This story of Abner Meecham, an 80-something man who walks out of his retirement home to return to his old farm, only to find other people living there, was to me more of a thriller than most movies tagged as that. The conflicts that develop between Meecham and the farm-dweller Choats (husband, wife, and teenage daughter) kept me in a state of tension throughout most of the movie.
You think that this is going to be a story about Abner, a lovable curmudgeon who fights the good fight to reclaim his property from the unlikable Lonzo Choat. But things don't quite go in that direction. For one thing Meecham's son Paul, a lawyer with power of attorney, has given the Choats a 90 day lease with an option to buy, so the Choats have legal right to be on the land. But Meecham is not about to let that stand. Choat and Meecham have many more shades of gray in their personalities than good versus bad. We see a dark side of Choat in a beating he deals his daughter with a garden hose (which is truly a horrible scene), but as he gently coils the hose for storage the next day we see regret and self loathing in his every movement. Meecham doesn't start the negotiations off well by calling Choat white trash and saying that he is a lazy good-for-nothing. But Choat's wife Ludie lands a pretty good blow on Meecham when she asks him if it doesn't get tired being such a bitter, lonely old man. The back-and-forth ever-escalating battle that embroils the Choats, Meecham, and Paul, exposes their personalities in a way that kept my interest.
I think the basic theme touched on is knowing when to give up. Is it realistic for Meecham to think he can resume his life alone on the farm? Does Choat really have a chance of making a go of it on the farm? Should Paul give in to his father's demands, or should Meecham listen to Paul's reasoned arguments? The film ultimately resolves these questions, but does not answer them.
The filming in rural Tennessee adds a touch of realism to the proceedings.
Holbrook, at age 84, continues to amaze. I can't think of any other actor his age who could pull this off--he is on screen for most of the scenes. I found the interview with him on the DVD well worth watching.
You think that this is going to be a story about Abner, a lovable curmudgeon who fights the good fight to reclaim his property from the unlikable Lonzo Choat. But things don't quite go in that direction. For one thing Meecham's son Paul, a lawyer with power of attorney, has given the Choats a 90 day lease with an option to buy, so the Choats have legal right to be on the land. But Meecham is not about to let that stand. Choat and Meecham have many more shades of gray in their personalities than good versus bad. We see a dark side of Choat in a beating he deals his daughter with a garden hose (which is truly a horrible scene), but as he gently coils the hose for storage the next day we see regret and self loathing in his every movement. Meecham doesn't start the negotiations off well by calling Choat white trash and saying that he is a lazy good-for-nothing. But Choat's wife Ludie lands a pretty good blow on Meecham when she asks him if it doesn't get tired being such a bitter, lonely old man. The back-and-forth ever-escalating battle that embroils the Choats, Meecham, and Paul, exposes their personalities in a way that kept my interest.
I think the basic theme touched on is knowing when to give up. Is it realistic for Meecham to think he can resume his life alone on the farm? Does Choat really have a chance of making a go of it on the farm? Should Paul give in to his father's demands, or should Meecham listen to Paul's reasoned arguments? The film ultimately resolves these questions, but does not answer them.
The filming in rural Tennessee adds a touch of realism to the proceedings.
Holbrook, at age 84, continues to amaze. I can't think of any other actor his age who could pull this off--he is on screen for most of the scenes. I found the interview with him on the DVD well worth watching.