The River (1984)

An independent farm family must fight against the local power authorities when they plan to flood the couples land to make way for a hydroelectric project. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 09/28/2004 Starring: Mel Gibson Sissy Spacek Run time: 124 minutes Rating: Pg13 Product Description

Being a part of a movie

This movie may not be the best Mel Gibson movie you will ever see, but to me it is special. I was and still am a part of the community where the movie was made. I live not five miles from where most of the movie was shot here in Hawkins County, and within 25 miles of the Tri-Cities area of Northeast Tennessee. If you enjoy movies of this time-frame, then you will enjoy it very much. I think that the acting was good and although not perfect, it makes for a good movie. December 28, 2008

WONDERFUL!

THIS MOVIE IS EXCELLENT. SUSPENSE, EMOTION, PASSION, ROMANCE, FEAR AND A GREAT PLOT WITH SUPERB ACTING. EVERY ACTOR AND ACTRESS DID A GREAT JOB! June 20, 2008

Wishy Washy

Been a while since I saw this but remember it not remarkable. Though Mel Gibson is like me, Australian, and I should be prejudiced,in recent years I have become bored with him. On a one to ten scale, ten being best, give this one six. June 18, 2008

THE RIVER is not ON GOLDEN POND!

After director Mark Rydell was nominated for his one Oscar in 1981 with ON GOLDEN POND he followed up with another "water drama",this time replacing Katherine Hephburn and Henry Fonda in an already successful Broadway play with Sissy Spacek and Mel Gibson in a trite heartland drama by Robert Dillon.THE RIVER was not successful then, and time has not been on it's side to make it any more endearing or enduring.Spacek had already won her single Oscar for COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER and Gibson was still emerging from "Down Under" when THE RIVER was filmed.The problem with this film is that this story is so GRAPES OF WRATH, but not anywhere as good.A struggling farmer and his wife try to stave off the floods of the river and the floods of the capitalist who want to drown the valley farmland and make a dam that will generate enough water for everyone.( Not a bad idea.They did it where I live and people were given fair market value and we have lots of water!)Well, Tom Garvey (Gibson) is laughingly bullheaded and will not leave the land of his ancestors.Spacek is WAY more convincing as his wife Mae who stays behind to work the land while Tom becomes a "scab",crossing the picket line in order to get work.The plot is terribly predictable with the perfect happy ending with the appropriate triumphant swell of orchestra.The chemistry between Spacek and Gibson is non-existent! They are simply unbelievable as a struggling couple in love.Scott Glenn's interaction as Joe Wade, Mae's former boyfriend and the man who wants to buy up the land and flood the valley, is far more convincing.I had not seen this film since it first was in the theatres in 1984, and was surprised at just HOW bad Mel Gibson is in this film,and how corny the entire script is! The best thing about this film is the river,itself,which seemed to be it's natural self,unaffected and brilliant in it's acting!If you must see it, get a VHS tape for a penny! December 20, 2007

Enjoyible movie

Gibson did it again, great movie, against nature, tring to keep what is theres. Some romance too. What more can you ask for? November 8, 2007

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