Smoke Signals | | Cast : | Adam Beach, Evan Adams | | Director : | Chris Eyre | | Studio : | Miramax Home Entertainment | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | June 26, 1998 | | DVD Released Date : | March 01, 2005 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), English (Subtitled), English (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | June 22, 2005 | | Summary | How do we forgive our fathers? | Content
 | A goliath of a question from a David of a film. I first saw this film some two years ago and at that time it seemed like an indigenous Thelma and Louise. Quaint and light, nothing too shattering. Then recently, inspired by Pow-Wow Highway, I decided to dust off the old VCR and give this film another chance. And I'm glad I did because Smoke Signals has more than meets the eye. A lot more.
It takes place in a very forgotten corner of America within America, the reservation. To be precise, the Coeur D'Alenes Reservation of Northwest Washington. Here, KREZ radio keeps the inertia and despair at bay with the occasional traffic reports, 'Two cars passed by this morning,'and some very witty one-liners, 'It's a great day to be indigenous.' Everything is bit different than in that 'foreign' land of the United States. As one great scene shows, don't despair if your car has gear problems, drive it in reverse. Here, writer Sherman Alexie provides a piercing metaphor on how the Native American has fought off assimilation. By doing it their way.
The film centers around two boyhood friends who have grown up among broken families. Victor is the stereotypical Indian macho. Plaid short, jeans, boots and beautiful hair blowing in the breeze, he hides his childhood anger amidst scowls of contempt. As he instructs his friend, Thomas, 'You gotta look stoic if you want to be a real Indian!' Thomas is anything but stoic. With coke-bottle glasses and pony-tail braids, Thomas is as kind and thoughtful as his 'unwarrior-like' appearence suggests. Although not brothers by blood, fate soon corrects that. It all starts when Victor's mercurial, alcoholic father, Arnold Joseph (once again Gary Farmer steals the show) drunkenly and accidentally sets Thomas's house ablaze. His parents doomed, they throw little Thomas out the window, where the drunken Arnold barely catches him. What a start to life. Saved by the person who caused your parents' death. Such is Thomas' beginning. Raised by his grandmother, he nonetheless shares a special relationship with Victor's dad. It is no wonder that Arnold takes special care of Thomas, often neglecting Victor in the process. Eyre does a beautiful job of interweaving the present with scenes from the boys' childhood especially with those flashbacks of drunken family parties where the defiant Victor tries to understand his blurred parents.
The morning-after daze clears up, the arguments set in, and once again little Victor is the victim of mom and dad's quarrelling. Tormented by their dismal lifestyle, Arnold decides to escape and sets out for the desert with his pick-up, leaving mother and child to fend for themselves. And this is where the journey begins. Victor (and Thomas) soon learn of Arnold's unexpected death. His ashes are waiting for his sons. So, they decide to Greyhound their way to dad. One dad and two very different sons. Victor sees the trip as an unpleasant necessity. Bring home a cowardly, abusive drunk. For him, Dad meant only painful punches and beer-breath. For Thomas, Arnold was the beer-bellied Santa Claus who picked him when he was down, who took him to Denny's for the Big Breakfast. Two sons, one father. Eventually they make it to the Phoenix trailer park where Arnold lived in desert solitude. Here they meet Suzy Song, Arnold's friend(girlfriend?) who tells of their father's last days. Days filled with regret and remorse over having abandonned his family, over having caused the deaths of Thomas' parents, over having made so many mistakes. Arnold came to the desert to put on the ash-cloth, to clean himself, to understand himself and finally, to forgive himself. Suzy tells Victor who his father really was: yes, a weak man, tormented by his demons, but also a good man who loved his sons and hungered to see them again. Victor is then left with a hard choice: carry his meaningless resentment forever or forgive and accept his father.
Needless to say, this film has a gold mine of messages in it. And a lot of wisdom for us all. It's more than just a 'road movie.' Or better yet, it is what a road movie should be. A painful and joyful journey towards a definite goal. Smoke Signals takes us back to our own childhood and teaches us about what awaits us there in the desert. Reconciliation. Peace. And most of all, a way back to the love that was always there. I recommend this film to all especially to those fathers and sons who haven't yet travelled this road. Watch those smoke signals before there's a fire! |
| Rating | | | Date | April 05, 2005 | | Summary | Boring, Dreary | Content
| This movie was boring. This movie was dreary. This movie was drearily boring. Smoke Signals is one of those artsy movies made for critics. The makers of this movie think they're important. People here who give it 5 stars think they're sophisticated and well-rounded, I'm sure. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 25, 2005 | | Summary | A nice story about friendship and family | Content
| About a month ago I heard an interview with the writer, Sherman Alexie. As they say in the old movies "I really liked the cut of his jib." He talked about his writing and this film called Smoke Signals. The interviewer, who happens to be a movie critic, gave it high praise. So on to Amazon I went and ordered this DVD. This is a wonderful little movie about friendship and family. The direction, by Chris Eyre, is great and the movie is visually appealing, with notable dialogue. (Sherman Alexie wrote the screenplay.) Victor as played by Adam Beach had a troubled childhood marked by all things that plague Native Americans in 20th Century United States. Throughout his life he has been befriended by Thomas, played supperbly by Evan Adams. Thomas was saved, as a small child, by Victor's father. Victor's father has been gone from the family for 10 years. Victor is full of swagger and self-confidence, Thomas on the other hand is kind of a nerdy nudge. But, God puts us where He wants us and it seems that it is Thomas' mission, so to speak, to help Victor come to terms with his past. Smoke Signals should be seen by all and shown in most of our school systems. I think a lot of stereotypes about Native Americans still prevail in this society. The screenwriter does an excellent job of showing us that Native Americans are people, who in many ways, deal with the same issues you and I do, but also have the added burden of a social structure that seems ever in conflict. Buy this DVD watch it, but watch it with your family. A great film. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 22, 2005 | | Summary | FULL OF IMAGINATION | Content
| If you're a Native American, you've seen it already, and you know you like it! And you know Suzy Song is the most beautiful Native Indian gal you've ever seen!
This is a very touching and creative story! If you ever struggle to forgive someone because they hurt you deeply, this movie will give you a good insight of what it means to forgive.
Forgiveness will free you, even when they dont deserve the forgiveness. Is there someone that you need to forgive right now? Ask God to help you forgive that person. |
| Rating | | | Date | February 19, 2005 | | Summary | If you enjoyed 'Joy Luck Club'..... | Content
| ...and its (anything, but) subtle use of symbolism, you might enjoy this movie also. It's been a while since seeing 'Smoke Signals' seven years ago at it's release, but glancing through these reviews I thought that I should give the readers another viewpoint.... The acting was hilarious (if you've ever studied acting you'll be cringing till your stomach hurts). The plot was ridiculous and tedious and directionless. And there was no more insight to this film than you might find in an episode of Dawson's Creek. I remember this movie because it has always stood out for me as one the ten worst films I've ever seen. But, I am definitely in the minority. I've never heard anyone say ANYTHING bad about the movie (other than the two other folks I saw it with). That's very rare for any film not titled 'Citizen Cane'. As an entirely Native American offering, perhaps it wouldn't be prudent for 'liberal' types (I include myself in that category, btw) to criticize this work. That is, perhaps, unfair for me to speculate on, but I am just so puzzled at people's reaction to the film. It's not that it's a bad movie that people seem to have formed some attachment to; it's that it is so incredibly bad! But what are the chances that you'd agree with me and not the other, obviously intelligent folks, who've I've spoken to about this film, and who've written here?
P.S. If you'd like to see a bad film from 1998 why not try 'Godzilla'? There may not be any 'dumping daddy's ashes in the river' moments, but the dialog is a notch above.
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