Touchstone and Beyond: "The War at Home"

Marquee Attraction: The War at Home

Release Date: November 20, 1996

Budget: $3 million

Domestic Box Office Gross: $44,722

Plot Synopsis

Jeremy has come home from his service in Vietnam, and adjusting to civilian life is difficult for the former soldier. While his mom and dad, Maurine and Bob, know that the war has greatly affected their son, they refuse to try and deal with the trauma he has experienced, and hope that Jeremy’s ‘trouble’ goes away.

Karen, his sister, is the first to recognize that her brother might be dealing with post traumatic stress, and whenever she tries to mention this possibility to her parents, Karen is quickly quieted. Jeremy continues to isolate himself from his family, often experiencing flashbacks to his service and the young man is quickly coming to a breaking point.

Over Thanksgiving, Jeremy pulls a gun on his family and reveals the deep dark truth of some of what he experienced. Jeremy describes how he was forced to kill a Vietcong prisoner and explains to his terrified family that he was able to commit the brutality because he saw his father Bob’s face.

Bob and Maurine must decide how they will deal with Jeremy’s revelation. That is if they survive their confrontation with their son.

Standing Ovation

Emilio Estevez is fantastic. He goes for a big story with this small film, and his portrayal of Jeremy is an example of his acting talent, that rarely gets the applause it deserves. The fact that Estevez leveraged his influence with Disney to get the film made gives Estevez more kudos to his filmmaking tastes.

Martin Sheen could make the phonebook compelling. His portrayal of Bob is layered with a sense of duty, guilt, and parental worry. The scene where Bob unleashes on his nephew about his draft number compared to Jeremy’s is pure Martin Sheen brilliance.

Time for the Hook

The trope of not listening to the daughter in a family who is telling the truth about a serious family issue needs to be abandoned. Karen, played well by Kimberly Williams-Paisley doesn’t get enough screen time to really make her arc important, and should have had more prominent scenes with Estevez.  

Bit Part Player

Lane Hanson always makes an impact on film. Playing the husband of Bob’s sister is a thankless role, but Hanson makes the role memorable with his hard-headedness and charm.

Did You Know?

Best Quotable Line

This one comes from Karen when she is talking to her dad about Jeremy. “You know it could be that he’s waiting for someone to talk to him."

Bill’s Hot Take

Kathy Bates was miscast as Maurine.

Casting Call

Production Team:

My Critical Response

{Snub-Skip this Film, Lifeboat Award-Desperate for Something to Watch, Commuter Comforter-A Perfect Film for Any Device, Jaw Dropper- You Must Watch This Film on a Big Screen, Rosebud Award- This Film is Cinema}

The War at Home is a good film, and if you are a fan of Emilio Estevez, then you will want to check out this Vietnam inspired drama. The problem is, the film suffers from being underfunded, and thus the chance to tell a strong and meaningful story is lost.

There are elements of greatness, but the film needs more to propel into a great film. The film lacks the quality of a Commuter Comforter award, but The War at Home deserves an audience, and would make a great movie to watch when you are passing time commuting to work on public transportation.

Coming Soon

Next week, a look back at Bruce Willis in Breakfast of Champions.