1969

R

1988

1 hr. 35 min.

Drama

List

55%

11 Reviews

Tomatometer

44%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Two rebellious youths, Ralph (Robert Downey Jr.) and Scott (Kiefer Sutherland), find themselves struggling with adulthood as the Vietnam War rages. Feeling trapped in their small town, Scott battles with his conservative veteran father, Cliff (Bruce Dern), and Ralph deals with his desperately sexual mother, Ev (Joanna Cassidy). When tragic news arrives from overseas, the entire town, inspired by Ralph and Scott's antiwar efforts, reevaluates its attitude toward the war.

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Audience Member

Having come of age during this time, I found it quite reflective of the time and the tensions the war generated. Good film all around.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Already in 1988 you could appreciate the unripe qualities of Robert Downey Jr, just watch it to be impressed, the film deserves a praise, a great cast and the story runs fast.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

1969 is run-of-the-mill story about two hippies dealing with problems at home and their difficulties with the war. It feels like the type of movie that would come out around the time that the US was entering a new war in order to make a statement and remind people that we've made these mistakes before. It's an odd choice because in 1988 we were still two years removed from Desert Storm. The end in particular has a moment when everyone comes together to protest, with some voiceover, that drives home this outdated point. I don't know if Ernest Thompson thought people in 1988 still needed convincing that Vietnam was a bad idea, but it fell flat for me. It doesn't help that the scene in question makes no sense, because instead of banding together to protest the war, they are heading to the jail to free a kid who has been rightfully imprisoned for breaking-and-entering, destruction of property, and possession of drugs. This leads a police officer to just let him go, because that's how the law works. The rest of the movie makes more sense than this conclusion, but it's not all that compelling. Keifer Sutherland is the star, and I've never liked him as a protagonist. He has no charisma, and so I struggled to have sympathy for him in this movie. Meanwhile the king of charisma (Robert Downey, Jr.) is reduced to just being the costar, and is terribly underused. He plays the friend who gets caught up in his own drama, and drug use, which means he disappears for large chunks of the movie. 1969 is a forgettable film, and it does nothing new or interesting. It does a terrible job of making a point, and is a point that probably didn't need to be made anyways.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

william s

This falls under the title a good solid family/friends drama.....surprisingly profound with good performances.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Deadly boring and trite. In closing; it's your funeral.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The creator of golden pond makes his directorial debut with a cast of rising stars Robert Downey jr. ,Kiefer Sutherland and wionda Ryder dont need to tell you what year the movie set in :-0 about people and war good performances from the rising stars but it's more like watching a tv movie !

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

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Ernest Thompson

Director

Robert Downey Jr.

Ralph Carr

Kiefer Sutherland

Scott

Bruce Dern

Cliff

Mariette Hartley

Jessie

Winona Ryder

Beth

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Rated: 3/5

Nov 24, 2002

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Philip Martin

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Synopsis

Two rebellious youths, Ralph (Robert Downey Jr.) and Scott (Kiefer Sutherland), find themselves struggling with adulthood as the Vietnam War rages. Feeling trapped in their small town, Scott battles with his conservative veteran father, Cliff (Bruce Dern), and Ralph deals with his desperately sexual mother, Ev (Joanna Cassidy). When tragic news arrives from overseas, the entire town, inspired by Ralph and Scott's antiwar efforts, reevaluates its attitude toward the war.

Director: Ernest Thompson
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (DVD): Apr 16, 2002
Box Office (Gross USA): $5.9M
Sound Mix: Surround