You won't be disappointed!

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

The title, 1969 gives off such a dynamic vibe but the end result is disappointing. Made in 1988 when films depicting the Vietnam war were all the rage this is sub par if you compare this with Born on the Fourth of July that would be released a year later.Kiefer Sutherland plays Scott. Robert Downey Jr plays his best buddy Ralph. Both have left college and are making their way back home, a small Maryland town. Scott is more introverted, softly spoken and clever. Ralph is more boisterous, loud, does crazy thing and into drugs. As it was almost common at the time there is a scene of Downey Jr running around with just his underpants on.Once they get home Scott realises that his older brother is on his way to Vietnam. You get the feeling he will not be coming back. Their father (Bruce Dern) a World War 2 veteran seems supportive of his son going to Vietnam and ashamed of Scott's opposition to the war.Scott and Ralph decide to go on the road rather then await to get drafted. This means exploring the hippie movement of the town with sex, drugs and rock n roll.Once they get back home Scott learns that his brother his MIA. There is tension is his parent's marriage. Ralph ends up in jail when he sneaks into the draft board office and tries to destroy his file in order to avoid the draft. Scott falls for Ralph's sister Beth (Winona Ryder) which also causes resentment with Ralph.The film is rather aimless, lost too much in nostalgia as depicted by the film's soundtrack. The film itself is not as amusing or interesting and neither are the characters. Downey's Ralph reminded me of a lot of other characters he played at the time. If you want to watch a bittersweet film about teenagers in the Vietnam war era you will get more mileage out from a classic like Big Wednesday.The best performances are from Bruce Dern and Mariette Hartley who plays Scott's parents. Dern tones it down a bit as the patrician father rather all at sea during changing times.

The reviews of the films posted here intrigue me. Each of us has his or her memory of the time if we lived then. Many works set in that period are frantic, tumultuous, and intense like that interval in our history. This film is reflective, tender, and elegiac. It is more like a memory of the time than a depiction of it. That might explain the negativity in some reviews. I understand the negative reviews.The film certainly does echo the dread, alienation, and complexity feeling one experienced as cannon fodder or potential cannon fodder or overheated and misplaced patriotism or not entirely pure protest. The film is not really about Vietnam or hippies but about recalling Vietnam and hippies. It is something of a dream like the "Summer of 42", a coming of age story that might not quite ring true to the actual moment.Obviously, the director deeply felt this film. It clearly is a personal work. I find the script tight, complex, and engaging. The direction is as tight and focused. The then young actors work brilliantly with the seasoned ones.Robert Downey, Jr. and Wynona Ryder were long ago two of my favourite then young actors and Kiefer Sutherland is every bit their equal. Mariette Hartley has long been an actress I very much admire. Bruce Dern is almost underrated though he has had many great roles. He has played in some of my all time favourite films and is a reason why those films are favourites. Mr. Dern underplays effectively here. Often his genius is to overplay but he modulates and does something else here. Meanwhile Joanna Cassidy is a national treasure.Films about the sixties require soundtracks that mirror the time and the selections here are splendid. In fact, the music does what the narrative does not quite do—voice the turbulence, desperation, and underlying rage of the late sixties.I must mention that this work is beautifully photographed and edited. It is a fine film about the late sixties and the tragedy that time was in our national life. I think that everyone worked at a high level to make this film It is a small masterwork.

Obviously, the director deeply felt this film. It clearly is a personal work. I find the script tight, complex, and engaging. The direction is as tight and focused. The then young actors work brilliantly with the seasoned ones.Robert Downey, Jr. and Wynona Ryder were long ago two of my favourite then young actors and Kiefer Sutherland is every bit their equal. Mariette Hartley has long been an actress I very much admire. Bruce Dern is almost underrated though he has had many great roles. He has played in some of my all time favourite films and is a reason why those films are favourites. Meanwhile Joanna Cassidy is a national treasure.The soundtrack is on target for the times and the film captures the time period well for me. I must mention that this work is beautifully photographed and edited. It is a fine film about the late sixties and the tragedy that time was in our national life. I rate it ten because those engaged in making this film deserve it and because the film is well worth viewing. I am surprised it is not better known.

Mediocre film about two young men coming of age in the title year. The acting is fine, obviously, considering the cast, but the script and direction pummels every point home with all the subtlety of a good Pete Townshend guitar smash. P.S.- - any scene in any film that uses the opening stanzas of the Hendrix version of "All Along the Watchtower" gets your adrenaline flowing. Didja ever notice that? (It happens once here)