come pass.As magnificent as much of this film is I can't help but feel stabbed in the heart at the end. But one wonders whether that was because it was the filmmakers' intent, or whether it was because the need to be true to the actual person upon which the film's main character is based was kept true to form. If the later is the case, then it speaks volumes about how this person treated others in terms of laying guilt, and perhaps, in this way, speaks of the culture from which he came.In the end it's not a movie I'd see again, but certainly one I'm glad was made, and certainly one that I'm glad I finally saw. If you're in the mood for some high drama and your personal and familiar history is more in tune with east coast and Midwest America, then give the DVD a whirl. But do yourself a favor and see a cartoon or comedy at the end.

tdent-1 Barry Levinson set out to show that the extended family has expired; the nuclear family is dysfunctional and the cause of our urban, suburban, and exurban blight. Stories passed down from generations, the life blood of our ancestors, have ceased to exist, replaced by stories created from whole cloth by unknown writers sitting in sterile offices, working for substandard wages so they can support their families' television viewing habits and other distractions.The wholesomeness of the extended family, so necessary in the Old World, is not functional in the New World. Families break up, separate, and find, upon reflection, that it is the individual relationships which give us joy, and joy is the operational word that describes this work - joy of the innocent child and later, the joy of being loved, cared for, and wanted.

vmenv I love this film. It has it's soapy moments but the comment it makes on how life has changed in the last 100 years is profound. Family is not as important today as it once was. The television has replaced the dinner table as the spot for family gatherings. And yet our relatives and their legacy can shape our lives today if we let it. The stories of our parents and grandparents need to be passed on. Where we came from - who we are. Great things to remember and this film helps you do that. See it soon if you missed it in 1990. (Most people did) One more note - those of you who are interested in seeing a young Elijah Wood - here is your chance.

MissyBaby How can I explain how much I loved this movie? I can't. I just can't. I love it so so much, I can't explain it. I came across this movie by somewhat of an accident last year sometime. I did a Netflix search for "The Mists of Avalon." No "Mists of Avalon," but instead an Aiden Quinn movie called simply "Avalon." I pushed it aside and didn't give it a second thought. 5 months or so ago I was just browsing the same sight, once again, "Avalon" popped up. I watched the trailer, thought it looked good and put it on my queue list. It sat forever and ever, so I deleted it. Once again never giving it a second thought.Then 2 months ago I became very interested in the actor Tom Wood (Noah Newman from The Fugitive and U.S. Marshals and the adult Michael from this film.) I, of course, went to Netflix and did a search for him. "Avalon," however did not show up on the list. I returned my attention to a list I had written with all of the movies he's made listed. I typed "Avalon" in the search box and sure enough, it was the same "Avalon." I immediately put it in the queue and bumped it up to the top spot. A day or so later we received "Avalon" in the mail and I waisted no time in watching it. I was immediately in love with the characters and the way the family bonded together. My family is a lot like that, OK, we're not immigrants (oh somewhere down the line I'm sure we are, but that's not the point), we're not Jewish (we're in fact Missionary Baptists) and we don't live in a clump (ok, most of us do, but a few cousins and me and my parents live apart from the clump.). We have those conversations at the dinner table, we have those conversations at Thanksgiving, and Christmas and things like that.I was so touched by the simplicity but emotional impact of the simple line "I came to America in 1914....." I couldn't help but burst into tears.****SPOILERS**** My favorite scene had to be the scene where they had the family circle meeting at Gabriel's house and Eva kept saying it was "like a furnace in here!" And then without warning "An elephant just walked by the window." So funny the first time you see it.And of course I had to love the last scene when Michael and his son Sam went to see Grandpa Sam. I was especially touched by this scene because that is the same shape my grandfather got into shortly before he passed away last year. I did cry and remembered all the times my parents dragged me to the nursing homes and hospitals to see him, and I began to miss him again.So I guess the reason I loved this movie so much is because after seeing it the first time, Sam sort of brought my Grandpa back to me for a little while. The way he acted, the way he would take control of a situation, the way he told stories....Thank you Barry Levinson for that, even if no one else cares. You did a good thing for me. The final moments of the film made me think of what I'd tell my kids when I'm older....Michael and Little Sam walking out of the nursing home and Michael beginning Sam's story and passing it down...."He came to America in 1914......"Definitely watch this movie. Don't let it pass you by. It's amazing. Take my word for it.