Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

bkoganbing Set in the Depression Era Ozark country, the Coleman family has it pretty tough as most did in those years. But they are a wholesome lot without getting too sticky sentimental. The parents are Jack Ging and Beverly Garland and their oldest Stewart Petersen a slightly pre- pubescent adolescent has only one thing in mind. He's a country kid who has his heart set on getting and training a pair of hunting dogs for coon hunting and on the advice of his grandfather James Whitmore works like a dog to get the money to buy a pair of puppies to train.Coon hunting is both a profession and a labor of love for those who get into it. We see young Petersen train his canines to be the best. But it comes at a tragic price.Where The Red Fern grows is a fine family film that most likely never played in the cosmopolitan east during its release. Stewart Petersen was a Mormon Kid who did a bunch of these of varying quality during the 70s. He comes across as a real and not a Hollywood kid and he gets good support from the veteran cast. Note the Osmonds as producers. Petersen did films for the LDS church itself as well as other family features in the 70s.Where The Red Fern Grows holds up well today. Dig the Quo Vadis type ending which explains about the significance of the Red Fern.

makahla_pearson Where the red fern grows is the best movie ever, and i think its enjoyable for anyone. It was always my favorite movie when i was growing up and always will be. I don't understand how anyone couldn't like it and if you don't then screw you :)Billy lives on a farm. He wants two good coon hounds very badly, but his Papa cannot afford any. Billy works hard, selling fruit and bait to fishermen, so eventually he has enough money for the dogs. I think it also shows how much times have changed, because back in the day they worked for what they wanted and now its nothing like that and most people get things handed to them and never work a day in there life.

hiddenwave93 While this movie (in my opinion) is touching in the way that any young child has to learn the ways of life the hard way - working hard to earn his/her wants, I think the acting of Billy in the movie was very dry and it was hard to really become interested in the character. It's an older movie that has something to relate to, so I believe that this is the perfect film for a younger person to watch. It gives you the mindset of the simplicity of the way things were way back when, and for a short amount of time you're forced to question the morality of the family in the film. I think most of the acting in this movie was very dry; especially after the tragic (spoiler) death of Billy's hound dogs. I was expecting the parents to have sympathy, but they were more interested in heading back inside, so I felt like it should have had a different outcome.

ollie501 MINOR SPOILERS WITHIN!Where the Red Fern Grows – Dir Norman Tokar -1974 Reviewed by Ollie This is simple, well intentioned and instantly likeable film. Made in 1974, there are evident signs of the age of the film, but this works to its advantage. This is one of the classics. Perhaps not as famous as Old Yeller, it's `older brother', which also hailed from the Disney studio's, it is equally as likeable. Stewart Petersen does a terrific job as young Billy Coleman, and makes the character immensely likeable.The film follows Billy's life, as he desperately saves money to buy a pair of hunting dogs. It is evident that he leads a fairly poor, but honest life, and struggles with his decision to buy the dogs, as opposed to giving the money to his Father. On going to collect the dogs, he is stared at by the local folk, almost looked down upon, each one in turn glancing at this scruffy, barefoot young character as he enters `their world'. Picked on by local children, he befriends the local sheriff, who we meet again later in the film.There are some wonderful scenes, from his first encounter with his new found friends, as they lick his toes, and he gently picks them up for the first time, to the comical scene where he is training them, and they run, followed by three children, through the house, sliding every which way on their Mothers freshly cleaned kitchen floor, in a scene which borders farcical, but knows where to draw the line, in keeping the humour gentle.Billy is an idealistic young man, willing to take a beating and defy his mother, rather than break a promise to his dogs. All this makes him a very likeable, and identifiable character. This is further showed toward the end of the film, when his true courage and sportsmanship show themselves in a hunting competition.This is by no means a jolly film – it's a positive tearjerker, unashamedly so. There is a death, which in itself is only mildly instrumental to the plot, but serves Billy a valuable life lesson, and the viewer is left feeling his pain and sorrow.The end is equally sad, which I won't give away, but there is a beautiful closing shot as the camera pans away from the family, focusing on a single red fern….There are times when deep, clever plots, and intense dialogue serve no purpose, and this film is a shining example of this. It has no pretences about what it is. It is a lesson that true beauty is found in the simplicity and innocence of a child's world.It is quite simply, a nice film. I am not fond of the word `nice', but in this instance it serves well to describe the film. A great example that some of the older films, can still give modern Hollywood movies a run for their money. This does just that, and wins hands down all the way.Particular mention must also be made to the soundtrack, which is perfect for the film, and simply beautiful, from the gentle incidental music, to the lyrics in every song. I watched this anticipating it to be a little `ropey', and perhaps rough around the edges, given it is 30 years old. That anticipation was the only thing the film wasn't. It really is a polished gem of a movie, and one that I can recommend very highly. Sure it's a sappy, sentimental tearjerker – it doesn't pretend to be anything else, and for that, I loved it. A very well earned 10/10! Ollie