Rent The Trip to Bountiful (1985)
3.8 of 5 from 63 ratings
1h 47min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Carrie Watts (Geraldine Page) is in the twilight of her life, living with her son and his wife in their cramped apartment. Her one wish is to return to Bountiful, her childhood home, but she is repeatedly stopped by her son and daughter-in law who are concerned, both for her health and the fact she is squandering their money. Each time she tries to escape she is caught, until finally she eludes everyone and catches a bus to Bountiful. On her journey she meets and strikes up a conversation with a young woman (Rebecca De Mornay), to whom she recounts the story of her life.
- Actors:
- Geraldine Page, John Heard, Carlin Glynn, Richard Bradford, Rebecca De Mornay, Kevin Cooney, Norman Bennett, Harvey Lewis, Kirk Sisco, Dave Tanner, Gil Glasgow, Mary Kay Mars, Wezz Tildon, Peggy Ann Byers, David Romo
- Directors:
- Peter Masterson
- Producers:
- Horton Foote, Sterling Van Wagenen
- Writers:
- Horton Foote
- Studio:
- Prism Leisure
- Genres:
- Children & Family, Drama
- Collections:
- A Brief History of Old Age on Screen: Part 1, Best Film Quests and Adventures, Cinema Paradiso's 2024 Centenary Club: Part 3, Getting to Know Eva Marie Saint At 100, Oscars: Winners & Losers, The Best American Road Movies
- Awards:
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Reviews (2) of The Trip to Bountiful
Very touching portrait of how not to treat an aged person - The Trip to Bountiful review by CP Customer
A little slow to engage one's sympathy, but it becomes a very touching story about the need to provide dignity and freedom to the elderly. Very well acted and with many gentle and moving portraits.
2 out of 3 members found this review helpful.
Slow trip - The Trip to Bountiful review by Swambi
This film has had generally positive reviews, but I found it only moderately interesting and too long.
The story line is very simple, although slightly contrived and unbelievable [** spoilers follow**]. Mrs Watts has been wanting to return to her childhood home for many years and finally makes a successful escape, only to find that the last inhabitant has already died. Having seen her old home she returns with her son and daughter in law in a better frame of mind (possibly). The plot is almost entirely tilted to sympathy for Mrs Watt's plight, although it seems a slightly incredible situation.
Mrs Watts (Geraldine Page) and to a lesser extent Thelma (Rebecca de Mornay) give impressive performances, but the lines often seemed stilted, the flow of the plot uneven, and characters such as Jessie Mae more caricatures than characters.
The quality of the DVD is somewhat blurry and although the coach travel and recreation of the period are good, I didn't find this compensating for poor script, pointless dead-ends in the plot and the unduly long running time for such a simple story.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.