God Bless Godless Hollywood

For those who think me harsh and utterly cynical, here's something that nearly always makes me tear up: the closing scene from Hal Ashby's "Coming Home." I saw this when I first joined the Army, and it sorta sunk in. Then, after another year in uniform and a year's worth of history books and political mags absorbed, plus time working alongside a few Vietnam vets, I saw the film again, and it had me.

If you haven't seen "Coming Home," then me explaining who the characters are won't make much sense. This is one of the few films where I really like Jane Fonda, and Jon Voight's angry combat vet rings true (he reminds me a bit of my late uncle, a Navy vet who was also paralyzed while in uniform). Bruce Dern's hair is too long for a Marine, but hey, it was the late-70s. And you can spot Ashby in a brief cameo, as his car passes Fonda's on the highway.