I had trouble establishing any meaningful connection to the characters in this film, presumably because of a lack of connection to those who fought (and lived or died) in Vietnam. The story here is primarily that of Samantha Hughes (a flamboyant and somewhat over-confident young woman played well by Emily Lloyd) and her jaded (or hardened?) uncle, Emmett Smith (Bruce Willis). This movie, to some extent, reminded me of the uneasy relationship between Randy Quaid and Ilan-Mitchell Smith's characters in "The Wild Life" where Smith's character misunderstood the war and idolized his veteran buddy (played by Randy Quaid) who apparently desperately wanted to forget it. Emily Lloyd's character is not quite as naive, but in reminiscing about her late father, wondering what kind of soldier he was, she does display a certain degree of similar tendencies. The ending of the film, on the other hand, is more like a slight tribute to those who died as the family visit the Vietnam memorial (the events in this movie are somewhat non-linear and scattered).
Not an overall bad movie, but not a great one either simply for lack of a clear story and probably, not such great development of characters (though I do commend Lloyd's performance).
Not an overall bad movie, but not a great one either simply for lack of a clear story and probably, not such great development of characters (though I do commend Lloyd's performance).