Description

An ex-con and his girlfriend embark on a bank-robbing spree and give the money they steal to farmers who are about to lose their farms. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Wisdon is as Wisdom was...
I got to thinking about this movie the other day while cracking open my new "High School Reunion Collection' DVDs. The last time I saw it was on ridiculously late night television about ten years ago. Even on awfully edited television it still had a certain rawness to it. It wasn't bad raw but, good raw. Very intense. Not to mention close to home with the Farm issues. (Nebraska ex-pat here.) Sadly, Wisdom is as Wisdom was...only available on VHS. Emilio! Bring this back to us on DVD!

Underrated - Great movie with an important message
I was working in a video store in 1987 when this movie was released on VHS - otherwise I might have never even heard of it. I was intrigued to learn that Emilio had written and directed it himself.

Having recently seen Emilio, Demi, et al in "St. Elmo's Fire", I was anxious to view this film. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's interesting to note the scenes that Emilio *directly* borrowed from the film in which his father starred with Sissy Spacek - "Badlands". The premise of the movie is different, but the story does revolve around a young couple "on the lam". I say "Bravo!" to Emilio's first foray into movie-making. I was and still am very impressed!

Now, let's just get it released on DVD and I'll be even happier!!!

Surprisingly Good Effort
Emilio Estevez showed talent above the rest of his Brat Pack peers in 1985 when he wrote That Was Then, This is Now, a decent film. But he topped that with this mini tour de force in Wisdom. Which he wrote, directed and co-starred in (with then fiance Demi Moore). The film isn't a masterpiece, and was generally panned by critics. But it has a very gritty feel that seemed to capture a bridge between the present day emptiness of youthful adolesence and what happens when fantasy goes awry.

Some may look at the film like a weak, modern recreation of Badlands, or Bonnie and Clyde, and Estevez could have really pulled the emotions further in showing the characters attempt at good deeds was mistaken, then ultimately malicious. He takes the film in that direction, but it's almost like he didn't want to go over the edge, so he backed off some. However, what the film attempts to do, to create a darker look at the post teen world, in an era when John Hughes films dominated the landscape, it does capture quite well. And is tinged with a certain hopelessness that will stand with you.

It's a shame that Estevez wasn't more highly praised for his efforts here, and the film should be released on DVD, hopefully with commentary by Emilio himself.

Excellent film with a great ending!
This is one of the best movies of Estevez's career. The character of John Wisdom is brought to life as he becomes a criminal for the people in this greatly written film. The concept and story of the film is unparalleled to any film since and delivers riveting performances by both Estevez and Moore. A definite sleeper hit!!

Not great---Not bad
This is a good "Emilio Estevez" movie. He has had some stinkers, but don't include this one... Good movie for a cold or rainy day when you are caught indoors. Good moral lesson for youngsters, although they probably won't pick up on it. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Emilio Does His Vietnam Movie
Emilio Estevez does a fine job as both star and director of this overlooked film. His real father Martin Sheen plays his father, and watching the two together is remarkable. This movie really makes you think about what it must have been like for Vietnam vets coming home profoundly changed, to a world that didn't change along with them, and no one really understood post-traumatic stress syndrome at that time in history. And that is the legacy of Vietnam - making it home alive was not the end of the war for those who fought. If you're a vet, you'll want to see this, and you'll want your kids and parents to see it too.

The War At Home 1996 w/Martin Sheen & Emelio Esteves
I just watched The War At Home. This story is very well written, acted & directed. It makes you care for all the characters, and understand what each one is feeling and going through. Not just with what is said, but more importantly, what is not said. The movie gives us a small glimpse of what the Heroic and Brave men went through after returning from the Vietnam War. I myself do not care for war movies, but I could not stop watching. I gave this review five stars because it truly deserves it! I also love that the story is character driven, and does not for one minute rely on special effects. There are a few scenes that were VERY tastefully done, and I did not need to look away once. I highly recommend it. Rarely do I cry during movies, but this really touched my heart, as it will yours. Martin Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Kathy Bates & Kimberly Williams really give great performances. Directed by Emilio Estevez.

This is awesome!
This movie blows me away! Martin Sheen and Kathy Bates, (my favorite actress,) both play roles totally unexpected and suprising as husband and wife.

The acting was believable of all characters, and it really makes you stop and think about the horrors that our soldiers had to endure in Vietnam, God bless them! This is a wake up call addressing our need to honor our vetrans and their families.

I highly reccommend this flick!!!

Great film (minor spoilers herein)
I first saw _The War At Home_ by accident on television. I was about 16 at the time. I loved it mainly because I thought it was a true story, since I had turned it on after the first 15 minutes & missed the opening voice-over. (Just to clarify: five million Americans served in Vietnam over the course of that long war, therefore a good chance exists the events in this movie happened to thousands of young vets--so I'm hesitant to call it FICTIONAL)

Watching it four years later, I felt very sad at the end. Which I actually DIDN'T feel the first time I saw it. The characters were both likeable & unlikeable; I love a movie where you can resent one character you've known all of two hours, or be on the verge of tears when another is facing a difficult time.

Bob seemingly acknowledges his son has changed for the worse when he gives his "draft card speech" at the Thanksgiving day table, but he does nothing to help Jeremy. At the same time, Karen is a psych student, but she can be a little too harsh on Jeremy in certain moments. But the characters are humans, they make mistakes.

The only real problem I had was with the ending voice-over. It gave too much away. I would have been happier wondering what became of Jeremy. (I wonder why they had Karen, of all the characters, doing the voice overs?) Still, it's worth 5 stars.

speechless
i am speechless.
this movie is definetly one of my favorites.
It might not be funny at all. But it is one of the best acted movies of the 90's.
that's all i have to say
i am speechless ... Read more

Reviews (10)

The Sheen Bros play the Mitchell Bros to astonishing results
Once you get past the allure of pornography, Rated X is the true story of two troubled brothers who strike it rich in every respect (money and women) in the earliest incarnation of the modern day porn world. Loosely based on the intense biography, X Rrated, Rated X is also the directorial debut of Emilio Estevez. Now before you laugh, Estevez has a strong command of his vision and crafts a startiling, dark world where a pair of brothers fall into drugs, sex, and money and slowly unravel into despair and mental illness.

Charlie Sheen gives the performance of his career as Artie Mitchell, a drug addled, womanizing, porn producer who is eventually gunned down by his brother Jim (Estevez).

'Rated X' shows the earliest struggles of the porn industry against censorship and obsenity and its triumph into the mainstream with the production of 'Deep Throat' and the Mitchell Brothers' classic 'Behind the Green Door.' Eventually, amid the atmosphere of drugs and organized crime the industry falls from the lofty heights of those seminal porn films into a mockery of jokes and sex.

This is an excellent companion piece to PT Anderson's 'Boogie Nights.' Where as 'Boogie' deals more with the personalities that existed in the hey day of porn, 'Rated X' gives us the struggle with authorities over obsenity, the triumph of the porn film with a story and the decline into kitch, cliche, and video.

Sheen and Estevez's performances are strong and vivid, especially in the sceens together where it is obvious (based on Sheen's drug problems) that the brother's are pulling from emotions they have felt in their lives to add realism to the lives of Jim and Artie Mitchell.

Brothers Play Brothers
Real life brothers Emilio Estevez, who is a film maker as well as an actor, and Charlie Sheen, who has been through addiction hell, play the real life brothers Jim Mitchell, a film maker, and Artie Mitchell, who goes into a downward spiral from addictions. I found the parallels interesting and perhaps that is what motivated Emilio to tell this story. The love between both sets of brothers seems very real, and watching Charlie (who has been clean and sober for three or four years now) act out the misery of addiction as Artie was unsettling. I didn't notice any distractions with the skullcaps, and I appreciate Emilio's original film-making style. A thought-provoking movie, and if you are a fan of the Sheen/Estevez clan, definitely check it out. Emilio's son Taylor plays Jim Mitchell as a teenager.

Bad wigs
This movie could have been handled so much better. Doesn't help that the brothers Sheen wore terrible bald wigs which were so noticeable in parts it made the film so silly. Just keep your eye out for the really shiney moments when the wigs look so plastic. That aside, what is wrong with this film. Besides the fact it did nothing at the box office, the film just doesn't have enough punch to pull you in. I really felt nothing for any of the characters involved, and you need to be able to do this to appreciate a film.

The Sheen brothers team up again for this film (remember "Men at Work"?). Someone must have told them that they make a good combination, but I am afraid that this partnership couldn't save this film.

Good til the end.
I saw it on cable and knew something about them but I didn't know that they were pioneers of the porn industry. They put a soft-core actress Marylin Chambers on the map. The brothers Artie and Jim Mitchell went through ropes with the government and the mob to produce their movies. Their personal lives are another story. Jim was a bachelor while his brother was twice married and divorced. Jim Mitchell was the brother who kept things afloat despite his drug use. His brother Artie, was into parties, guns, and sex. After the courts decided to end porn films, they went into the live sex business. However, Jim needed to get away which did him some good. He had to kick his drug habit once and for all. Meanwhile Artie who had a second wife and two sons was still destructive to himself.
Throughout the movie it was Jim who was his brother's keeper which he could no longer do. It's one thing to help a family member who will help himself. It's another when that member is destroying himself intently while hurting others around him. Artie felt like he was always in his brother's shadow. Jim, as always is there to protect him. Both Sheen and Estevez, real-life brothers, do a good job at portraying the characters and their attitudes. It is a good role for the both of them because Estevez has his head above the water like Jim, while Charlie Sheen has been known for being reckless and has a past drug history. This was a good role for the both of them.

Terrific Performances makes this an Intense Drama.
This film is Based on a True Story about the Rise and Fall of the Porn Filmmakers, the Mithchell Brothers (Played by Charlie Sheen & Emilio Estevez), who made a famous porn film called-Behind the Green Door. Once they become successful, they have to go through the Gouverment,The Mob & even Eachother to Create a San Franciso Porno Dynasty, but the Drugs and thier Intense Relationship puts them apart.

Directed by Emilio Estevez (Men at Work, The War at Home, Wisdom) made a terrfic drama that, it was never release in Movie Theaters. Instend it got debuted in Showtime Entertainment Network. DVD's has an bright Pan & Scan (1.33:1) transfer and an fine Dolby Stereo 2.0 Surround Sound. DVD has an surprisngly amusing Commentary Track by Real Life Brothers:Sheen & Estevez. Watch for film director:Peter Bogdanovich appears as a film school professor. A Must See. Grade:A. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Proving that a little success can be a dangerous thing, Emilio Estevez parlayed his early-'80s "brat-pack" fame into a dubious directorial career, beginning with 1986's Wisdom (in which Estevez costarred with then-fiancée Demi Moore), and resuming with this sophomore-effort 1990 comedy that benefits most from Emilio's teaming with brother Charlie Sheen. (Close your eyes and listen: their voices sound like their dad Martin Sheen after inhaling helium.) The brothers play a pair of garbage collectors who discover a body on their daily rounds, and the corpse draws them into a scheme involving corrupt politics, illegal hazardous-waste dumping, and a lovely neighbor (Leslie Hope) with connections to the dead guy. Add a wacko Vietnam vet (Keith David), an unsuspecting pizza deliverer (Dean Cameron), and a pair of overzealous cops, and you've got a comedy that lazily rambles from one lightweight scene to another. It's way too loose to have any noteworthy quality, but that's also part of the movie's low-brow appeal: Estevez and Sheen play well together, and this is just their way of goofing off with Hollywood money. With a sharper script and an experienced director, Men at Work could have paid off handsomely. As it is, these sibling antics are amiable enough, and the early-'90s fashion crimes (like Charlie's "dork knob" ponytail) offer an amusing diversion from the lamest gags. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Cheesy But Fun
This is a good movie if you are looking to relax, have a few laughs, and not use your brain. There are some "cringe" moments which some consider funny that I did not like which kept me from rating this higher (and almost caused it to drop a notch). But moments like "doing the nasty" and the thing Keith David's character does to some cops is seriously wrong and funny. I enjoyed watching Emilor and Charlie work together. I'm glad Amazon.com has put this back out for sale!

men at awesome work
this move was the most funny movie and yet it was heartwarming in a way

Alot of laughs
This is a pretty funny story and has some great actors in it. Although it could be considered a little on the odd side it definitely will get you laughing. There's always something going wrong and the comedy never stops!

a comedy classic
I've been waiting for this to be released on DVD. The movie is a hoot!!! Especially love the "Louis" character. "I hate cops- I hate rent-a cops too". "Now if Mr.Sneaky-man would come up here and stand next to Mr.Bone-head". I just received my copy the other day, and was wondering if anyone else has this problem.......there is no chapter index sheet in the box. Just the DVD.

best movie ever
all i got to say is that this movie is so bad ass my buddy and i are going as sheen and estevez for halloween. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Wisdon is as Wisdom was...
I got to thinking about this movie the other day while cracking open my new "High School Reunion Collection' DVDs. The last time I saw it was on ridiculously late night television about ten years ago. Even on awfully edited television it still had a certain rawness to it. It wasn't bad raw but, good raw. Very intense. Not to mention close to home with the Farm issues. (Nebraska ex-pat here.) Sadly, Wisdom is as Wisdom was...only available on VHS. Emilio! Bring this back to us on DVD!

Underrated - Great movie with an important message
I was working in a video store in 1987 when this movie was released on VHS - otherwise I might have never even heard of it. I was intrigued to learn that Emilio had written and directed it himself.

Having recently seen Emilio, Demi, et al in "St. Elmo's Fire", I was anxious to view this film. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's interesting to note the scenes that Emilio *directly* borrowed from the film in which his father starred with Sissy Spacek - "Badlands". The premise of the movie is different, but the story does revolve around a young couple "on the lam". I say "Bravo!" to Emilio's first foray into movie-making. I was and still am very impressed!

Now, let's just get it released on DVD and I'll be even happier!!!

Surprisingly Good Effort
Emilio Estevez showed talent above the rest of his Brat Pack peers in 1985 when he wrote That Was Then, This is Now, a decent film. But he topped that with this mini tour de force in Wisdom. Which he wrote, directed and co-starred in (with then fiance Demi Moore). The film isn't a masterpiece, and was generally panned by critics. But it has a very gritty feel that seemed to capture a bridge between the present day emptiness of youthful adolesence and what happens when fantasy goes awry.

Some may look at the film like a weak, modern recreation of Badlands, or Bonnie and Clyde, and Estevez could have really pulled the emotions further in showing the characters attempt at good deeds was mistaken, then ultimately malicious. He takes the film in that direction, but it's almost like he didn't want to go over the edge, so he backed off some. However, what the film attempts to do, to create a darker look at the post teen world, in an era when John Hughes films dominated the landscape, it does capture quite well. And is tinged with a certain hopelessness that will stand with you.

It's a shame that Estevez wasn't more highly praised for his efforts here, and the film should be released on DVD, hopefully with commentary by Emilio himself.

Excellent film with a great ending!
This is one of the best movies of Estevez's career. The character of John Wisdom is brought to life as he becomes a criminal for the people in this greatly written film. The concept and story of the film is unparalleled to any film since and delivers riveting performances by both Estevez and Moore. A definite sleeper hit!!

Not great---Not bad
This is a good "Emilio Estevez" movie. He has had some stinkers, but don't include this one... Good movie for a cold or rainy day when you are caught indoors. Good moral lesson for youngsters, although they probably won't pick up on it. ... Read more