The point is that, as time passes, families have a tendency to gravitate to the lowest common denominator. Salt of the earth people like Hume Cronyn's character, or James Earl Jones' character are a dying breed. Each generation has a little less character, a little less backbone. The work ethic disappears, as do values, morals, respect for and willingness to learn from the past, saying yes to life and life affirming things, saying no to, and avoiding negativity and destructive forces, a willingness to pull one's own load and make one's own way. The second generation in this film shows one stage of such deterioration, the third generation shows it only worsens. They expect to be cared for and never raise a hand to do an honest day's work or experience any real feeling for anyone but themselves. Each succeeding generation is more helpless and shiftless than anyone that came before. A more heavy-handed approach to this would have been more "preachy," and hit the viewer over the head with these points. Mr. Foote and those who made this film, took a more subtle path, giving the viewer(s) credit for being able to figure it out for themselves.
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hocfocprod
10 years ago
I think grumpyoldguy is pretty close, but I saw a bit more. It's more about how different people handle challenges, the promise of money, the lack of it and challenges in life in general.
I think the movie was also about how the family unit is breaking down. It used to be our strength, but people know less and less of their family and don't see each other as much as we used to when the world was "smaller".
When they start to come together on the ranch the rain is gone and the skies are blue and sunny.
I'd say to that a lot of those plotlines that seem to "go nowhere" is because that's where the characters go. Some show growth, others just stay in the same sad place.
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