X
- 1979
- PG
- Orion Pictures
- 1 h 55 m
- 1979
- PG
- Orion Pictures
- 1 h 55 m
Summary As he approaches manhood, Ben Meechum struggles to win the approval of his demanding alpha male father, an aggressively competitive, but frustrated Marine pilot.
Directed By: Lewis John Carlino
Written By: Pat Conroy, Herman Raucher, Lewis John Carlino
- 1979
- PG
- Orion Pictures
- 1 h 55 m
- 1979
- PG
- Orion Pictures
- 1 h 55 m
The Great Santini
64
User Score
Available after 4 ratings
tbd
Where to Watch
Summary As he approaches manhood, Ben Meechum struggles to win the approval of his demanding alpha male father, an aggressively competitive, but frustrated Marine pilot.
Directed By: Lewis John Carlino
Written By: Pat Conroy, Herman Raucher, Lewis John Carlino
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 10 Critic Reviews
64
70% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
20% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
10% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 10 Critic Reviews
64
70% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
20% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
10% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Sentimental without being corny, a tearjerker with dignity. The Great Santini is a movie to seek out and to treasure.
Though its emotions are big, the performances are so nicely nuanced that sentiment never overwhelms the story's emotional realism.
Despite the artificial ending, The Great Santini is a powerfully written and acted movie. [03 Oct 1980, p.22]
The Great Santini deserves praise for its willingness to look long, hard, and seriously at a realistic family situation -- a willingness too rarely found at a time when most films are obsessed with futile fantasies. [07 Aug 1980, p.19]
For all its awkwardness and mawkishness, Santini deserves the shot. It has an authentic core of family drama and humor that could stir a large public. [03 Oct 1980, p.C1]
Carlino's direction doesn't help: he was responsible for the atrocious Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea, and The Great Santini suffers from the same triteness, with its Deep South setting and a 'progressive' racial subplot that plunges deep into tear-jerk territory. See it for the acting; wallow in the sentiment.
Overcalculated, thoroughly false humanist mush—one of those “real movies about real people” without a single authentic moment.
User Reviews
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Production Company
Bing Crosby Productions
Release Date Oct 26, 1979
Duration 1 h 55 m
Rating PG
Genres
Tagline The bravest thing he would ever do was let his family love him.
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 2 Nominations
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Nomination
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
