War of the Buttons

I didn't expect much from this film when I rented it. Another Improbable Hero Kid movie?

The fine point of it is: No. If you run screamin' at the mention of Home Alone or Goonies, you needn't be afraid of a movie like this.

The kids impart a genuine, unself-conscious mood to everything in the film, contributing in large part to its subtle and pervasive good humor. I marvelled at the creativity of the Ballydowse kids, and was at the same time satisfied that their rivals were never reduced to mindless obstacles to rouse our sympathy.

As we can see the war from the kids' view, we can see its reflection in their parents, and of course, in adults everywhere. But the film keeps its subtlety here too; we're never beaten over the head with the analogy, but given the right views to delight in it - their creativity and intelligence belongs to all ages.

My one reservation is the soundtrack; it's manipulative and lacks the subtlety of the rest of it.

Three favorite scenes: Little Con breaking his eggs and marooned for a bit with the Carrick boys, the teacher translating Riley's passed note, and the carousal and tractor.

Wonderful, interesting story of a growing rivalry between young boys in two neighboring Irish small towns. This film is supposed to be based on the book, "La Guerre Des Boutons" by Louis Pergaud. The story, casting, acting and locations were perfect. One strong suit is the beautiful scenery filmed on location in Ireland. I really like this film. It seems few people who reviewed it actually watched it as none of the reviews I read even matched the film's content. I would have liked to have seen the one big battle scene played down as it seemed a bit over the top but other than that this was a pure joy to watch.

WAR OF THE BUTTONS is a warm film that exudes a wonder and zest seldom seen in even so-called family films. The parable-like movie concerns a feud between two factions of boys in an Irish village, the trophies of war being the buttons the boys cut from captured enemies' clothing. As the battles grow, we see how the rivalry goes back even further than the boys, to their parents' childhoods. Nothing heavy-handed or profound, but a perceptive view of childhood with a great lesson gently imparted. See it!

One of the great things about being a kid is that you get away with a lot, growing up is an adventure, gangs, silly jokes etc. Okay, maybe you can't get away with it all.

This picture is an adventure for 2 gangs who hate each other, one poor, one rich. Which is good and evil? Actually, the line is blurred, no one is evil, yet no one is good. It's not all adventure, there are dark moments. The film is a joy to watch, it brings back memories for us adults.

The picture's location is stunning, Ireland is such a great place, the countryside and simplicity is brought to life by stunning direction and beautiful photography.

A very good screenplay as well.

The performances are stunning, you believed that the kids were fighting each other, you believed in their emotions, great stuff!

A must watch! Remember to view in widescreen

In two small Irish villages the two communities have children who are ongoing hostilities. The Bally's are a little poorer than their rivals the Carricks. However the war of attrition between the two sets of boys is escalated when Fergus cuts all the buttons and buckles off one of the Carrick's clothes. This sparks the war of the Buttons which the Bally's take seriously, saving money, building a head quarters etc. The childish war begins to escalate however and the reality of the adult world begins to make it's presence felt in a very real way.

I set my video to tape one of the Hope/Crosby `Road to' movies late one night. However the destination for that movie was a place that had been the target of a terrorist bomb so it was dropped from the schedules and this movie was put in it's place due to the similar running time I assume. I was a little let down cause I'm a big Hope fan but I thought I'd give this a shot for lack of anything else to watch. I had high expectations when I saw that the team behind this had also produced and written Chariots of Fire, but soon realised this was a much more low key affair.

The plot is a remark of an old French film and sees a village feud between two groups of kids. It could have been sentimental and mushy with tonnes of cute kids just taking things too far 9imagine if Disney had made this!) but happily it is kept on a level field and not allowed to be spoilt in such a crude manner. The plot never gets out of hand and the ending is a sobering blow of reality without falling into sentimentality which it could so easily have done.

The cast are all excellent. The children are not the `cute but cheeky' type favoured in Hollywood but are totally convincing in their roles. The film never judges any of them but lets us just watch without having baddies or goodies – just children. The only fault is that it is a little too light and could be basically a film for slightly older kids who can understand the themes and not just take in the idea of fighting. Adults may find it to be a little too childish for long parts, but it's still a good mix of fun and serious material.

Overall I was set for a Bob Hope classic but got this. I got over my disappointment and got into this. It is light and funny but also dark without tipping into the mushy sentimentality that accompanies many films with all-kid casts. Could have been more substantial but is still pretty enjoyable all the same.