The 60s (1999)

What the movie The 60s really represents (to those of us who growled around in the belly of America in those times) is the turbulence and diversity of the decade. Despite the exaggerated, stereotyped characters, the genuineness of the issues remains clear.Not only were those radical times of change, but also very confusing times. Two basic things changed our world then: the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and the overwhelming influence of the media. Those two new freedoms began social changes that soon became institutionalized.From chaos came sensitivity, from disorder came values. Bear in mind however, that the bulk of Americans were not involved in this... they worked, they played, they watched the news... and slowly they became effected by the efforts and struggles of the minorities... the Civil Rights workers, the Political Activists, the Anti-War efforts, the War on Poverty....The representation of the power of the press and TV in particular, was well reflected, although the conflict between the general public's attitude and those seeking to change things was at best ignored... and at worst, misrepresented.. Middle class Americans weren't all standing around angrily holding baseball bats, or disowning their wayward daughters. They were confused too. Let us not forget how Folk Singers suddenly became Protest Singers, and how The Beatles began an onslaught that killed the Folk-Protest Movement. There are no Beatle songs in the movie, or even any mention of them.I think if you didn't live the decade, you might not have a sense of what the movie is about, the overall picture is a bit dim. At one point I held down a steady job while my sister lived at the Hog Farm Commune and went to Woodstock. At another point I was in Haight Asbury and in the Detroit Riots while she worked and played the housewife in Maine and Connecticut. Roles were constantly changing.The movie depicts three siblings of a middle class family. They represent the hippie child, the political activist, and the active military personnel. Dad represents the typical attitudes, and mom represents the voice of reason, tolerance, and sometimes compromise... for the sake of peace.The Black family comprises a minister and his son... disproportionately, I think. I assume the producers knew all the variables and had to settle on limitations, or else the film would have become a long, boring, documentary. Dad's message was that anger produces bitterness, and bitterness produces chaos. It was clearly a message directed to today's youth.We are looking at a unique solution to social problems, and also how issues divide us... The 60s were unusual in that way, and only the Roaring 20s compare. In other words, this movie has a moral after all. In the end, it is our Collective Individualism that survives. Put that in your oxymoron list.Everyone was a God, a Guru, or a free-spirited genius in the 60s. It was a time of magic and madness. No one will ever nail the 60s down right... it was too diverse (this movie is close). At least we can say we are not ashamed of it, that we learned and grew from it, and that for once, a generation shaped and changed America... for the better.

The '60s is an occasionally entertaining film, most of this entertainment is from laughing at the film. It is extremely uneven, and includes many annoying elements. Take for instance the switch between black & white, and color. If done right, this could of been fairly effective, but because it was done poorly , it turned into a nuisance and only detracted from the already bad experience; much of the film had an odd feel to it. The acting wasn't extremely bad for a made for TV flick, but then again it was downright embarrassing at other times. Many of the events were not coherent, and ending up being confusing. How did this family somehow end up being at many of the big events during the 1960's? The ending was much too sappy for my tastes; because it was hollywoodized, everything had to turn out right in the end. I would advise you to not waste your time on The '60s and do something else with your time. I'm glad I watched this in class, and not on my own time. I think I can safely say that the best part of the movie was the inclusion of Bob Dylan's music. Those are just my rambling thoughts on the flick. I hope you take my advice, and stay away from this.

For some strange reason, I end up finding this movie on VH1 when I have a long ironing session. It is entertaining enough to keep it on. Since I've watched it a couple of times, I thought it would be interesting to detail some of the less thought of continuity aspects of the series.I agree with most user comments regarding the lack of character development/screen time of the African American characters, especially Emmet. We find him rioting in South Central L.A. at the end of the first part, and ten minutes into the second part, he's a Jimi Hendrix look-alike in San Francisco. Ten minutes later, he's a Panther. We know the Herlihy's live happily ever after, but don't get any kind of closure from his character at the end. And what happened to the mother?Another puzzling detail is how Michael and Brian smoke pot using a rather large device inside the house, where their father (with his straightforward, military antics) could have easily found them. Sure, the girl gets kicked out for getting pregnant, but the guys can smoke on the kitchen counter. On non-continuity issues, Josh Hamilton looks way older than what the character calls for; he must have been already in his thirties when the movie was being shot. Jordana Brewster is actually in college now, making her 16 or 17 at the time the film was made. Ick. I didn't really feel any chemistry between them, and the dialogue had a high degree of cheesiness to it ("What did you forget?"... "My heart"... Oh please!)I think that NBC tried to cover as many bases as possible in four hours. It is debatable whether they should have dealt with fewer plotlines and events and try to make a better move, or whether it turned out okay to treat many circumstances with limited depth.

It's scary when aging baby-boomers start remembering the 1960s as the "good ole days." "The 60's" is a bloated ode to the decade of drugs, sex, and irresponsibility. The acting and writing by all of the characters is sup-par at best. The only thing worse than this mini-series was "The 70s," which aired a year later.If you want a historical perspective, I suggest you don't watch this mini-series, but go to the library. If you want to see movies about 1960's, I suggest watching "KIDS" and "TRAFFIC." These two movies accurately describe the awful legacy this decade gave to younger generations., which I belong to.