Summertree

I have nothing good to say about this movie. The story's been done numerous time: a young man who can't make up his mind what he wants to do with himself tries to become a draft dodger.

But it's worse than that. None of the characters are likable. Michael Douglas as the son is in serious need of growing up. Jack Warden as his father is an Archie Bunker type (fitting, considering that Rob "Meathead" Reiner has a small role).

Brenda Vaccaro's character is redundant to the plot, adding little to the story. Even so, she's far from admirable as she's not completely honest with the son.

I found the movie boring and pretentious and I wasn't entirely surprised at how it ended.

Avoid this one like the plague.

Coming of age in the 60's this movie bought back so many memories. I could not stop myself from crying. Michael Douglas does a wonderful job as the conflicted young man faced with hard choices.

20-year-old college student, anxious to ditch the dull standard curriculum to study music at the school's conservatory, butts heads with his father over the decisions he's making and the girl he's dating while the Vietnam War and the draft looms large over him. Thinly-derived adaptation of Ron Cowen's off-Broadway play, a generation-gap tale directed by Anthony Newley (of all people), does have a distinctive middle-America look that captures life around mom's dining room table better than "The Subject Was Roses". Still, this young man's journey isn't very enthralling and his arguments aren't very persuasive. Newley keeps a lively pace but doesn't reign in his actors, although Michael Douglas, in one of his earliest film roles, is comfortable in front of the camera. Despite a bad haircut and a reddish face that looks sunburned, Douglas handles the leading role well, sharing a few strong scenes with Jack Warden as his father and Brenda Vaccaro as his girlfriend, a nursing student. Kirk Douglas (Michael's real-life dad) produced the film as a gift for his son; that kind of love and generosity is faked in the movie, which has an overlay of TV-styled melodrama that renders it ultimately unimportant. **1/2 from ****

I don't know whether I came to the right column. It was about 30 years ago when I watched this movie. I was a teenager. English was my second language and I had to work hard on learning. I almost forgot what the movie was talking about but purely I remembered Douglas' performance and the atmosphere took me into another place where I remembered for 30 years. Thanks to God we have internet communications nowadays, at least I have an avenue to trace the movie I would like to see a few more times. Please let me know as how I can attain the chance to see it again. I miss the young Michael, too!

Regina Orwin

A great, thought-provoking movie. Of particular note is the performance of William "Bill" Smith, who played the Draft Lawyer!