CrawlerChunky
In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
AshUnow
This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
Bluebell Alcock
Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies
sarakurtis
I was expecting the collaboration of Robert Redford and Brad Pitt to be something stellar but the River runs through it is clearly not that film. This is a slow paced meditation by Redford which involves small town politics, fly fishing and the understanding of family dynamics. This isn't a bad movie but more of a tempo that it should be watched in the right frame of mind.
classicsoncall
There is perhaps no better illustration of poetry in motion than the fluid rhythm of casting a fly fisherman's rod. The scenes of Reverend Maclean (Tom Skerritt) and his sons Norman (Craig Sheffer) and Paul (Brad Pitt) fly fishing in the Big Blackfoot had an almost hypnotic effect on this viewer; if only I could pursue the art of casting a fly rod with such grace. The story will resonate with those affected by father/son relationships, and possibly even more for anyone who has, or had, a brother who meant as much to them as Norman and Paul did for each other in this film. It wasn't until I finished watching this movie that I found out it was based on the real life story of Norman Maclean, an American author and scholar who published a book under the same title as the picture ('A River Runs Through It and Other Stories').With Robert Redford helming the movie as director, I couldn't help notice a number of scenes in which Brad Pitt resembled the iconic actor using Redford's charm and mannerisms. Redford himself would have been ideal in the role of Paul Maclean had the picture been made some three decades earlier. In one of his earliest starring film roles, Pitt exudes the charisma and charm that would eventually make him a celebrity and star of the first order.There is some irony in Paul's statement to brother Norman as quoted in my summary line above. Vowing never to leave Montana following Norman's invitation to move to Chicago with him and his new wife, Paul's demons eventually caught up with him to insure that his vow would be fulfilled. What led to Paul's death can be conjectured from the type of life he led and the type of people he became indebted to, leaving unresolved the relationship he shared earlier in the story with an Indian girl. Taken in it's entirety, "A River Runs Through It" is as much a testament to Paul's short life as it is to his older brother's.
aefuller-32718
This film truly captures the great wilderness spirit, and it really just makes you want to walk down the trail the the Maclean family walked all there life. Robert redford directed an incredible film with an all-star crew
Raven-1969
"It is those we are closest to that elude us," said Norman Maclean "yet we can still love them completely." This touching, gorgeous and true story of love, loss, grace, nature, fly-fishing, laughter and art is about Norman's life in rural Montana nearly 100 years ago. The story revolves around three things that Montanans are never late for; church, work and fishing. Paul is Norman's fiercely independent, impulsive and confident younger brother. Norman and his family try to come to terms with Paul's simultaneous attraction and elusiveness. Since the film release 25 years ago I spent seven years in and around Montana. Each time I hiked through the abundant forests of the state I felt like the luckiest person in the world. This beautiful film captures the magic I felt. The film audience is immersed in the splendor and wonder of Montana's waterfalls, wily trout, sparkling sunlight, towering mountains and forests, and river sounds, currents and rhythms. There is great depth, richness and wonder to this true story. This applies to both the natural and human elements that, as Norman maintains, merge into one. "Stories of life are more like rivers than books," he says. Souls are restored and imagination is stirred in listening to the river. This is the best film Robert Redford has been a part of. Brad Pitt begins his rise to stardom here, and the other actors are just as good. Norman writes about Missoula and the Blackfoot River, yet the film was shot in and around Bozeman, a similar, nearby and equally beautiful setting.
