December (1991)

Wil Wheaton (Stand by Me) Chris Young (Book of Love) and Balthazar Getty (Young Guns II) star as three best friends facing the most important decision of their lives. On December 7 1941 the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and changed the course of history. For five prep students in New Hampshire the war had seemed a world away. But the savage surprise attack brings the war home and the high school buddies suddenly find themselves on opposite sides of the fight. A powerful coming-of-age story in the tradition of Dead Poets Society DECEMBER is a compelling reminder that not every hero goes to war.System Requirements:Run Time: 91 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: PG UPC: 043396011557 Manufacturer No: 01155 Product Description

Not everyone went to War on December 7,1941

DECEMBER is a fairly straightforward look at five New Hampshire Prep school chums who on a single night have to make a decision that for some is as easy as pie and for others is as terrifying as can be.Japan has bombed Pearl Harbor.The date is December 7,!941.Within minutes boys and men all over the U.S altered all of their plans for life and immediately entered the War effort (or so it is often portrayed!!!). DECEMBER takes a different approach; not everyone is gung-ho. DECEMBER examines how each boy feels about their prospects and motivations for entering WW2.

The problem with DECEMBER is that it is so centered on being a character study that it comes off more like a play for the stage.( Frankly, I think this film would have made a TERRIFIC stage play!). As a film, though, it is extremely claustrophobic, taking place in a dorm room, and the dialogue gets rather stale and tedious. In fact, I was squirming due to the lack of anything riveting to propel ANY action forward.What DECEMBER, though, does do well is to present the fact that not everyone in 1941 America was ready to drop everything to be a "hero." This, in itself, was refeshing enough to stand one viewing.

NOTE: the ONLY thing that DECEMBER has in common with DEAD POET'S SOCIETY or THE EMPEROR'S CLUB or HISTORY BOY'S is that it is filmed at a Prep School!!! June 21, 2007

Neopatriotism in a War Film

I wish we had more movies like these. It's a movie based on a tragic event that happened decades ago, but with a modern inflection. Unlike, the agitprop trying to be charmed into mainstream, this film is democratically correct. Cinematographically, it's studio style is commensurable with the emotional tone or "mise en scene" of German psychological thrillers, yet the storyline's characteristics are in tune with American philosophic points of view, as far as Western Civilizations goes. At first, I wasn't enjoying the film, but then surprising scenes made me stop and think. Now, I'm watching it every chance I get. (It's had a fecund affect on me.) There is a sense of diplomacy and comprehension that unfortunately skips a generation. This movie builds; not destroys. You have to see the movie up to the very end to understand how sound the moral is. It decently portrays man as a fully rational being. If it weren't for the profanity, I'd say that this film is adherent to the Logos. April 16, 2007

Too much unresolved emoting, but thought provoking drama.

If you're a fan of Wil Wheaton, this is one of his biggest, best roles. It's a drama about 5 prep boys debating weather to join up after Pearl Harbor. The whole thing takes place during one night, December 8th 1941. Wheaton is taking a pacifist position, putting his best friendship with a patriot at risk. These boys seem to have a new emotional crisis in every scene, and unfortunately that makes their competent acting seem a bit over the top, and about halfway through the film it loses it's effect. However, you'll probably like December if you liked all of the following movies, even if it isn't as good as any of them: Stand By Me, Toy Soldiers, Dead Poet's Society, and The Emperor's Club. Of course they never do resolve who is right, or even tell what happens to any of them in the war; but they raise thought-provoking issues, such as can friendship survive diametric positions of patirot vs. pacifist. May 15, 2005

Absolutely Amazing

I first saw this movie ten years ago when I was fourteen. At the time I was going through a hugely sentimental phase, and I was soaking up knowlege and ideas like a spongue. During this time I struggled a lot with trying to work out where I fit into the political scheme of things (I was an advanced child!) and this movie really gave me a leg up towards thinking about what war and it's implications meant to me as an individual. It shaped a lot of my ideas and it helped me to grow. I only managed to see it twice while it was on television, because it appears that it was never available in the rental shops near me, and by the time I started seriously searching for a copy to buy and own, it was out of production.

If you have not seen this movie, it is worth the purchase. The acting is superb and I have to say, truly unbelievable. Wil Weaton is a great actor, but I never saw him as truly brilliant until I had watched "December." Stand by Me is a great movie, Toy Soldiers was a great performance for him, but "December" truly takes the cake.

While I will confess (as I read other reviews when submitting my own!) that the storyline leaves something to be desired, I don't think that this movie is about *story*. It is about *feeling* and *ideas*. Not everybody is going to appreciate that or like that, but those of you who are interested in ideas and personal growth through the explorations thereof, then this movie is a must see. October 6, 2003

Beautiful Cast & Outstanding Movie

To most of the public eye this movie could be seen as boring and wasteful, but if you take a closer look this picture it is truthful & emotional. The thing I liked most about it was its over acceptional cast. Wil Wheaton, the star from Stand By Me, was exravogent. Chris Young, also seen in Great Outdoors, gets my vote. Balthazar Getty, from White Squall, put on a wonderful performance. If I were Siskel and Ebert I would most definately not only give the movie two very enthusiastic thumbs up but also the cast. March 7, 2000

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