A collection of inspiring DVDs

Reviewed by Ed McNulty

In the Valley of Elah

Rated R. Warner Independent Features.

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This moving film is not meant to send us out of the theater feeling good. It is like a lamentation by the ancient prophets Jeremiah or Habakkuk. Tommy Lee Jones’ performance as retired military policeman Hank Deerfield is Oscar caliber (and in a better film than No Country for Old Men). He is searching for his son, who has recently returned from Iraq and gone AWOL. Was he murdered, and if so, why are all his friends reluctant to talk? An Army cover-up?

A father of an AWOL soldier finds help from a local police officer. © 2007 Warner Independent FeaturesDuring his quest, with the aid of a small-town, female police officer, Deerfield finds more than he bargained for. The symbolic ending strongly declares that in the U.S. we are in deep trouble because of what our “War on Terror” is doing to the psyches of our soldiers.

Considerable swearing and violence make the film unsuitable for family viewing, but adults will be challenged to reflect upon wartime violence and its effects. Not surprisingly, this well-made film has not done well at the box office, but it is one that every American concerned for the nation should see.

Mrs. Doubtfire (Behind the Scenes Edition)

Rated PG-13. 20th Century Fox.

Every so often it is good to revisit a film. The recent re-release of this 1994 Robin Williams classic provides just such an opportunity. It was fun to see the first time — Williams' series of imitations of famous people, performed before an unappreciative job counselor, is a scream! But upon seeing it again, some of the deeper issues emerge more clearly.

The film explores the value of parent-child relationships, and the need to grow up yet retain the childlike characteristics valued by Jesus. Until recently, children caught between warring parents was a rare subject for a film (the 1979 Kramer Vs. Kramer being a notable exception). This is a good film for groups of parents to watch and discuss together. Men need to hear the frustration and pain of Miranda (Sally Field) over her husband's continual lack of responsibility. Women need to see how Daniel's desperation to relate to his children in a meaningful way drives him to assume the role of Mrs. Doubtfire.

The Great Debaters

Rated PG-13. MGM Films.

What Remember the Titans did for football and its role in integrating the races, this film, not only starring but also directed by Denzel Washington, does for academics. The time is different, 1930s Depression era, but the theme is the same as in the sports film: an inspiring coach leads an underdog black team to victory.

Also like Titans, this film is based on a true story. Again we root for the underdogs as Melvin B. Tolson, an English professor and debate coach at a small Texas school, trains four students to become the first African-American debate team to go up against white colleges. First he must convince the authorities at white colleges to even consider debating a “colored” team.

Life is precarious for Tolson and his family, with nights spent attempting to organize local sharecroppers, white and black, so they can gain better prices for their crops. The county sheriff gathers evidence so that he can arrest Tolson. Every day and night he keeps a close watch on the man he considers a dangerous troublemaker.

Juno

Rated PG-13. Fox Searchlight Films

Juno interviews a couple seeking to adopt her baby-to-be. © 2007 Fox Searchlight Films

This funny but thought-provoking film would have been my choice for the best-picture Oscar in 2008. Juno is a pregnant teenager whose parents are wise and understanding, unlike those in the usual Hollywood teen movie. Rejecting abortion, Juno, with the help of her best friend, answers the newspaper ad of a yuppie couple anxious to adopt a baby. She decides to give over the infant, and then when matters do not go smoothly, she must decide whether to withdraw her offer.

This is a funny and poignant tale of a spunky girl examining her relationship with her boyfriend and coming to a better understanding of herself. It would be a good film for adults and young people to watch together before discussing such issues as responsibility and developing self-awareness.

Atonement

Rated R. Focus Features.

How can one set right a terrible wrong committed years before? This question torments a young woman, Briony Tallis, whose resentment and misunderstanding of something she saw when she was a child, has torn apart the relationship between her older sister, Cecelia, and Cecelia’s lover, Robbie Turner.

Briony's false testimony sends Robbie to jail. When World War II breaks out England desperately needs defenders, and Robbie is allowed to enlist in the army. The two estranged sisters are brought together when they are assigned as nurses to a military hospital. Across the English Channel Robbie awaits evacuation from Dunkirk, vowing that he and Cecelia will be re-united.

Will Briony’s efforts to reconcile succeed? When Fate intervenes, can she discover a means to atone for her past misdeed? Plenty for a group to discuss, especially regarding how the theme of the film relates to the Christian doctrine of the same name.

Michael Clayton

Rated R. Warner Brothers.

George Clooney is outstanding as world-weary lawyer Michael Clayton. So are Sydney Pollack as Marty Bach, head of the law firm, and Tom Wilkinson as Arthur Edens, the loose-cannon colleague who is fed up with the immoral tactics of the firm. Clayton, the "fixer," cleans up the messes that the firm's clients get themselves into. But he also has his own problems — divorced and unable to spend the time he'd like with his young son; bankrupt because of the incompetence of his brother, with whom he shares a business; and addicted to gambling. How will he handle his most recent assignment of hunting down Edens, who has run off in a fit after creating an embarrassing scene with an important client? Can Clayton keep Eden from divulging secrets that could ruin the firm?