Tom Cruise should've won an Oscar for this role IMO. I get that he went for the movie star/action/romantic leading man path but this film showed that he has acting chops as good as anyone - Brando, 70s De Niro, Daniel Day Lewis, anyone. His acting in this film is as good as it gets.
The real life Ron Covic was so impressed by Tom's performance that he gave him his purple heart (a medal awarded to US military personnel who are killed or wounded in action)💜
It's a great performance but unfortunately Tom Cruise was up against Daniel Day Lewis n it was his performance in my left foot that won Daniel Day Lewis his first best actor Oscar.
I gotta tell you my dad broke down during the scene when Ron’s dad hugged him thinking about all the guys he knew who died in the war. So Everytime I see it I cry too. Thanks for the upload.
His dad felt like he failed his son, or some kind of guilt for not keeping him safe. If you ever watch the episode of The Wonder Years where the dad, a proud Vet himself, was against his oldest son Wayne joining the army, and then confronted him after he thought he enlisted, put the blame on himself for not preparing him for the world.. a very emotional scene. In this movie, he was dropping the hint during prom night when they were watching TV and said, "I don't know.. It looks dangerous, maybe they could send you to Europe where it's safe." He knew what his son was "choosing" to do was dangerous and wasn't necessary and probably wished he was more vocal about it.
I remember seeing this in the theater in 1989 on a date in high school. It was one of my favorite movies then and still one of my favorite movies today. I've always said Tom Cruise was robbed of an Oscar for this performance and Oliver Stone was robbed of a Best Picture Oscar.
Stone’s co-writer was the real Ron Kovic. He’s in the parade scene at the beginning (the marine than was in the wheelchair who was flinching at the firecrackers going off).
Not a war movie. An anti-war movie, maybe the best ever. I’m a veteran, not disabled thank god. This movie really hits me deeply now compared to when it came out before I served. All wars are founded in lies and propaganda, and the costs are borne by true believers and economically disadvantaged kids. Great review, thanks.
I was an extra in this movie when I was a senior in high school. They filmed a lot of scenes in the Dallas/Ft Worth area. I stood next to Tom Cruise in the prom scene and the recruiting scene.
It's important to take care of veterans, especially since most don't join for ideological reasons. Lots of veterans enlist so they can get money to go to college / escape poverty. But overwhelmingly, the people who are most harmed by American military intervention are civilians in impoverished countries. About a million Iraqis died as a result of the '03 Iraq War. The vast majority of those people were civilians, many died because we destroyed infrastructure like water purification plants and power plants. The residents of Fallujah are the most genetically damaged population on Earth because of the depleted uranium munitions we used there, stillbirths and deformities are very common. And, of course, this is on top of the 200,000 Iraqi children that died as a direct result of US sanctions in the '90s.
Oliver Stone is a decorated Army Vet from his tours in Vietnam, read up on him he is a fascinating man thanks again really enjoyed this reaction and thoughts as well , that scene with his Dad when he gets home always gets me also , Tom Cruise makes great movies in my opinion with very few duds
I remember being very moved by this movie, and I was rooting for it to win Best Picture Oscar. And then... "Driving Miss Daisy" won, a movie that just didn't hold a candle to this one.
And if you're eager to watch more classic Oliver Stone, 'Talk Radio' is a must! Eric Bogosian delivers an oscar-worthy performance as a relentlessly on-edge shock jock.
Bravo 👏 for doing this!!!!! It’s an excellent flawless film. Not a lot of people are willing to watch this film, because they don’t like Tom. 🙄🙄🙄 But he gave an incredible emotional heart wrenching performance. It’s his best for sure. I just subscribed.
i remeber when i was 13 i wanted to join the US Army since i was 7 prior but after watching this film & my parents not wanting me to serve i wanted to serve but i choose not to most likely for the best. I was proud that both my grandfathers served in the Korean war. I would like to greatfully thank Ron Kovic & all the veterans who gave their bodies minds and lifes !
There's a lot of undertone in here. For instance, Caroline Kava (playing Ron Kovic's mom) says about her son's wrestling competition that "as long as you do your best, that's what matters to God." And yet, when he was pinned in that match, her two seconds of face acting show that in reality, she only wants winners. (Perhaps what matters to God and what matters to her are two different things.) And then not coming to meet him on his return from the hospital but just waiting at home. Yup, that's hard. The orderlies and other low-level patient care folks at the VA hospital may have taken those jobs as draft deferments. Some of them oppose the Vietnam war, but are planning domestic revolution. And, as one of them says to Cruise/Kovic, "if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem." I worked in a VA hospital from 1972-76. I can verify that the conditions weren't ideal. Yes, there was a lot of protest in 1968. President Johnson (after filling Kennedy's unexpired term in 1963) had won the 1964 election, on the promise of finding a peaceful solution in Vietnam as opposed to Barry Goldwater the Republican candidate who was portrayed as a hawk. In reality, Johnson did a massive buildup and preparation in 1964 and then escalated the war as soon as the election was over. Therefore, Leftists protested heavily in Chicago at the 1968 Democratic convention, and several of them backed Nixon as the lesser evil of the two candidates (the other being Johnson's VP Hubert Humphrey). In reality, candidate (but still private citizen at that time) Nixon had sabotaged an impending peace agreement between North and South Vietnam. The lack of an agreement swung the momentum back to Nixon and he won the election, but his interference was a blatant violation of the Logan Act. (Nixon's actions weren't proven until 2017.) Once he was President, Nixon didn't really do anything constructive about the Vietnam War in his first term. Which is why the 1972 Republican convention attracted protesters. But eventually the Nixon administration brokered a peace agreement that was essentially identical to the one he'd sabotaged back in '68.
You nailed it on the head. I was 23 years old in 1968, I was an au pair from Denmark in Westport Ct. I met my best friend in 67 just back from Vietnam, later I met guys that went to Vietnam and would write me from there. I remember the news from those years. I think his movie is very realistic and Tom Cruise did a great action job.
If you like Oliver Stone screenplays, check out the amazing movie Midnight Express that he won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay -- the movie was also nominated for Best Picture and Director.
Great to see you back, buddy. Sad story, I remember reading this book when I was in school. What a cock-up that war was, in a million different ways. The stuff of nightmares.
I loved how this movie shows America divided during the time, it shows PTSD, it shows what war does to those who fought it and their loved ones. It's a great sad story about how Vietnam ruined so many lives and that's why it's my favorite history subject. Great Commentary and Reaction.
But then came the 1970s, the 1980s, the Star Wars toys, the shopping malls and Reagan and shuttles and optimism. The Vietnam veterans could experience their country on its way BACK. Then things turned shitty again and here we are.
6:15 Actually, that's not the same guy who was with him at the diner. One of his hometown friends was played by Stephen Baldwin, and that soldier is played by Stephen's brother, William Baldwin. Their brother Daniel Baldwin appears in the very last scene.
Of the three Vietnam War movies Oliver Stone directed, Born on the Fourth of July has the best characters and performances headed by Tom Cruise. Platoon has the best battle scenes. Heaven & Earth starring Tommy Lee Jones is probably the best photographed of the three of them.
I was 14 when I first saw this and it forever changed the way I view war on film. I'm no Tom Cruise fan but he deserved an Oscar for this. The real Ron Kovic is still alive and still a peace activist. I'd love to see him & Oliver Stone and Tom Cruise make a sequel that shows what Ron Kovic has done over the last 50 years.
l'm old enough to remember when this movie was released in cinemas. Women tended to hate it for the simple reason that Tom Cruise wasn't good looking with long hair and a scraggy moustache. But it a powerful movie with a powerhouse performance from Tom Cruise. This movie absolutely proved he was more than capable of being a dramatic actor
In most movies, if you really study it, he's Tom Cruise in every movie, his mannerisms, etc.... except in this one! he completely becomes that character, which is what Quaquin phoenix and heath ledger and johnny depp were known for, Just watched for the first time, this was the most real viet-nam movie i've ever seen!. my father served as an MP, he told me the military draft agents came into his neighborhood in brooklyn set up a lottery system in the corner stores, and if your name was called on some list they had, you we're going in, he was like "fuk that! im not getting blown up over there" still had to do basic training in fort bragg and stay for about a year and a half though, but stateside.
Hey Mike I really enjoy your reactions. You should check out heaven and Earth with Tommy Lee Jones. It's another movie about the Vietnam war. But it's told from a young Vietnamese woman's point of view and what she went through. Great great movie.
Did no one mention that it's autobiographical & based on the book by the same name? Good book... well written... Seems like you hadn't heard tell of the 1968 Democratic National Convention... the 1968 Chicago Police Riot... Kent State, etc... But don't take that as a criticism... ... I'm surprised that someone so young... who didn't live thru any of this (for the record, I've got grown grandchildren)... could get such a good read... and so quickly... on the pathos, the angst, the complexity, the deep generational divides, the 'je ne sais quois?' of these tumultuous times... It's a credit to Oliver Stone... But a credit to you too... PEACE OUT
What do you mean Tom Cruise isn't considered one of the greatest actors of our time? He's one of the most bankable movie stars in American history. His career has spanned almost 5 decades. There is a reason for that...people want to see him. Top Gun 2 made over 1.4 (b)illion dollars. It wasn't a superhero movie and it was a sequel to an 80's movie of all things. Tom Cruise not being considered the top movie star of "our time" isn't up for debate. He solidified it. Done deal.
Tom Cruise zigged when a bunch of young actors of his generation zagged. He became a serious actor because of roles like this when he easily couldve gone the Risky Business/John Hughes/teen idol route. And regarding Vietnam, it was the most political war. To say Born On The Fourth of July is a war movie is shallow. This was about before, during and after. This was about political parties, ideologies, affiliations, etc. Great movie.
Isn't it interesting how those political party ideologies have flipped. Republicans are now much more likely to be anti war (apart from the neocon RINO's), while Democrats are much more in favor of fighting other countries wars
Tom Cruise should've won an Oscar for this role IMO. I get that he went for the movie star/action/romantic leading man path but this film showed that he has acting chops as good as anyone - Brando, 70s De Niro, Daniel Day Lewis, anyone. His acting in this film is as good as it gets.
I thought Tom was good in this but his best work IMO was Rain Man. But this is up there
The real life Ron Covic was so impressed by Tom's performance that he gave him his purple heart (a medal awarded to US military personnel who are killed or wounded in action)💜
I agree! His performance in this movie showed that he isn't just some pretty-boy movie star; he can actually act.
@@whovianhistorybuff Wow. I didn't know that!
It's a great performance but unfortunately Tom Cruise was up against Daniel Day Lewis n it was his performance in my left foot that won Daniel Day Lewis his first best actor Oscar.
I gotta tell you my dad broke down during the scene when Ron’s dad hugged him thinking about all the guys he knew who died in the war. So Everytime I see it I cry too. Thanks for the upload.
To know so many fathers dealt with that exact scenario, strikes right to the core of my heart. Blessings to you and your wonderful dad
@@reactwithmike 🙏🏻
Your dad sounds like a Goodman ✌️
His dad felt like he failed his son, or some kind of guilt for not keeping him safe. If you ever watch the episode of The Wonder Years where the dad, a proud Vet himself, was against his oldest son Wayne joining the army, and then confronted him after he thought he enlisted, put the blame on himself for not preparing him for the world.. a very emotional scene. In this movie, he was dropping the hint during prom night when they were watching TV and said, "I don't know.. It looks dangerous, maybe they could send you to Europe where it's safe." He knew what his son was "choosing" to do was dangerous and wasn't necessary and probably wished he was more vocal about it.
I remember seeing this in the theater in 1989 on a date in high school. It was one of my favorite movies then and still one of my favorite movies today. I've always said Tom Cruise was robbed of an Oscar for this performance and Oliver Stone was robbed of a Best Picture Oscar.
Stone’s co-writer was the real Ron Kovic. He’s in the parade scene at the beginning (the marine than was in the wheelchair who was flinching at the firecrackers going off).
One of my all time favourite films. Toms performance is stunning and the soundtrack is excellent.
Not a war movie. An anti-war movie, maybe the best ever.
I’m a veteran, not disabled thank god. This movie really hits me deeply now compared to when it came out before I served. All wars are founded in lies and propaganda, and the costs are borne by true believers and economically disadvantaged kids. Great review, thanks.
Thank you for your bravery and sacrifice. ❤ I mean that.
I was an extra in this movie when I was a senior in high school. They filmed a lot of scenes in the Dallas/Ft Worth area. I stood next to Tom Cruise in the prom scene and the recruiting scene.
Cool 😎!
It's important to take care of veterans, especially since most don't join for ideological reasons. Lots of veterans enlist so they can get money to go to college / escape poverty. But overwhelmingly, the people who are most harmed by American military intervention are civilians in impoverished countries. About a million Iraqis died as a result of the '03 Iraq War. The vast majority of those people were civilians, many died because we destroyed infrastructure like water purification plants and power plants. The residents of Fallujah are the most genetically damaged population on Earth because of the depleted uranium munitions we used there, stillbirths and deformities are very common. And, of course, this is on top of the 200,000 Iraqi children that died as a direct result of US sanctions in the '90s.
And all because every time Israel says "jump", the American government says "how high?"
To me, this is Tom Cruise's best performance. Great movie!
Interview with the Vampire was another great performance by Tom Cruise.
I agree.
Oliver Stone is a decorated Army Vet from his tours in Vietnam, read up on him he is a fascinating man thanks again really enjoyed this reaction and thoughts as well , that scene with his Dad when he gets home always gets me also , Tom Cruise makes great movies in my opinion with very few duds
I remember being very moved by this movie, and I was rooting for it to win Best Picture Oscar. And then... "Driving Miss Daisy" won, a movie that just didn't hold a candle to this one.
I agree! I never have and never will watch Driving Miss Daisy..
And if you're eager to watch more classic Oliver Stone, 'Talk Radio' is a must! Eric Bogosian delivers an oscar-worthy performance as a relentlessly on-edge shock jock.
Welcome back! Great pick and commentary as always. This is a biopic and the real Ron Kovick is shown at 1:19.
Bravo 👏 for doing this!!!!! It’s an excellent flawless film. Not a lot of people are willing to watch this film, because they don’t like Tom. 🙄🙄🙄
But he gave an incredible emotional heart wrenching performance. It’s his best for sure. I just subscribed.
i remeber when i was 13 i wanted to join the US Army since i was 7 prior but after watching this film & my parents not wanting me to serve i wanted to serve but i choose not to most likely for the best. I was proud that both my grandfathers served in the Korean war. I would like to greatfully thank Ron Kovic & all the veterans who gave their bodies minds and lifes !
There's a lot of undertone in here. For instance, Caroline Kava (playing Ron Kovic's mom) says about her son's wrestling competition that "as long as you do your best, that's what matters to God." And yet, when he was pinned in that match, her two seconds of face acting show that in reality, she only wants winners. (Perhaps what matters to God and what matters to her are two different things.) And then not coming to meet him on his return from the hospital but just waiting at home. Yup, that's hard.
The orderlies and other low-level patient care folks at the VA hospital may have taken those jobs as draft deferments. Some of them oppose the Vietnam war, but are planning domestic revolution. And, as one of them says to Cruise/Kovic, "if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem." I worked in a VA hospital from 1972-76. I can verify that the conditions weren't ideal.
Yes, there was a lot of protest in 1968. President Johnson (after filling Kennedy's unexpired term in 1963) had won the 1964 election, on the promise of finding a peaceful solution in Vietnam as opposed to Barry Goldwater the Republican candidate who was portrayed as a hawk. In reality, Johnson did a massive buildup and preparation in 1964 and then escalated the war as soon as the election was over. Therefore, Leftists protested heavily in Chicago at the 1968 Democratic convention, and several of them backed Nixon as the lesser evil of the two candidates (the other being Johnson's VP Hubert Humphrey). In reality, candidate (but still private citizen at that time) Nixon had sabotaged an impending peace agreement between North and South Vietnam. The lack of an agreement swung the momentum back to Nixon and he won the election, but his interference was a blatant violation of the Logan Act. (Nixon's actions weren't proven until 2017.) Once he was President, Nixon didn't really do anything constructive about the Vietnam War in his first term. Which is why the 1972 Republican convention attracted protesters. But eventually the Nixon administration brokered a peace agreement that was essentially identical to the one he'd sabotaged back in '68.
You nailed it on the head. I was 23 years old in 1968, I was an au pair from Denmark in Westport Ct. I met my best friend in 67 just back from Vietnam, later I met guys that went to Vietnam and would write me from there. I remember the news from those years. I think his movie is very realistic and Tom Cruise did a great action job.
this movie is based on a book by the same name by real life veteran Ron Kovic. it's an autobiography.
If you like Oliver Stone screenplays, check out the amazing movie Midnight Express that he won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay -- the movie was also nominated for Best Picture and Director.
SO GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK MIKE
Great to see you back, buddy. Sad story, I remember reading this book when I was in school. What a cock-up that war was, in a million different ways. The stuff of nightmares.
This is a true story. Ron Kovic is still active, he spoke at Bruce Springsteen Kennedy Centers honors.
Great reaction! This movie is a classic!
"Perfects Anti-War Americana", beautifully said, I just noticed that now.
Like him personally or not, Tom Cruise is a top-tier actor.
Awesome pick👍 Missed your reactions, Mike! I'd love to see your reaction to 'Runaway Train' (1985) with Jon Voight. Very underrated film.
Love Runaway Train!
Great movie
I loved how this movie shows America divided during the time, it shows PTSD, it shows what war does to those who fought it and their loved ones. It's a great sad story about how Vietnam ruined so many lives and that's why it's my favorite history subject. Great Commentary and Reaction.
One of the greatest colabs between two Vietnam vets in cinemas history. Classic one.
But then came the 1970s, the 1980s, the Star Wars toys, the shopping malls and Reagan and shuttles and optimism. The Vietnam veterans could experience their country on its way BACK. Then things turned shitty again and here we are.
This is the only reaction to this movie on YT.
Might i suggest casualties of war directed by brian de palma. Very underrated film.
Great movie and reaction. Happy 4ht of July.
6:15 Actually, that's not the same guy who was with him at the diner. One of his hometown friends was played by Stephen Baldwin, and that soldier is played by Stephen's brother, William Baldwin. Their brother Daniel Baldwin appears in the very last scene.
Of the three Vietnam War movies Oliver Stone directed, Born on the Fourth of July has the best characters and performances headed by Tom Cruise. Platoon has the best battle scenes. Heaven & Earth starring Tommy Lee Jones is probably the best photographed of the three of them.
The scene when he comes home is the one that breaks me down.
This film, Platoon and the INCREDIBLE Heaven and Earth were made as a trilogy.
16:55 Actually the kid was 18 years old … he was less than a month away from his 19th birthday
I was 14 when I first saw this and it forever changed the way I view war on film. I'm no Tom Cruise fan but he deserved an Oscar for this.
The real Ron Kovic is still alive and still a peace activist. I'd love to see him & Oliver Stone and Tom Cruise make a sequel that shows what Ron Kovic has done over the last 50 years.
l'm old enough to remember when this movie was released in cinemas. Women tended to hate it for the simple reason that Tom Cruise wasn't good looking with long hair and a scraggy moustache. But it a powerful movie with a powerhouse performance from Tom Cruise. This movie absolutely proved he was more than capable of being a dramatic actor
In most movies, if you really study it, he's Tom Cruise in every movie, his mannerisms, etc.... except in this one! he completely becomes that character, which is what Quaquin phoenix and heath ledger and johnny depp were known for,
Just watched for the first time, this was the most real viet-nam movie i've ever seen!.
my father served as an MP, he told me the military draft agents came into his neighborhood in brooklyn set up a lottery system in the corner stores, and if your name was called on some list they had, you we're going in, he was like "fuk that! im not getting blown up over there" still had to do basic training in fort bragg and stay for about a year and a half though, but stateside.
Oliver stone , next Nixon...!!!!
Recruiting in highschool is insane.
Thanks for the reaction. If you want another GREAT Oliver Stone movie watch U-Turn
Tom cruise's character is a real person. Theres a book too.
yo conoci personalmente a ron kovic en evento en hollywood gran persona
The musical score chokes me up every time.😢😪
Hey Mike I really enjoy your reactions. You should check out heaven and Earth with Tommy Lee Jones. It's another movie about the Vietnam war. But it's told from a young Vietnamese woman's point of view and what she went through. Great great movie.
"He's running for something? Holy shit!"
Well.... not really running.
Rolling for something, I guess.
I was always shocked by the film , my dad actually hated the film along side casualties, but they for me are a brutal POV into the Vietnam war
Excellent film. Tom cruise is one of the best actors of all time. Check out vanilla sky!
was excellant movie toms best
Best film ever ❤
Did no one mention that it's autobiographical & based on the book by the same name? Good book... well written...
Seems like you hadn't heard tell of the 1968 Democratic National Convention... the 1968 Chicago Police Riot... Kent State, etc... But don't take that as a criticism...
... I'm surprised that someone so young... who didn't live thru any of this (for the record, I've got grown grandchildren)... could get such a good read... and so quickly... on the pathos, the angst, the complexity, the deep generational divides, the 'je ne sais quois?' of these tumultuous times... It's a credit to Oliver Stone... But a credit to you too...
PEACE OUT
What do you mean Tom Cruise isn't considered one of the greatest actors of our time? He's one of the most bankable movie stars in American history. His career has spanned almost 5 decades. There is a reason for that...people want to see him. Top Gun 2 made over 1.4 (b)illion dollars. It wasn't a superhero movie and it was a sequel to an 80's movie of all things. Tom Cruise not being considered the top movie star of "our time" isn't up for debate. He solidified it. Done deal.
Tom Cruise zigged when a bunch of young actors of his generation zagged. He became a serious actor because of roles like this when he easily couldve gone the Risky Business/John Hughes/teen idol route.
And regarding Vietnam, it was the most political war. To say Born On The Fourth of July is a war movie is shallow. This was about before, during and after. This was about political parties, ideologies, affiliations, etc. Great movie.
Isn't it interesting how those political party ideologies have flipped. Republicans are now much more likely to be anti war (apart from the neocon RINO's), while Democrats are much more in favor of fighting other countries wars
buen trabajo tu canal amigo me gusto
Watch Johnny Got His Gun.
Tom Cruise gets hate for absolutely no reason.
👏💯
Good movie but Stone attacked only one political side with the convention. Was LBJ even mentioned?
The wrong keed died!
Wrapping a flag around something don't make it right.
Depends on what it is.