Coming Home
"Compelling and Absorbing. An Excellent Film!" -Variety
Perhaps the most compelling picture ever made about the shattering aftermath of the Vietnam War, Coming Home earned eight Academy Award® nominations and three Oscars®: Best Actress (Jane Fonda), Best Actor (Jon Voight) and Best Screenplay. Hailed by critics as "dazzling" (Rex Reed), "gripping" (Leonard Martin) and "unforgettable" (Judith Crist), it is a heart- rending examination of a critical period in our nation's history and "an uncompromising, extraordinarily moving film" (Roger Ebert).
When Marine Captain Bob Hyde (Bruce Dern) leaves for Vietnam, his wife Sally (Fonda) volunteers at a local hospital. There she meets Luke Martin (Voight), a former sergeant whose war injury has left him a paraplegic. Embittered with rage and filled with frustration, Luke finds new hope and confidence through his growing intimacy with Sally. The relationship transforms Sally's feeling about life, love and the horrors of war. And when, wounded and disillusioned, Sally's husband returns home, all three must grapple with the full impact of a brutal , distant war that has changed their lives forever.
Member Reviews
Strong performances lead a great Vietnam-era flick. - estefan
Jane Fonda gives an excellent performance, alongside a very strong Jon Voight in a captivating film that delves interestingly into the lives of soldier's wives. The screenplay gives us fully-developed characters that feel like real people dealing with the Vietnam War and though it definitely invokes the 1970's, it doesn't feel dated in the least and the themes still feel relevant. The way the relationship between Fonda and Voight grows is the strong point of the film, but the final twenty minutes seem to go into an un-necessary direction, especially when Bruce Dern shows up in an over-the-top performance. Otherwise, it's definitely worth checking out, if only for Fonda and Voight's work.The after affects of war. - cathyottawa
It's not many war films that focus solely on the homefront. That's what this film does, showing us the affects of war through three characters: John Voight's Luke, who has returned from Vietnam disillusioned and paralyzed, Jane Fonda's Sally, a good girl wife left behind to wait for her husband, and Bruce Dern's Bob, the husband that's been sent off to war, and expects it to be a piece of cake.
But this isn't really a war film. No scenes take place in Vietnam, and the anti-war message is actually kept to a minimum. This centers more on Sally, and her journey of self discovery as a 1970s sheltered wife, who finds herself in her husband's absence, with the help of a love affair with Luke.
The other message isn't strongly anti-war, so much as it is trying to open the eyes of people to the realities of war, and the long term, often devastating affects. In example, post traumatic stress disorder is addressed, at a time when the psychiatric community had yet to diagnose it.
Fonda does a good job of taking this character from a naive girl, to a more worldly, modern 70s woman, and she has really nice chemistry with Voight, who was at the top of his game here, turning in an excellent performance.
Those looking for a war movie will be disappointed. Those who enjoy a love story, or a "finding yourself" film should give this a try.A Tale of Two Women - Yogini
Men will see this film as about two men and the US Viet Nam war. For me it was about two women and how they grew. Being on their own encouraged them to consider decisions in a light which may not have been available while they were enthralled with, and in thrall to, someone else's (patriarchal) values. Voigt does a fabulous job, and Fonda is very believable as a preppy 1970s wife. The supporting cast is supperb, and Bruce Dern is outshone by the character of Vi only because I do not particularly like to watch or listen to Bruce Dern.
Member Reviews
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Strong performances lead a great Vietnam-era flick. - estefan
Jane Fonda gives an excellent performance, alongside a very strong Jon Voight in a captivating film that delves interestingly into the lives of soldier's wives. The screenplay gives us fully-developed characters that feel like real people dealing with the ...The after affects of war. - cathyottawa
It's not many war films that focus solely on the homefront. That's what this film does, showing us the affects of war through three characters: John Voight's Luke, who has returned from Vietnam disillusioned and paralyzed, Jane Fonda's Sally, a good girl ...A Tale of Two Women - Yogini
Men will see this film as about two men and the US Viet Nam war. For me it was about two women and how they grew. Being on their own encouraged them to consider decisions in a light which may not have been available while they were enthralled with, and in ...