Search - December on DVD

Patrick J. (bossajake) from TOLEDO, OH
Reviewed on 4/1/2014...

reality check - this movie is horrible! ok, i thought about that after i wrote it and i'm ok with that, it actually "is" a very poorly made film. poorly written, poorly acted, poor cinematography, poor sound etc. i almost rated it with one star but there isn't much i actually "hate" so that seemed too strong so i rated it two stars. but honestly, i can't think of anything postive to say about it other than the fact that it's vaguely about the japanese attack on pearl harbor on december 7 1941 and any movie about one of the most important dates in world history deserves some deference i guess. i'm actually a wil wheaton fan; of sorts, i don't have his photo on my wall or anything but he was a complete natural in stand by me - just brilliant, his recurring role on stng was always fun to watch and his character breathed a lot of life into that show and his occasional appearances on the big bang theory recently are absolutely hilarious. that said, i don't know what happened here but even his work is terrible in this film. good grief, what a turkey. it's like watching the out-takes from a day time tv soap. i don't know how it received such warm reviews from other members but my guess is their loyalty to wheaton has them wearing some not so stylish rose colored glasses. no offense intended really, i just can't imagine how anyone could think this film was well done even allowing for the very subjective nature of film appreciation. if you do like wheaton, check it out for curiosities sake, chris young who plays stuart does the best job of the bunch, he somehow manages to salvage the poor writing better than anyone else on screen.

Too much unresolved emoting, but thought provoking drama.

R. Christenson | Pine, CO USA | 05/15/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"If you're a fan of Wil Wheaton, this is one of his biggest, best roles. It's a drama about 5 prep boys debating weather to join up after Pearl Harbor. The whole thing takes place during one night, December 8th 1941. Wheaton is taking a pacifist position, putting his best friendship with a patriot at risk. These boys seem to have a new emotional crisis in every scene, and unfortunately that makes their competent acting seem a bit over the top, and about halfway through the film it loses it's effect. However, you'll probably like December if you liked all of the following movies, even if it isn't as good as any of them: Stand By Me, Toy Soldiers, Dead Poet's Society, and The Emperor's Club. Of course they never do resolve who is right, or even tell what happens to any of them in the war; but they raise thought-provoking issues, such as can friendship survive diametric positions of patirot vs. pacifist."

Neopatriotism in a War Film

Celia A. Escalante | Miami, Fl USA | 04/15/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I wish we had more movies like these. It's a movie based on a tragic event that happened decades ago, but with a modern inflection. Unlike, the agitprop trying to be charmed into mainstream, this film is democratically correct. Cinematographically, it's studio style is commensurable with the emotional tone or "mise en scene" of German psychological thrillers, yet the storyline's characteristics are in tune with American philosophic points of view, as far as Western Civilizations goes. At first, I wasn't enjoying the film, but then surprising scenes made me stop and think. Now, I'm watching it every chance I get. (It's had a fecund affect on me.) There is a sense of diplomacy and comprehension that unfortunately skips a generation. This movie builds; not destroys. You have to see the movie up to the very end to understand how sound the moral is. It decently portrays man as a fully rational being. If it weren't for the profanity, I'd say that this film is adherent to the Logos."

Since it was filmed where I went to colllege

S. Clement | Mystic, CT | 12/14/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"that was the only reason I got this movie. It's an alright movie, but not one I'd watch over and over again."