The Great Santini (DVD, 1999)

This is a great story about family dynamlcs -- good and bad -- and the relationships between friends.
If you want to examine YOUR family values, you will have lots to think about by watching The Great Santini.
Robert Duvall presents a superb portrayal of Meachum.

After having read a number of Pat Conroy's literary pieces, this one included, I decided to purchase the movie. It was a bit dated as it was filmed in the early 1990's I believe, and of course the movie can never come close to covering in detail what the book does. All in all, the actors/actresses were great in portraying the characters in the book. Key things were left out,due to time constraints, I suppose, but the "gist" was covered. Bottom line, if you've read the book, you should also see the movie, if for no other reason, Robert Duvall did a great job portraying Bull Meecham, the Marine fighter pilot, aka The Great Santini! IT is rated PG.