Wonderful Movie

To me, this movie is perfection.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

This is a fine movie that respectful remembrance to those who have served in the military. However, the movie is not a polemic purporting militarism. Rather, it provides a thoughtful and sensitive retrospective on what it means to be in the military. The movie shows that that the American soldier is essentially a civilian who has been asked to become a soldier, which challenges one's sense of identity. The main character, Lieutenant Vogel is, by nature, not a violent person, yet in his role as an soldier he must commit violent acts, which leaves both physical and emotional scars. The movie effectively shows how this remains true even in more recent conflicts involving American soldiers. The United States is not by nature militaristic and regimented, thus when American soldiers are ordered into combat, they may have to perform acts that go against their essentially peaceful nature. And to perform those acts requires a level of bravery and courage that makes the American soldier the strongest and best soldiers in the world.

For those who are looking for flaws in this movie, they are going to find them. However, considering the budget the film makers had to work with, I think they exceeded expectations. What carries this film is the story and the storytelling. Of course, it's a bonus to have Cromwell and son in two critical roles in the film, but even their combined skills can't make a bad story good. Fortunately, with this film, they have a very good story which they turn into something special. As for the rest of the cast, some of the performances are sub-par, but I would not use a broad-brush with that criticism.As has been said, this is not a "war movie". It's also not a film about remembering our WWII veterans, though that will hopefully be one effect of it. This film is trying to help us understand our war veterans. Why did grandpa not want to talk about WWII? Why doesn't dad want to talk about what happened in Iraq or Afghanistan? The answer isn't as obvious or as simple as we may think.I've watched Memorial Day at least 3 times and each time I've come away with something new to think about.

Wow! What a surprise. Went in not expecting much and was hooked! The trunk that young Vogel found was identical to my grandfathers! I used the trunk in college. Never asked my grandfather about the war, all I knew he was a postman. He also won a bronze star. Because of this I really connected to the movie. While watching the movie all I could think of was the questions I did not ask. It did bring a tear to my eye!Switching back and forth between now and WWII worked well. The parallels between characters was very believable. As another reviewer said: "have Kleenex available!"

What a movie! This movie isn't just a story about two wars but how both those wars affected the lives of two people. James Cromwell (Bud Vogel)is at his very best and his son John Cromwell (younger Lt. Bud Vogel)is what many would say is "a chip off the old block". Jackson Bond plays the young grandson Kyle Vogel while Jonathan Bennett plays Kyle as a grown man. The acting and portrayal of the participants is superb in every detail.The story deals with flashbacks of war and torment and drives home the need to understand. It may be hard for me to tell you about the movie without spoiling it for you so I won't get into too much detail other than to tell you to sit down in a quiet room and watch this movie with an open mind and heart. Saving Private Ryan brought a tear to these old eyes of mine and I have to admit the same thing happened to me while watching this movie. So a box of tissues may be an added item to have nearby.