The Robert Downey Jr Film Guide
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The Robert Downey Jr Film Guide |
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1969 (1988) |
Summary |
Nostalgia trip about two small town hippies who are affected by the Vietnam War. |
Direction |
Ernest Thompson |
Downey Factor |
Medium. Keifer Sutherland plays the central character, and the camera mostly follows him when Downeys's character is elsewhere. |
Character |
Ralph, a hippie who's in college to avoid going to Vietnam. |
Looks |
Similiar to his other movies from the same time ... I like his wardrobe in this one. |
Performance |
Decent. He plays his part about as well as the script would allow. |
Love & Sex |
Only talked-about. |
Dies, Gay or Villain |
No. No. No. |
Other Actors |
Kiefer Sutherland, Bruce Dern, Winona Ryder |
Connection |
Winona Ryder in A Scanner Darkly. |
RDJ Says |
For 1969, I examined the social climate of the time by reacting and talking to my dad. No matter how much you research a period piece, you're going to have to make up your own fucking mind about it. Everyone's experience is so varied, yet valid; you're always playing different aspects of yourself anyway. Even it it takes place over ten years, it's two fucking hours -- no one can express more than a portion of themselves in a film anyway, and by themselves, I mean selves, plural. |
Availability |
Available on DVD in Regions 1, 2, and 4. |
Foreign Titles |
Brazil: 1969, O Ano que Mudou Nossas Vidas (The Year Which Changed Our Lives) Germany: Die Generation von '69 (The Generation of '69) Germany: Aufrecht Gegen den Strom (Against the Tide) Israel: 1969 Boys (English translation) Italy: Giorni Di Rabbia (Days of Anger) |
Rotten Tomatoes |
55% Fresh | 11 Reviews |
Critical View |
Rita Kempley, Washington Post: As the draft-dodging, drug-abusing Ralph, Downey is less hippie than psychedelic yuppie. |
2 Reasons to See It |
1. His acid trip is downright comical. 2. He strips down to his underwear for the above-mentioned acid trip. |
Overall |
Also cheesy, but in a self-serious dramatic way, not an amusing campy way. |
If You Liked It |
You might also like A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, Air America) |
Photos |
Video |