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The Great Santini

The Great Santini

Drama · 1979

As he approaches manhood, Ben Meechum struggles to win the approval of his demanding alpha male father, an aggressively competitive, but frustrated marine pilot.

Movie details

The Great Santini

“The bravest thing he would ever do was let his family love him.”

1979 Drama 1h 55m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.8 / 10

Community rating

As he approaches manhood, Ben Meechum struggles to win the approval of his demanding alpha male father, an aggressively competitive, but frustrated marine pilot.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Great Santini?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Surfer Jay Moriarity sets out to ride the Northern California break known as Mavericks.

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Dangerous Minds

Dangerous Minds

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Former Marine Louanne Johnson lands a gig teaching in a pilot program for bright but underachieving teens at a notorious inner-city high school. After having a terrible first day, she decides she must throw decorum to the wind. When Johnson returns to the classroom, she does so armed with a no-nonsense attitude informed by her military training and a fearless determination to better the lives of her students -- no matter what the cost.

Third Star

Third Star

Drama · 2010

James and his three closest lifelong friends go on an ill-advised trip to the stunning coastal area of Barafundle Bay in West Wales. What follows is a touching and comical adventure dealing with friendship, heroism and love.

Speak

Speak

Drama · 2004

Freshman high-school student Melinda has refused to speak ever since she called the cops on a popular summer party. With her old friends snubbing her for being a rat, and her parents too busy to notice her troubles, she folds into herself, trying to hide her secret: that star senior Andy raped her at the party. But Melinda does manage to find solace in her art class headed by Mr. Freeman.

Dad

Dad

Drama · 1989

A busy executive learns during a meeting that his mother may be dying and rushes home to her side. He ends up being his father's caretaker and becomes closer to him than ever before. Estranged from his own son, the executive comes to realize what has been missing in his own life.

Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men

Drama · 1939

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The Boys Are Back

The Boys Are Back

Drama · 2009

When the wife of sports-writer Joe Warr dies of cancer, he takes on the responsibility of raising their 6-year-old son, and his teenage son from a previous marriage. As Joe rejects the counsel of his mother-in-law and other parents, he develops his own philosophies on parenting.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Lewis John Carlino

Written by

Lewis John Carlino

Robert Duvall

Robert Duvall

Bull Meechum

Blythe Danner

Blythe Danner

Lillian Meechum

Michael O'Keefe

Michael O'Keefe

Ben Meechum

Lisa Jane Persky

Lisa Jane Persky

Mary Anne Meechum

Julie Anne Haddock

Julie Anne Haddock

Karen Meechum

Brian Andrews

Brian Andrews

Matthew Meechum

Stan Shaw

Stan Shaw

Toomer Smalls

Court is in session

Put The Great Santini on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.