hyped garbage

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Sensitively told coming-of-age film set against Las Vegas and the early years of atomic testing. Rose (Annabeth Gish) is thirteen and very much wants to connect with stepdad Jack (Jon Voight), an alcoholic WWII veteran still possessed by the demons of combat. Trouble is, she's operating on one track, while he's operating on two, such that just when they seem at last to converge, he goes off on a delusionary binge. Movie is notable for the exceptionally fine performances of these two actors. Gish, tottering atop two gawky legs and peering out from the cosmetic curse of horned-rim glasses, is the very real, aching embodiment of adolescent angst. Hers has to be one of the finest, least mannered renderings of teen-age yearning and self-doubt in many, many years, and made even me, a hardened old curmudgeon, feel kindly toward the hopelessly pubescent. Voight's character is less sympathetic and more complex. Victimized by the evils of war and beset by alcohol and impotence, he's having trouble with his masculinity in a house full of women. He wants to fulflill a positive role for his wife and stepdaughters, but the inner turmoil keeps erupting unpredictably.You want Jack and Rose to connect, to heal one another's emotional wounds, but circumstance is against them. Movie leaves off on suitably ambiguous note as atomic test parallels emotional family blowup. We know time will take care of Rose's problems, but what of Jack. Film is not so much about dysfunction as it is about adolescence and the walking wounds of war, such that you'll remember the characters long after the various plot complications have subsided. What a fine piece of non-commercial movie making this is thanks to Sundance Productions and writer-director Eugene Corr. Their work along with that of the entire cast shows once again why "the obscure little movie with something to say" continues to be one of our finest film traditions.

Desert Bloom belongs on a list of the ten most underrated movies of the last thirty years. An original setting -- no Rock and Roll pioneers, professional sports heroes, or other aspect of popular culture in this look at 1950's life in the U.S. -- excellent acting; and a believable, thought-provoking story; Desert Bloom has much to hold a viewer's interest.I realize that Desert Bloom, a story about common people and mostly devoid of action, may not appeal to the many people who look to movies for diversion and entertainment. For the person who enjoys films that cause one to reflect and to experience more than a thrill, however, Desert Bloom will probably make him feel that he has chosen a very meaningful way to spend two hours. While Jon Voight, as a rigid and occasionally explosive World War II veteran, gives a performance that rivals any of his other roles, and Jo Beth Williams, as his unfailingly optimistic and codependent wife, portrays her part convincingly, the work of Annabelle Gish leaves the most profound impression. The oldest daughter in a dysfunctional family (Voight and Williams as her troubled parents), Gish tells the story of her teenage years in retrospect as a forty-something adult.Speaking with the firmness and controlled confidence of someone who has had to endure, Rose (Gisch) indicates that she has not only survived her father's alcoholism and abuse, but also that the quality of her life has progressed well beyond the one afforded by her parents' pathetic relationship. More importantly, though, Rose makes the viewer aware that at a time when the U.S. military was developing weapons powerful enough to devastate any foe, some children were feeling nearly powerless in their own homes in the face of real threats to their safety.

I really like this movie... it is a great period piece of the 1950s. I think people forget that a period piece doesn't have to be of some century-ago. The acting is excellent all-around, although the voice-overs are a bit much.

This movie will really give you better understanding of such terms as "purposeless" and "pointless". It's simply a series of episodes, which never add up to anything. The only thing one can recommend about this familiar drama (which still doesn't make it worthwhile) is the solid acting: Barkin's performance stands out.