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The Great Santini

Play trailer Poster for The Great Santini PG Released Oct 26, 1979 1h 58m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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95% Tomatometer 20 Reviews 75% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Bull Meechum (Robert Duvall) is a great fighter pilot -- so great that he dubs himself "The Great Santini." While his take-no-prisoners attitude and willingness to fight has served him well in the military, he's unable to turn it off at home. Eventually his competitive nature and abusive behavior take their toll on his relationships with his wife (Blythe Danner) and his rebellious 18-year-old son (Michael O'Keefe) after a friendly father-and-son basketball game turns ugly.
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The Great Santini

Critics Reviews

View All (20) Critics Reviews
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times The Great Santini is a movie to seek out and to treasure. Rated: 4/4 Oct 23, 2004 Full Review Leonard Klady Winnipeg Free Press The Great Santini is great. It's a raw, uncompromising film which leaves the audience emotionally drained but richer for the experience. Aug 19, 2021 Full Review Larry Vitacco Philadelphia Gay News By all means, see The Great Santini, one of the most rewarding film experiences this or any other year. Rated: 4/4 May 27, 2020 Full Review Matt Brunson Creative Loafing This is one of those special films that moves effortlessly between tension, tears and laughs ... Robert Duvall's performance runs neck-and-neck with his Lonesome Dove turn as his career best. Rated: 3.5/4 Aug 17, 2013 Full Review Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault Two-dimensional and minor. Rated: C Apr 9, 2007 Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com An emotionally devastating drama with a first rate performance from Robert Duvall. Rated: 4/5 Oct 27, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (103) audience reviews
shteebo "Being a warrior without a war presents some problems"...and this family drama explores them. Wonderful leading performances from Duvall and O'Keefe and the supporting cast shines as well. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/13/23 Full Review Info.ms267 Shockingly over-rated. The Great Santini is, at best, a mediocre Hallmark film. Robert Duvall is a terrific actor subjected to a flat script and made-for-tv directing that drips over-sentimentality and relies on shoving sentimentality down our throats. Lots and lots of overdo e music, tears, obvious and loud acting choices, etc… Go watch "An Officer and a Gentleman" to see a film made at around the same time, with a much much more honest portrayal of fly boys in the military. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 07/21/23 Full Review s c Many interesting characters in this coming-of-age story about life in a military family. Strong performances from the leads and others. This is one I always get sucked into if I come across it channel surfing. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review steve d Not great, but the central performance is really good. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review delysid d it's a good movie but it's a sort of coming-of-age thing where you see a boy become a man, and i just don't like em Rated 2 out of 5 stars 06/01/19 Full Review uncle p Not good enough to be good. Not bad enough to be bad. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Great Santini

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Bull Meechum (Robert Duvall) is a great fighter pilot -- so great that he dubs himself "The Great Santini." While his take-no-prisoners attitude and willingness to fight has served him well in the military, he's unable to turn it off at home. Eventually his competitive nature and abusive behavior take their toll on his relationships with his wife (Blythe Danner) and his rebellious 18-year-old son (Michael O'Keefe) after a friendly father-and-son basketball game turns ugly.
Director
Lewis John Carlino
Producer
Charles A. Pratt
Screenwriter
Lewis John Carlino
Distributor
Orion Pictures
Production Co
Bing Crosby Productions
Rating
PG
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 26, 1979, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
May 8, 2015
Runtime
1h 58m
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