This entry in a small series of post-Vietnam War readjustment melodramas doesn't, unfortunately, measure up to its potential. Three notable actors do what they can with material perhaps better suited to the less demanding standards of television; De Niro, in particular, exhibits his usual flair as the extroverted, nicknamed title character, who attempts to help shell-shocked fellow veteran Ed Harris out of his depression while falling in love with his friend's lonely wallflower sister (a thankless role for Kathy Baker). Director David Jones contributes little to Stephen Metcalfe's stage play except a few gratuitous combat flashbacks, which add nothing but noise to what should have been a subtle, low-key character study. Such genuine and well-meant sympathy for homecoming soldiers is certainly not out of place, but the sometimes over-earnest treatment doesn't do them any favors.
