Leelee Sobieski Movie:

		List Price: $24.95		Label: Polygram USA Video Salesrank: 27353 Released: May 14, 2002
		Our Price: $19.99
		Used Price: $18.99
		MPAA Rating: R (Restricted) Media: DVD

A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries Reviews:
A Story Of A Family
2009-08-24 - Kaylie Jones has written a recent biography, "Lies My Mother Never Told Me' that was spectacular. Her biography of her parents and her mother in particular, tell a different story of her childhood and her life with alcoholic parents. However, this film does justice to her father, James Jones, known as Bill Willis in this film and played by Kris Kristofferson. Her mother played by Barbara Hershey, gives a complete performance as a mother who drinks too much. However, this is not discussed nor is it supposed in this film.

'A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries' the title of the film and book by Kaylie Jones, was taken from a conversation that Kaylie had with her father. He was a glorious man that kept the family together. Kaylie and her father talked together all the time. He was her best friend in one sense. He advised her and was always right, it seemed. Her relationship with her mother is not revealed in this film. They seemed to have a simplistic mother/daughter relationship which was far from the truth. The film opens in Paris, where the family was living, while James Joyce nee Willis was writing and working. Every night the parents would host a party and Kaylie as Channe in this film, would hide in a chair until she fell asleep. The adopted brother is not revealed well. He just simply appears when in reality this was discussed with the family- a little boy that had no home. The James family accepted him wholeheartedly as does the Willis family. He had some difficulty in school because he was bored, and that is revealed very well. Hidden in a closet because he would not do what the teacher asked. How barbaric is that. But, you must remember that this occurred in the 1960's.

The family moved to the United States when the first signs of heart failure started to show in Bill Willis. He was admitted to the hospital several times, and he eventually died. But, the relationship that Bill Willis had with his children was extraordinary. As you can tell in the film, when he died, he family fell apart. He was this family's world and this film conveys that feeling well. Kris Kristofferson plays the role with humility and love. His love for his wife and his children is very apparent. He understands that the family revolves around his life, the writing life, and he tried very hard to give them a life that was full and rewarding.

This is a film about family, not a dysfunctional family, but one that has love and laughter and the center is held together by the father. Some of this film is true, and some of it is fictional. All in all the film is well told. If you have read Kaylie Jones book, 'Lies My Mother Never Told Me', you know the rest of the story.

Recommended. prisrob 08-23-09

Lies My Mother Never Told Me: A Memoir

Speak Now

From Here to Eternity

The Thin Red Line

Interesting Father-Daughter Film
2008-02-16 - This film is well-acted, understated, and interesting as an insight into an unusual family's life in 1960s France and 1970s America. It is not an action movie and it is not plot-driven, but it dwells rather upon the relationships that develop over the course of the early life of a young woman whose father is a war veteran and writer in the style of Kurt Vonnegut (Kristofferson even looks like him) and with whom she shares a unique and rich connection.

I'm not sure why those who review this film so negatively would even think to view such a film, since they apparently think that every movie should provide the unambiguous beginning-middle-end of a typical made for TV movie, complete with a satisfying resolution for every two-dimensional character and every predictable plot line. Life isn't like that for the most part and neither is this film. When one reaches a certain age life begins to take on the shape of a rich collection of images, scenes, expressions, and feelings---not so much a story arc. This film conveys that sense of life fairly well.

A rare film
2006-07-22 - Basically, I am writing to rebut the negative reviews on this page. I saw this film years ago, and it rang very true to me- so much so that I wanted to buy the DVD. Have to admit that I was myself an ex-pat teenager in Europe in somewhat the same era, and Merchant Ivory replicated the feel of that time and place very well.

The acting was excellent, and the reviewers who complain that the film doesn't "go anywhere" miss the point in that this is a film about growing up and experiences that make up part of who we are and therefore can't be compressed into plot developement, of beginning, middle, and dramatic end.

Also think Francis, the possibly gay character was touching, reminded me of people I have known etc. It seems to me that the teenage theme of betraying true friends because of peer pressure and desire to appear "cool" isn't dealt with very much in films, so hats off to Merchant Ivory and the author for trying.

Contains Profanity
2006-07-16 - The reviews already written sum up this movie pretty well, so I can't add anything new.
It's a typical artsy Merchant Ivory movie with lots of pretty pictures and not much story. If you view it just as the daughter's diary and don't expect a plot, it's more acceptable.
I saw it because I'm a fan of James Jones and of Kris Kristofferson. It is boring, disjointed, and hard to sit through, but it does have a few redeeming moments. It's like watching someone else's home movies. Little drama until Billy Willis (Jones/Kristofferson) dies in the end.

No Sir, I Don't Like It
2005-11-01 - I usually can stand "artistic" films, but this one was sooooo awful.

The biggest complaint I have with the movie is that nothing ever happens. The film is split into several sections, all around major events in the life of the daughter of an American expatriate writer living in France in the 60's. In each section many events occur, and right when you think there will be some resolution, or conflict, or anything... they switch to another section. It's laughably pathetic how bad this is!

Case in point, at the end of the movie, the adopted son, Billy, is given a journal from his biological mother after his adopted father dies. He doesn't want to read it, yet his adopted mother and sister insist that he read it because it was the wish of the deceased father. So how does the movie end, does he reject that part of his life? Does he read it and gain some insight into who he is? Hell if I know, because the movie ends with them dancing on the porch, without any resolution!

This movie has not one redeeming quality. The plot is full of hiccups (such as the one previously described), the acting is uninspired, and there appears to be no theme whatsoever! Watching this movie is like passing a kidney stone, it hurts like hell, and it's an incredible relief when it's over!