Honestly, if you mention The War with Kevin Costner to most casual moviegoers today, you’ll probably get a blank stare. Or maybe they’ll confuse it with Waterworld. But for those of us who grew up in the 90s, this 1994 film remains a weirdly specific, deeply emotional touchstone that feels more like a memory than a movie. It’s a film about trauma, poverty, and a giant treehouse.
It didn't set the box office on fire. Not even close.
Released in the wake of Costner’s massive run with Dances with Wolves and The Bodyguard, this small-scale period piece was a hard sell. It’s set in 1970, rural Mississippi. Costner plays Stephen Simmons, a Vietnam vet struggling with what we’d now call PTSD, though back then the script just called it "the shakes" or "the nightmares." He’s just trying to hold his family together while his kids, Lidia and Stu, find themselves embroiled in a localized, gritty "war" with the Lipnickis—the local neighborhood bullies who live in a literal junkyard.
Why the 1994 release struggled to find its footing
Critics were pretty brutal at the time. Roger Ebert actually gave it two stars, complaining that the film felt like two different movies shoved together. You had the heavy, adult drama of a veteran losing his mind and his dignity, and then you had this Stand By Me style adventure with kids fighting over a treehouse.
He wasn't entirely wrong.
The tonal shifts are jarring. One minute, you’re watching Kevin Costner have a localized panic attack in a VA hospital, and the next, you’re watching a group of kids execute a tactical raid on a pile of scrap metal. But that’s actually why the movie works for me. Life in a rural, low-income town in the 70s was that weird mix of childhood imagination and the crushing weight of adult reality. The movie captures that specific feeling of being a kid and realizing, for the first time, that your parents are actually fragile people.
The Costner Factor: A departure from the leading man trope
By 1994, Kevin Costner was basically the king of the world. He was the quintessential American hero. So, seeing him play Stephen Simmons was a bit of a shock to the system for audiences.
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He’s not a hero here. He’s a guy who can’t keep a job. He’s a guy who gets fired from a mining gig because he has a flashback. Costner plays it with this quiet, simmering exhaustion that feels incredibly authentic. It’s probably one of his most underrated performances because he lets the kids take the spotlight.
Speaking of the kids—this was Elijah Wood’s territory. Before he was a Hobbit, Wood was the go-to kid for "soulful and slightly traumatized." His performance as Stu Simmons is the emotional anchor of the film. You see the cycle of violence starting with him; he wants to fight the Lipnickis because he’s angry at the world for what it’s doing to his dad. It’s a heavy burden for a child actor, but Wood carries it. And we can't ignore Lexi Randall as Lidia. Her narration gives the film its literary, almost Southern Gothic feel.
The Lipnickis and the reality of rural poverty
Most movies from this era treat "the bullies" like cartoon villains. Think Biff Tannen. But The War does something much more uncomfortable with the Lipnickis.
They aren't just mean; they are neglected. They live in a house that is essentially a pile of trash. They are hungry. When the "war" over the treehouse reaches its climax, it’s not a triumphant moment of good defeating evil. It’s a moment of profound sadness.
There is a specific scene at the end—no spoilers, but it involves a Ferris wheel and a very dangerous dare—that shifts the entire perspective of the film. You realize that the "war" the kids are fighting is just a mirror of the war their fathers fought. It’s about territory, pride, and the desperate need to own something when you have nothing. It’s a gritty look at the socio-economic divide that most Hollywood movies usually gloss over with a soundtrack of upbeat pop hits.
The legacy of the "Vietnam Vet" narrative in film
We’ve seen a million Vietnam movies. Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, Born on the Fourth of July. Usually, they’re about the jungle or the immediate, explosive aftermath of coming home.
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The War with Kevin Costner handles it differently. It’s about the long tail of trauma. It’s about how that trauma seeps into the soil of a family and affects the next generation. Stephen Simmons isn't a "crazy vet" in the stereotypical sense. He’s a man trying to preach non-violence to his son while his own mind is a battlefield.
The movie’s central thesis is basically: "If you can't find something worth dying for, you haven't lived." But it asks a follow-up: "Is fighting over a treehouse worth it when the world is already broken?"
What people get wrong about the ending
A lot of people find the ending of The War to be overly sentimental or even manipulative. I disagree.
If you look at the director, Jon Avnet (who did Fried Green Tomatoes), he specializes in that specific brand of Southern sentimentality that feels heavy like humidity. It’s meant to be a fable. It’s not meant to be a documentary. The film uses the treehouse as a metaphor for a peace that can’t exist as long as people are holding onto grudges.
The climax isn't about winning. It's about the moment Stu realizes that his "enemy" is just as scared and lonely as he is. That’s a sophisticated lesson for a "kid's movie," which is likely why it didn't find a clear audience. It was too dark for children and too "coming-of-age" for adults seeking a standard Costner action flick.
Where to watch and how to approach it today
If you’re going to revisit The War, you have to go in with the right mindset. Don't expect Field of Dreams.
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- Look for the symbolism: The treehouse isn't just a fort; it’s the only thing the Simmons kids feel they have control over in a world where they are losing their house and their father's health.
- Pay attention to the score: Thomas Newman (who did The Shawshank Redemption) composed the music. It’s haunting, beautiful, and does a lot of the heavy lifting during the film's more quiet, internal moments.
- Context matters: Keep in mind this was filmed in Georgia, standing in for Mississippi. The atmosphere is thick. You can almost feel the heat and the mosquitoes.
The film is currently available on various streaming platforms like Amazon Prime or Apple TV for rent or purchase. It’s rarely on the "trending" lists, but it’s a staple for anyone building a collection of 90s dramas that actually had something to say about the American condition.
Final thoughts for the true cinephile
The War with Kevin Costner is a flawed masterpiece. It’s messy. It’s sometimes a bit too "on the nose" with its metaphors. But it’s also deeply human. In an era of polished, focus-grouped blockbusters, there is something incredibly refreshing about a movie that tries to tackle PTSD, poverty, and childhood rivalry all at once.
It reminds us that Kevin Costner was once willing to take massive risks on small stories. It reminds us that Elijah Wood was a powerhouse before he ever saw a ring. Most importantly, it reminds us that the biggest wars we fight are usually the ones happening inside our own homes and our own heads.
Actionable insights for your next watch party
If you decide to sit down with this one, do yourself a favor and watch it back-to-back with Dances with Wolves. The contrast in Costner’s "hero" archetype is fascinating.
- Research the filming locations: Much of the movie was shot in Social Circle and Madison, Georgia. The "junkyard" set was a massive undertaking that really defined the film's aesthetic.
- Watch the supporting cast: Mare Winningham as the mother, Lois, is the unsung hero of the film. She provides the stability that allows the other characters to be as volatile as they are.
- Compare to the book: If you're a reader, track down the novelization or similar Southern coming-of-age stories like To Kill a Mockingbird. The thematic overlap is significant.
Stop looking for a high-octane war movie. Instead, look for a quiet, bruising story about what it costs to be a good person in a hard world. That's the real war the movie is talking about. Over thirty years later, that's a message that actually holds up better than the CGI in most movies from last year.
Next time you’re scrolling through a streaming service and see that 1994 poster with Costner and the kids, don't skip it. It’s a piece of 90s cinema history that deserves a second look, flaws and all.