User reviews

Lotta screenplay issues here. For working so hard on their farm, why do they look so young and fresh and alive - farming must not be that tough. They had a horrible flood at the beginning of the film and another at the end. Why didn't they plan and shore up the levee? Sissy was caught on a tractor for most of the day, arm crunched by a drive train; lost a lot of blood, but a cast for a while and she pops back to tendin the farm. Mel doesn't ask about that. Just a lot of unanswered questions in a shoddy script. Good points: the cinematography is excellent as is the musical score. Oh, and to get money Tom takes a job as a scab in a union steelworkers mill and doesn't realize it?????? It's not a bad movie ~ it's not a good movie ~ it's a depressing movie because you think after all is said and done, they are set up for failure during the next crop season.

The River features a decent portrayal of the harsh life of American farmers and delivers a fine message that stands as the epitome of genuine American virtues. It is the story of Tom Garvey (Mel Gibson) and his family. They cultivate land close to the banks of the Tennessee River and have to fight floods and financial crises while one of the local capitalists plans to build a reservoir and wants them to abandon their land. Tom and his wife Mae (Sissy Spacek) are unwilling to yield. They rather chose to continue their inhuman struggles and stick to the grounds of their ancestors. What follows is a desperate and almost destructive fight to survive against adversities that seem invincible.

Mel Gibson and Sissy Spacek are portrayed as a loving couple that would never back down. Despite mounting pressure and considerable setbacks it is a question of honor and integrity for them to hold on. Due to financial reasons, Tom takes a job as a factory worker and has to leave Mae with the work at home. Mae is a rugged but also very sensitive and determined woman. She is not as stubborn as her husband and does indeed show signs of wavering and despair. Yet she is as dogged as he is when it comes to defend their land and their family. This is where both get their strength from. Land and family. The most important values for Americans. As long as there is land, and as long as the family is intact, there is always hope. Whatever adversity is thrown upon you – natural or man-made – backing down is no option. The movie lives from this emotional and psychologically compelling commitment and brings these genuine American virtues to the fore with sincere authenticity and without glossing over the facts. The life of the family is portrayed in all its depressing hardships and stands as a symbol for the bold ambitions and the perseverance of the pioneers of the historical frontier. At the same time Tom and Mae embody natural virtues of not just Americans but all humans.

Apart from the very obvious emphasis on courage and steadfastness, the movie provides visually intriguing sequences. The camera work is sublime and manages to capture at least some of the most picturesque images of the Tennessee River. The entire movie is shot on location in the Volunteer State along the banks of the great river. The scenes shot at night and during heavy rain are stunning and require substantial experience.

The River is indeed more than an average movie. Its story is simple but compelling. The characters are decently portrayed and the message is both appealing and inspirational. Storyline developments are sometimes still too slow and some scenes are occasionally long-winded. It is a typical American movie, thus elaborating strongly on American issues and American virtues.

I enjoyed this movie for the most part, it wasn't fantastic, it was interesting though and somewhat exhausting, watching how hard this family works to keep afloat.

Its a slow building movie following Tom and Mae Garvey (Mel Gibson and Sissy Spacek) a hardy Tennessee farming couple who must defend their farm against man and nature, constantly one step away from foreclosing or flooding. This is from the early 80's so Mel Gibson is very good looking here as well as doing a decent southern accent. Sissy looks good too.

There are also some interesting scenes in this, one in particular stands out when Tom takes a job at a foundry and a deer enters which then has all the workers surrounding it, planning on killing it and then they just release it. I'm not entirely sure what it was meant to signify?

The ending felt a bit abrupt with yet another flood and a somewhat cheesy conclusion to everything with the outcome of the bad guy land developer (Scott Glen). I was left wondering and then what happens? Probably the same exact circle of events next season. 10/24/15

Tom and Mae Garvey (Mel Gibson, Sissy Spacek) are the owners of a small eastern Tennessee farm that has been in the Garvey family for generations. It is the early 1980s, when the staggering U.S. economy threatens the welfare of the American family farm. The Garveys' struggles are compounded by the fact that their property is in a flood plain, and by the enmity of Tom's rival Joe Wade (Scott Glenn), who is a wealthy and powerful foe. This is not lighthearted entertainment.

For me, the film's most powerful moments come when cash-strapped Tom has to leave the farm to find work elsewhere. He unknowingly becomes a scab in a factory where the regular labor force is on strike. At least there is a regular paycheck, but the contrast between the man-made hell of a iron foundry/steel mill and the natural beauty of the family farm is compelling, and you can see why the Garveys struggle to hold on to their agricultural way of life, however hard it is. The cinematography for this movie is way above average, a celebration of rural America.

Sissy Spacek delivers her usual fine performance. Mel Gibson is very good-- his Tennessee accent quite convincing. The two youngsters who play their children deserve special praise for their natural performances. This is a good, thoughtful movie-- not romantic, thrilling or exciting-- but one the family can watch together and think what sacrifices they would make to keep a heritage and a way of life preserved.

Tom (Mel Gibson) and Mae Garvey (Sissy Spacek) struggle to keep their farm afloat after a devastating flood. Joe Wade (Scott Glenn) has a scheme to build a dam to bring water to his land. To do it, he would need to buy out all the farmers including the Garveys. Tom needs a loan but Joe Wade has lined up the bank and political backers against them.

It is the little guy struggling against the big guy. It is also about Tom's single-mindedness. Tom is not necessarily a sympathetic guy. He is stubborn beyond reason. He has a mean streak in him. This makes the simplistic movie structure of small-guy-makes-good not so simplistic. Sissy Spacek is able to soften him image somewhat. There are a couple of great scenes in the mix. The auction scene is the most memorable and heart breaking. The faces in the crowd says it all. The other is the strike. The ending of which is another great scene for a different reason. This starts out yet another small farmer struggle movie. In fact, it's the last of three big such releases of that year. It turns into a man obsessed against the river.

Continuing my plan to watch every Mel Gibson movie in order, 8 come to his first American movie. 1984's The River.

Plot In A Paragraph: Tom and Mae Garvey (Gibson and Sissy Spceck) struggle to keep their farm from the bank, floods and from local financer Joe Wade (Scott Glenn) who wants to buy up all the land, dam a local river which floods and generate some new jobs.

The river was Gibson's first American movie, and he is fine, but is over shadowed by Spaceck and a strong supporting turn from Scott Glenn, who is effectively the movies villain, it is a funny movie as the "Bad Guy" is right all along and Gibson and Spaceck's characters should have listened to him!! He was talking good common sense!! And that's when you know it's a weird move!! If you are rooting for who is essentially the bad guy.

It's watchable, but that's about it.

The River grossed $11 million at the domestic box office to end the year the 72nd highest grossing movie of 1984.

1984 is known as the year that three big-profile films about the struggles of farming in America's heartland hit the big screen and brought the lead actress in each movie a Best Actress Oscar nomination. The most well known is "Places in the Heart," which was also nominated for a Best Picture Oscar and brought Sally Field the second of her two Best Actress Academy Award wins. The other two were "Country," starring Jessica Lange and Sam Shepard, and "The River," starring Sissy Spacek and Mel Gibson. I've not seen "Country," but "Places in the Heart" is far superior to "The River" in just about every conceivable way.

"The River" is like Hollywood's best guess at what struggling farm life would look like. I've never seen a rural farmer with the beautifully chiseled and lit looks and perfectly coiffed hair of Mel Gibson, but hey, maybe they're out there somewhere. The film becomes a pedestrian black and white face off between the virtuous farmers and the evil corporations who seek to undermine them, represented in this movie by Scott Glenn, who, if he had a mustache, would have been twirling it. Glenn never received a single Oscar nomination over the course of his entire career, but he deserved one for this film for keeping a straight face while playing this cartoonish character, if for no other reason.

The film kept me moderately engaged for most of its running time, but it lost me completely with its hokey, cornball ending accompanied by one of John Williams' more overwrought scores.

Spacek is decent, but I'm not sure I saw anything necessarily Oscar worthy about her role or performance. In addition to her nomination, the film also scored nominations for its cinematography, score, and sound.

Grade: B-

I recently rented this movie because I'm a Mel Gibson fan, but before I did, I read over the review by Leonard Maltin on these pages and found that his comment "but Gibson's character is so coldly stubborn that it's hard to empathize" regarding the character Tom Garvey was pretty harsh.

This is not a man so stubborn you cannot empathize with him in the least. Harrison Ford's character in Mosquito Coast was such a man, but this guy is a good man trying to do what's right for himself and for his family and I didn't see him as cold either. Again, look to Mosquito Coast if you're looking for a father who's cold, TOO stubborn and unloving.

If you want to see a good movie about farmers facing adversity from the weather and from their "neighbors" this is a good one to rent. Justly nominated for cinematography, it's a very pretty movie, although I'd have liked to see it on the big screen to get the full effects of the river shots. Sissy Spacek was of course excellent as well.

This film portrays the powerful struggles that a lot of independent farmers, face. That being, corporate take over or buy-out's which fazes out the livelihood of a farmer and their families. The direction is colorful and nearly flawless. I agree with the previous reviewer though about Mel Gibson. His character, a mite too proud, is a little difficult to take sometimes. He definitely could have shown more bite in the scene where he is attacked by the strikers. The scene where he confronts Scott Glenn in the office is his best scene in this movie. But he definitely could have done a better job with the character. He seems miscast at times.

The on screen chemistry between Spacek and Gibson underscores the uncomfortable aura of the marriage in the movie. There's something strange about the couple, something that just doesn't click; a feeling of looming doom regarding their relationship. Scott Glenn's character does not help the uneasy tension. They're all just trying to keep their families afloat, is all. Mel Gibson played a terrific part in this movie and he was brilliant in every scene. Cinematography is nice. Country was a better take on this topic of the early 80's-people losing their family farms to the banks. Country had some show stopping moments of dialog delivered by Jessica Lange. Jessica seemed less a victim than the two main characters here. There is little triumph in the survival of Mel and Sissy.Jessica was more Joan of Arc than merely a survivor. The movie has a lot to do with the 1980's recession that is plaguing farms throughout the state of Tennessee, not to mention the constant flooding of the river that is threatening to wash away everything that the farmers worked hard for.

Overall rating: 7 out of 10. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

Mel Gibson isn't terribly convincing as a southern farmer and family man trying to hold onto his river-ravaged land; even when covered in soot and wearing overalls, everything about the young, wiry Gibson breathes prosperity. Corporate shady Scott Glenn (in a sleepwalking performance) wants Gibson and wife Sissy Spacek off their land in order to build a dam and flood the valley (it'll mean more jobs), but Gibson refuses to sell out. Sub-plot with Mel taking factory work (after crossing a picket line) is presumably meant to give us a more complete portrait of the man, but it just makes the character seem hard-headed. Upon opening with a lovely series of nature shots courtesy cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond, director Mark Rydell immediately loses his footing with a sequence of contrived family action set in a rainstorm (underlined by an awful John Williams score). It's all downhill from there, with petulant, milky-skinned Gibson failing to match up with homespun Spacek, and two perky kids who keep playing to the camera. "The River" was released the same year as "Places in the Heart" and "Country", and was easily the weakest we-won't-lose-the-farm movie of the lot. Glossy, superficial and dull. *1/2 from ****

By 1984, Hollywood must have decided we had been in outer space too long with the Star Wars Trilogy. They decided to bring us not only back down to earth, but to take us down on the farm with The Green Acres trilogy. In the space of a year they gave us Places In The Heart, with Sally Field, Country with Jessica Lange, and this movie The River with Sissy Spacek and Mel Gibson.

Of the three this is the only one I saw in a theater, and if you're going to view this film, it is best viewed in a theater or on a big screen TV with the DVD. That's not to say you can't otherwise enjoy The River, but what you miss is some beautiful photography by Vilmos Zsigmond, that draws you in from the opening frame and will keep you enthralled throughout. From the opening shots of the grey clouding skies and the first drops of rain dropping gently off the leaves, to the mighty force of the torrential thunderstorm and the raging waters of the river, you are treated to a Cinematographer's delight. Not once, during the first fifteen twenty minutes of The River do you even consider the notion that there are guys out there with hoses spraying the set down, and if they were I sure don't want to know about it. Even after the opening storm has subsided, the film becomes almost like an oil painting of rural America.

Not only is the photography in The River impeccable, it has sound editing that matches it on every level. This sounds like a storm in every aspect, from the rain hitting the tin barn roof, the sound of the river water overflowing it's banks, to the sound Tom Garvey's (Mel Gibson) boots sloshing through the mud. Even the sound of Tom's tractor, as he is anxiously trying to keep the river from overflowing it's banks is meticulously detailed. This film was deservedly nominated for an Oscar for both cinematography and sound editing, and in my opinion, should have won both, having lost out to The Killing Fields and Amadeus, respectively. (It did win a special achievement award for sound effects so go figure!)

Then there's the musical score. One critic complained that John Williams academy award nominated score was a bit overdone, but I think what that particular critic didn't understand is that the musical score perfectly complimented the cinematography. It's beautifully done, and it's a shame that it is never mentioned in the huge lists of John William's film scores.

Okay, so what about the rest of the film? Tom Garvey, his wife Mae (Sissy Spacek in an academy award nominated performance, but lost to Sally Fields for the previously mentioned Places In The Heart) along with their two children Lewis and Beth (well played by Shane Bailey and Becky Jo Lynch), are trying desperately to hold on to their farm through tough times. It doesn't help matters that Tom's crop is washed out at the beginning of the film by a massive flood. Throw into this mix, Joe Wade (Scott Glenn), who wants to see the Garveys fail so that his own Leutz Corporation can buy the farm out so that a dam can be built, a dam that would flood the valley, taking Tom and Mae's farm with it. This is not only a film about a man trying to hold on, but it is also an essay on character, Tom's, Mae's, and Joe Wade's.

Just by listening, we find out that at one time, before Mae and Tom were married, there was something going on between her and Joe Wade, and that Joe ended up with someone else. We are never told much of the details, but we know that anything that Joe Wade does irritates Tom tremendously. There is a scene between Mae and Tom, after Joe has made Tom what seems to be a more than reasonable offer on the farm, he refuses to even discuss it. "Because it's from him?" Mae asks. It is Tom's hesitation before giving her a stock answer that gives him away. He says it is not, but Mae and the audience know otherwise. As you watch this film, it is the subtlety in the performances, that says more here than any of the dialogue which drops only subtle hints about what happened in the past. Joe is on Tom and Mae's minds, even when he's not around.

Though she never says anything to make us think so, we can tell that there are times when being a farmer's wife is beginning to wear on Mae. At one scene taking place at a farm auction, another woman tells her "I hate being a farmer's wife". From the look on Mae's face, at this particular moment in time, she is in agreement. When she is trying to figure out where the money is going to come from to pay Sears, when she can't call a vet when their cow is dying, you can tell Mae is being worn down. As Mae looks around her, when they are at the auction, and sees what is happening to not only herself, but to all the other farmers around her we know what she is thinking, though she hardly speaks.

Some have complained about Mel Gibson's Tom Garvey being too stubborn and unsympathetic. There is another scene at the auction when someone offers to help Tom unload his truck and Tom refuses the offer. Mae grabs the man by the arm and tells this guy that he knows how Tom is not to take it personally. "Yes, just like, his father" he answers. Towards the end of the film, when the River is about to flood once again, we see Tom treating his children more like work hands than anything else, and we can imagine that Tom was raised in much the same way, so though we may not like his stubbornness, we now at least understand why he's that way. If Gibson's performance weren't consistent throughout, then the whole characterization wouldn't have worked.

There are some minor flaws in the film. Most of the things that happen when Tom takes a job as a scab at an iron works plant, are too loaded with heavy-handed symbolism, and unnecessarily so. The end of this film is also a bit of a disappointment. We may not like Joe Wade much, but we never feel any great animosity toward him at any time. The actions he takes in the waning moments, are way over the top in order to bring things to some type of dramatic close. It is not true to what the character had been up to that point, and it unnecessarily makes too much of a villain out of him. Besides, someone who runs a big corporation wouldn't take such actions, as it easily would open them up to a gigantic law suit.

Of the three farm movies that opened in a years time, I think this one is the most underrated and forgotten of the three. I've seen all of them, and though Sally Field's performance in Places in the Heart was good, I think Sissy Spacek's role here was much more difficult, as it required her to do so much in a very subtle way. Then again, I've never thought of the Academy Awards as being much of a judge of anything, let alone who was the best farmer!

Till Next Time, Next Class Please

Mel Gibson and Sissy Spacek, are a young Farming family who battles not just the river of the title but also other matters such as the bank threatening to repossess their farm, and Scott Glenn plays a scrupulous land developer who plans to buy the farm to make way for a dam. together the family battles through the hard times in a desperate battle to hold on to their farm. Directed by Mark Rydell who directed such other fine American films 'The Reivers' 'The Rose' 'Harry & Walter go to New York' 'On Golden Pond' 'The River' is still a relevant if not hard to watch film in these downtrodden times. It also represents Mel Gibson at a time he was making quality fare. As usual Vilmos Zsigmond contributes terrific photography.

One of those Mel Gibson movies that no one has heard of and yet, is excellent. Sissy Spacek coming off of an Academy Award for Coal Miner's Daughter (1980) is excellent here too (nominated for this one as well).

It's always a tough go for farmers, but the 80's was particularly bad. Remember Farm Aid, 1985?

Scott Glen plays a good bad guy looking to push some farmers off their land. Mel and Sissy show that love is the tie that binds and resist giving up. Great cast and performances all around.

The River is really one of those lost gems from the 80's. The two main actors, Spacek and Gibson, show why their careers really took off during this time.

"The River" tells the story of a family trying to hold on to their way of life in the face of insurmountable odds. The family initially faces a major threat from the river located next to their house, but then an even bigger threat from a businessman (Scott Glenn) who wants to build a dam and flood the valley.

I wouldn't call "The River" a masterpiece, but it does a good job showing the family's desperation. The dad (Mel Gibson) accepts a questionable job, while the mom (Sissy Spacek) has an experience that's likely to make anyone squirm. Every step of the way there are all sorts of hazards, whether in the working conditions, in the terrain, or from the businessman and his cronies.

This is a movie that goes for a lot of realism. The characters' bleak existence gets made clear through their unrefined looks. I recommend it.

I'll agree with most of the previous comments on The River, but will also add that the focus of the very last confrontational scene defines for us the essence of the film and brings forth in the heartless protagonist, Mr. Wade, what he had so humanly (inhumanely?) failed to render throughout the entire story -- respect for those he was trying to selfishly destroy. If you've ever watched just one lonely individual (Mel Gibson in this case) do only what he/she could do (grab a couple mud bags) to make a difference against overwhelming odds, then to be joined in the task by those who were too paralyzed to even think, you'll find similar and inspiring action here, yourself caught up in the grittiness it all takes, and you'll almost rise from your seat to help patch the breached water wall with them.

One man prevailed, an entire valley's worth of beaten-down folk rallied, and what machinery couldn't absolutely guarantee, slogging feet and wet, muddy hands secured.

You just have to love it.

I like the bit where the lady at the factory spits in his face

I have heard about THE RIVER for years because it's aired at least once a year on channel 4 but for some unknown reasons I kinda avoided it. Last November I finally saw it and found it better than what I expected.

Tom Garvey (Mel Gibson) is a farmer that works in the family farm near the river, lives there with his wife and kids and has to face lots of adversities. The worst might be Joe Wade (Scott Glenn), a rich businessman that has always the eyes set on Garvey's wife and tries everything for buying his land for creating a power station and flood the valley. For helping the family more Garvey accepts a job in a steel mill only to be assumed as a strikebreaker because all the workers are on strike. Trouble isn't over, with the river that enlarged because of a rain and the margins weren't build well despite the efforts of Garvey and the few farmers left. As a last offer Wade forces Garvey and the other farmers to sell their proprierties but Garvey will manage to avoid that their land is speculated.

There are lots of tough moments and I mentioned some of them before but there were some funny ones throughout, the most memorable might be the one where a deer comes to the steel mill and doesn't leave. Why? Because he had to take a dump and he had to do it right there! And the ending, with Garvey that manages to save his land from sleazy Wade, is certainly some relief for the viewer.

As for the rest, the direction by Mark Rydell is very crisp tho not on the same level of when he directed ON GOLDEN POND. The acting is mostly good, with Gibson that here gives one of his early best performances, Sissy Spacek as his understanding wife and Glenn as a sleazy villain interested only in flooding the area and leaving lots of farmers without work while he wants to create a power station.

Overall, one of those movies that you might know because it's aired often on TV and it's still worth a view for the aforementioned reasons. Not to be missed not just if you are a Gibson fan.

The is such a good movie :)

Gibson and Spacek are so desperate to save their farm and their family you get caught up in every effort, the successful and the failures.

You just want them to be ok and get through this heartache.

I don't see how anyone could watch this movie and not connect empathetically to the characters.

Its not action every minute but a story that is a great piece of cinema.