Review of A River Runs Through It (1992) by Filipeneto — 13 Dec 2020

The story of this film is slightly based on a memoir and tells of the youthful adventures of two brothers with very different personalities. Sons of a strict father, who is also the local pastor, the two young men grew up in a rural area of Montana in the early decades of the 20th century. Norman, the eldest, is more serious and sensible while Paul, the youngest, is adventurous, reckless and impulsive. However, despite their differences in personality and directions of life, they always maintained fraternal ties and a strong taste for river fishing, acquired with their father.

The film is, in a word, warm. The story itself is not very remarkable and could almost be said to be common, if it were not for the tragic end of one of the brothers. I understand the interest in the theme of brotherly love and family connections, but there are soap operas that approach the same theme in more exciting and addictive ways than this film, more sleepy than a slow river in Summer. Robert Redford directs, and the somewhat monochordic tone of his narration is perfect for falling asleep.

The cast has a name of great weight and a few others that surround it, so to speak. The cast's heaviest name is undoubtedly Brad Pitt, who was still the good-looking Hollywood boy in this distant year of 1992, and he knew how to perfectly combine intense talent with his face, a dose of irreverence and disheveled and unkempt charm. When watching this film, it was impossible not to compare his performance with what he would do, years later, in "Legends of the Fall", where it almost seems that he has taken over the same character. Craig Sheffer, a much less renowned actor, plays very well with Pitt and both form a positive partnership on the scene. Tom Skerritt also seemed to me quite well in the role of the father of both young people, although his character is excessively formal, taking away some credibility. The rest of the cast is limited to the average, especially the actresses, who practically appear by obligation.

Robert Redford knew how to take advantage of the scarce plot and print the film at a slow pace, almost as if it were a ramble of a man who remembers his own past. It is interesting, but two hours in a film like this is too much and makes us want to jump over all the monochromatic monologues and also all those emotionally charged dialogues. The film has no climax, nor does the death of an important character alter the tone of the film, which runs smoothly until it ends. Cinematography is very good and takes advantage of landscapes, running water, sky and natural elements. Sets and costumes are also very good and allow us to get a good understanding of the years passing. The soundtrack does not stand out, but in return we have excellent sound effects.