Search - Our Sons on DVD

Dated, but still entertaining...

James Donovan | Plainfield, Vermont USA | 02/15/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I remember when this was first broadcast on TV, back in 1990. I was too young to see it but I always wanted to, since even back then I knew I was gay. When I heard it was coming out on DVD, I jumped at the chance to see it for the first time. And now that I have, I can finally tell you that it's...okay. Granted this was 1990, so I wasn't expecting anything truly deep or daring from this, but watching it, I couldn't help but notice how quaint and careful and well, clinical the whole thing was. The story is basically about a young gay couple, one of whom is played by a young Hugh Grant, trying in vain to sound like an American, even though his mother is played by Julie Andrews. Grant's lover is dying of AIDS and wants to reconcile with his estranged mother (played by a slightly over-the-top Ann Margaret in a blond wig) before he dies. So Grant sends his mother (Andrews) to Arkansas to try and convince his lover's mother, who hasn't seen her son in years to come and see her son. Naturally, being an ignorant woman, she refuses. (There's a high camp moment when Andrews slaps Ann Margaret and calls her a stupid b****.) And so the bulk of the film is about her coming to terms with what she has tried to ignore for years and make peace with her son. The film isn't terrible but it tries so hard to be safe that the inevitable and much needed emotional climax never really comes, at least not in a satisfactory way. The ending is completely rushed and leaves the viewer feeling cheated. But in the end, the film is a product of it's time, so you can't be too harsh towards it. For six bucks, you could do a lot worse, and the curious won't feel too disappointed."

Heartwarming, heartbreaking, intelligent & honest

Charles Wild | Fullerton, CA. | 11/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wow - this TV movie has it all - I am so excited to see it released on DVD (and for such an amazing price!). This film is so awesome - it should be seen by EVERYONE. It can truly make a difference in their lives. It deals with a son who has AIDS and his Mother who he has not spoken to in years. Actors are top notch ("Dame" Julie Andrews, Ann Margaret & Hugh Grant!). My gratitude to anyone & everyone who worked on this film."

Life Depicted in this DVD is Nowhere Near Pretty But Very Re

DAS SKY LYCANTHROPE | Baltimore, Maryland USA | 12/10/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
I have seen this on dish TV a few times now and liked it. This was an emotionally wrenching story about two sons both gay. The parents could not be more different. One is better off fanancially and very cosmopolitan more liberal and accepting. The other son has parents that are more working class country stock from a more conservative traditional closed minded background.

The sons fall in love and one contraversy after another ensues. I do not want to reveal the nature of the issues raised but let me just say the fur flies as a result. The acting in Our Son's is very beleivable. The focus is on the two mothers and how differently they respond to the events in their respective sons lives. Ends up both parents and others involved in the lives of the two son's have a lot of growing up to do. Everyone touched by the choices the sons make is left profoundly changed. Only you can say if it if is for the better. Take a look at the DVD, it is pretty good. The ending is pretty happy and arrived at only after hard work on the parts of all conserned. Alas it is sort of bitter sweet in the end.

The DVD is worth it. This is a must have DVD in my collection and I think you will like it too."

A Mom from Arkansas

Amos Lassen | Little Rock, Arkansas | 01/29/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

""OUR SONS"

A Mom from Arkansas

Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride

I remember seeing "Our Sons" with Ann-Margaret and Julie Andrews years old but I had forgotten its Arkansas link. I watched it again today and I am still amazed at the beauty of the film.
Audrey Grant (Julie Andrews) is a rich socialite whose is asked by her gay son (Hugh Grant) to go to Fayetteville, Arkansas to find Luanne Barnes, his lover's mother (Ann-Margaret). It seems that her son is dying of AIDS and he (Zeljko Ivansh) wants to see his mother before he dies. The four characters of this movie go through a myriad of emotions. Andrews has to accept the fact that her own son is gay and that his lover is dying and is forced into boding with a stranger who did not know her son was gay. Once she found out she wants nothing to do with him and does not seem to really care that her son is dying. There s also the clash of social clashes as Ann-Margaret comes across as an uneducated country bumpkin who resents an upper class woman intruding on her life. The exchanges between the two men are also very moving.
None of us know when AIDS will strike and hopefully none of us will ever have to face that situation. But every man s entitled to two things--a fond farewell and a proper burial. And this is what we see in "Our Sons". We feel, throughout the entire movie, a need for tenderness, love and tolerance. The movie is a lament to the more than 100.000 people who had already fallen victim to AIDS by 1991 when the movie was made for TV. It cuts through differences of opinion and it ends on a beautiful uplifting, albeit, sad note.
When the son asks his mother to travel to Arkansas, he knows she will face a battle. The person she will have to go to see is repulsed by her son and the two women wage a war with strong feelings about their sons. Julie Andrews shows brilliance as the mother who had distanced herself from her son because she does not want to admit that he is gay and that his lover is dying. Ann-Margaret is not known for playing a mother but she also puts in a beautiful performance. When the two actresses go at each other, we see two of the most powerful female performances ever.
Ivansh as the dying son is a study in the humiliation that every parent is afraid of. He knows how his mother feels about him and he wrestles with himself about the prospect of a reunion. He is outstanding as the dying man and he deserves our sympathy. I felt that when he dies, a part of me went with him. His performance is subtle and beautiful. Hugh Grant is adequate but the others act circles around him.
"Our Sons" is a powerful and striking film. It is wonderfully moving and beautifully photographed and acted.
"