Gideon (1998)

Overrated and overhyped

Absolutely the worst movie.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Those who thoroughly enjoyed this little gem - they got it. They were able to put the cynical critic within themselves on hold for a while and just sit there and enjoy experiencing it. Extraordinary cast. Delightful tone and mood. Wonderful ensemble acting.And, yes, a plot line you've seen many, many times before (see other reviews or the synopsis for details; I won't rehash them here). Most of those who disliked "Gideon" called the story hackneyed, and I want to absolutely disagree with that description.The dictionary definition of "hackneyed" means something beyond overly familiar. It also means that something is boring, not worth the time you may spend in watching it, and that it doesn't give you anything worthwhile to away with you. In this case, that's just wrong.How many great westerns have been built of the same basic situation? Hell, how many great John Ford westerns cover the exact same ground over and over? How many times did Frank Capra do the same thing. (In fact, they both remade one of their earlier hits, almost line for line.) How many great heist films or chase flicks or love stories or vendetta sagas offer absolutely nothing new by way of plot or structure or style? There's always a way to offer something new to any story, and it's no great sin to try putting your own spin on even the most overcrowded category. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Frequently the end result is beyond awful, an insult to genre.With Gideon," I think it does work. This isn't going to end up on the AFI's top 100 list, but it left me feeling refreshed, happy to have had a chance to take one more quick swim in a favorite old swimming hole.And just a couple more notes. The fact that so many terrific older actors willingly lined up to participate, tells you that they didn't see this film as hackneyed. And their deeply moving performances made it clear that their participation was no quickie play-for-pay gig with them.I also notice that as the years have passed, user reviews have become far more positive, most grading out in the 9 out of 10 range. This film has worn well, a familiar characteristic shared with very good films that didn't originally find their niche.So, when it rolls around again on one of your cable channels, I highly recommend that you give it an open-minded look. It may become one of your little-known personal discoveries, or maybe just become one of your slightly guilty pleasures, but you'll surely find that it does offer something original and satisfying to take with you.

I thought this was a simple and heart warming story. The lead character played by Lambert reminded me of the characters played by Tom Hanks in "Forrest Gump", and Peter Sellers in his last film "Being There" I liked pretty much every character in the film, except the maintenance man. He let Gideon chop all that wood while he sat back and drank beer, and had a hardy laugh at the guy's expense when he found out Gideon couldn't read ("you're as dumb as a rock").I liked the way Lambert played his character, always hinting there was more than meets the eye.I like Lambert, from his portrayal of Tarzan in the only movie that was a realistic adaptation of the ERB novel, and too bad he hasn't had a more visible career in Hollywood.Anyway, I think this movie stands on its own merits.

I was very impressed with this beautiful movie: the best actors, the best script, the best of everything. This movie is simply delightful. I cannot understand why Gideon didn't get released in the theaters, and why is not on sale. Not even amazon.com has this movie. It's mistery to me why a mediocre movie is distributed everywhere while this jewel stays in the dark. In my honest opinion, there should be more movies like Gideon. It's a heart-warming film that touches your heart. It deserves an Oscar and, most of all, it deserves a place in every home because it's a movie for the whole family. It's a true classic. Don't miss it!

This film is a delightful mix of fun moments, poignant moments, and sad moments, all tied together beautifully by possibly the greatest cast assembled for one film in the last decade. "Gideon" highlights some of America's most loved actors along with an absolutely inspired performance by Christopher Lambert. Add to this a strong performance by Mykelti Williamson and you have one very enjoyable film that can be enjoyed by persons of all tastes and ages. The only disappointing thing about this movie is that it didn't get released to theatres here in the U.S. and is not even for sale here! Not understanding the reasons for this, it makes this viewer very upset. Keeping a jewel such as this from the American movie-going public is a crime! Here is a movie that the "family-movie" distributors should have snapped up--and they need to wake up and do so. Kudos to Lambert and writer Brad Mirman for making us care, really care, about these characters.