Born on the 4th of July (1989)

Where did we go wrong Oliver Stone? I used to love your movies, and think you were a great director. And yet as I re-watch these old favorites from the 1980s and early 1990s, I wonder what I ever saw in you.  I guess I've grown up and changed. What seemed "cool" and "realistic" in 1989, now seems hysterical, overdone and fake. And who can believe Tom Cruise as a Small-town disabled vet? And what's up with all the fake Small-town Americana at the start - its even worse then Nixon.  Of course, there's some good acting, by Dafoe and Berenger,  and the flim isn't boring.  You were never boring Oliver. But all the flashy photography, rats, and superficial, over-the-top dramatics, just doesn't do it anymore. And I can't help but remember all the liberal establishments types who cried over Ron Kovics had no trouble cheerleading for the Gulf War and our invasion of Iraq*.  That left a sour taste in my mouth. But we'll always have Platoon - so there's that.  Rating **1/2

* = Hollywood scriptwriters know that disabled vets make good antiwar movies or inspiring stories depending on how you tell the story.  When Hollywood dislikes a war, like Vietnam or WW 1, then the tone is "What the hell did he lose his legs for?"  When its a  liberal "Good War"  then its about the noble struggle to over come the handicap (Pride of the Marines, the Men, etc.)  The Hollywood flip-flopping from being pro-war to anti-war never seems to be sincere but seems always driven by politics. For example, its only after Vietnam came on the horizon that anti-war movies based on WW II (Slaughter-house Five, Catch-22, Johnny Got his Gun) suddenly made an appearance.  And from what I can tell, no real anti-war movie has been about the Gulf War, or Iraq or Afghanistan.