A River Runs Through It

Yet another of the movies that I had a chance to record during a free preview weekend is A River Runs Through It. It's got an airing coming up, tomorrow at 8:56 AM on Starz Cinema, so I decided to watch it over the Thanksgiving weekend to do a review on here.

Norman Maclean (played as an adult by Craig Sheffer) was a writer in real life born in Montana in 1902. His father (Tom Skerritt) was a Methodist minister and Mom (Brenda Blethyn) was your typical mother/housewife of the early 20th century. Norman also had a younger brother in Paul (played as an adult by Brad Pitt). Dad, being a Methodist minister, could be a bit strict (see One Foot in Heaven for another good example of a cinematic Methodist minister), but had as one of his great loves fly fishing, going out on the Blackfoot river and bringing his two sons with him. Both sons grow up to enjoy fly fishing, although Paul takes even greater pleasure in it.

Eventually 1917 and the American entry into World War I comes. With many of the adult males going off to fight, there's a need for labor that forces the two Maclean sons to grow up quickly. Dad, however, is insistent that his sons get an education and since the war is over by the time they graduate high school anyway, Norman goes east to Dartmouth in New Hampshire to get his degree in English, while Paul stays to study at the state school which gives him more time to keep fly fishing.

Fast forward to the spring of 1926. Norman has finally graduated college and returns home to Montana to decide what he wants to do with the rest of his life. Paul has also graduated and gone on to work for a newspaper in Helena, where he's the stereotype of the alcoholic reporter, the alcoholism coming even though there's Prohibition on. Everyone is happy to have Norman back, although he's not certain whether he's going to stay or whether he's going to go east to do graduate work.

At an Independence Day celebration, Norman meets Jessie Burns (Emily Lloyd), a nice young lady who at first isn't necessarily interested in Norman. They do, eventually, start courting in the old-fashioned style of small-town 1920s. However, when they all go to a speakeasy, Norman realizes that Paul is really a mess. He's cavorting with a Native American woman, but worse, not only drinks too much but likes to gamble. And he's really gotten himself into debt.

Norman wants to go fly fishing more with Paul in the hopes that will bring some happiness into Paul's life and quiet those internal demons in Paul's head. But then Jessie's brother Neal returns home from Hollywood where he's trying to make it as a screenwriter. Neal wants to go fly-fishing with the Maclean brothers, but he shows up late and brings his girlfriend. Then the two get drunk and sleep out in the sun, getting a nasty sunburn. There's no way this is going to help Paul, or Neal, or Norman's relationship with Jessie.

Further complications arise when Norman gets a letter from the University of Chicago informing him that he's being given a position to do his graduate work, which also comes with a job as an assistant professor. He's set to go back east, which means leaving Paul behind to face his demons alone. And who knows whether Jessie is going to want to go east with Norman?

The real-life Norman Maclean's story is a fairly good one that has potential to translate well to the screen, even though in many ways it feels as though it's not breaking any new ground. The themes of coming-of-age and tradition (family in Montana) versus modernity (the job in Chicago) are timeless and universal, but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with them. Director Robert Redford does a fine job putting it all on the screen, helped immensely by the gorgeous scenery from location shooting in Montana (and some in Wyoming, according to IMDb). Unsurprisingly, that cinematography won an Oscar.

The acting is competent, although I think it's more likely that the actual story will be remembered more than the various stars' acting. In any case, the movie is absolutely worth a viewing. It is also available on DVD the last time I checked in case you don't have any of the premium channels.