The legendary Glenn Ford and Julie Harris are quite touching in this slice of life drama, playing the parents of Gary Frank, a soldier in the Korean War, home on leave, trying to reconnect with an old girlfriend who has moved on with another man and trying to reconcile old issues with his father who has become embittered because of a sudden injury that has taken away his ability to do the things that he's used to doing. Frank and Ford don't have a bad relationship. They just don't have a relationship at all, and when Frank confronts his father over not being honest with him about what happened, the steps are taken for them to become closer. Harris, playing the highly understanding mother, does all she can to bring about a reconciliation with him, and it's ultimately her gift at the end of the film which is the subject of the title.
A particularly memorable scene has Ford sitting in silent fury as old friends play slides of him in his better days playing soccer a sport he can no longer partake in, finally erupting when he's had enough. The film successfully depicts the early 50's, with cultural references and music from that time. And transports the viewer back to a much simpler era that in retrospect probably wasn't much simpler. Frank manages to hold his own up against the two legendary actors, and spends quite a bit of the first half acting drunk as his character deals with changes in his home community that are Beyond his control, but the plot surrounding his ex-girlfriend is quickly resolved and moves on to the more important plot concerning his relationship with his father which is the heart and soul of the story. It's a well-written, simple tale, not exactly a shattering, but definitely a nice holiday distraction.
A particularly memorable scene has Ford sitting in silent fury as old friends play slides of him in his better days playing soccer a sport he can no longer partake in, finally erupting when he's had enough. The film successfully depicts the early 50's, with cultural references and music from that time. And transports the viewer back to a much simpler era that in retrospect probably wasn't much simpler. Frank manages to hold his own up against the two legendary actors, and spends quite a bit of the first half acting drunk as his character deals with changes in his home community that are Beyond his control, but the plot surrounding his ex-girlfriend is quickly resolved and moves on to the more important plot concerning his relationship with his father which is the heart and soul of the story. It's a well-written, simple tale, not exactly a shattering, but definitely a nice holiday distraction.