Very well executed

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

There is a scene in this film where the doctor asks James Stewart 'are you an Indian?' It is a ridiculous question, and it even takes Stewart by surprise, but it is the sort of question a non-white English person would be asked. Some English people of Caribbean origin are asked: 'Are you West Indian?' This makes Stewart accessible to all races and ethnic groups because he goes through a universal human experience.I like the scene where his father, Ethan Wilkins, eats a meal that contains a frog. Stewart thinks this is disgusting, but Ethan states that if he brought this to the woman's attention it would offend her and not do her any good. There are people who are living in situations that are offensive to others, but if you offend them by criticising them and pointing out their faults then you do more harm than good.Unfortunately, my DVD was faulty and the picture stopped 69 minutes into the film.

By the end of this "sudser", I was howling. Come on, folks, this is one ridiculous drama. I suppose that the first 30 minutes can be tolerated, but when Stewart keeps writing his mother to send him more money, I couldn't wait to see what item she was going to sacrifice next. The ring....the family horse...the whatever. I could easily picture an SNL sketch going bonkers with the concept.And the Lincoln interlude....WHAT??!! Let's stop EVERYTHING, and have ABRAHAM LINCOLN give the selfish main character a lecture on how to treat one's mother???? Definitely, a lesser Jimmy Stewart film. Sure, Bondi performs her standard role with the usual flourish, as do the other main stars, but the script is NOT to be believed.

This movie is a reminder of the treasures we have to enjoy from the early eras of movie-making. Walter Huston portrays a minister who has sensitivity and understanding for his parishioners but is bound by the restrictive morals of his background. The story takes place in the period before and during the Civil War. The minister has moments when he really is an admirable man; he even has the courage to grab and stop a runaway horse. That horse becomes a thread that winds through the rest of the movie. However, his treatment of his young son is a good example of why ministers' children are often described as troubled. Beaulah Bondi plays the saintly wife/mother whose love binds the family. Her unconditional love and sacrifice first console the boy and then elicit a narrow selfishness from the boy when he leaves home and goes to medical school in Baltimore.There are some wonderful moments in this movie. It is notable that James Stewart could play such a callow young man who takes advantage of his mother's generosity.

I first saw this weepy when I was 10 years old & except for Gene Reynolds (Jimmy Stewart as a lad) I was bored stiff, I have seen it about 5 times since & still cant take it as it is pure hokum. The last scene with a very over acted portrayal of Lincoln was & is still laughable . Beulah Bondi as the mother was her usual magnificent self, she excelled in playing older women. Both Huston & Stewart have had many many better roles.A thumbs down for me.