Cheap Fat Man and Little Boy (Video) (Paul Newman, Dwight Schultz, Bonnie Bedelia) (Roland Joffé) Price

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Customer Reviews of Fat Man and Little Boy

An emotionally moving historical novel
"The world is not what we wanted it to be." So says Dr. Oppenheimer to his wife, late in the film. Oppenheimer's optimism and scientific idealism are only one small casualty of the pursuit of the atomic bomb; we see several others through the course of the film. The fears of that time -- especially of Communism -- cause Oppenheimer's own credibility to be always in doubt in the eyes of the military, and his Communist-sympathizing mistress almost inevitably becomes another casualty of these forces. <
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>The scientist Michael Merriman (actually a composite of a few real-life characters; try looking up "Louis Slotin" in your favorite search engine) asks whether it is more instinctive in humans to save life or to destroy it. This becomes one of the central themes of the film. Merriman twice heroically saves the lives of others, but the second time receives a lethal exposure to radiation himself in the process. I have read comments in other reviews that Merriman's (fictional) romance with a nurse at the base hospital was unnecessary and too contrived, but I think that this sort of dramatic element helps provide an emotional context for the bomb's direct and indirect victims; also, Merriman's ultimately tragic romance parallels that of Oppenheimer with his "security-risk" mistress. <
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>This film touches on many of the issues of the creation of the atomic bomb: the logistical challenges, the personal and moral and political challenges. These multiple issues are treated more or less equally, and none is really treated in depth at the expense of the others. Some viewers may regard this lack of depth as a liability, but I think the overall balance is good. <
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>The dramatic quality (acting, writing, etc.) of the film is also generally good, with a few faults. (There is the occasional bit of weak dialogue, but honestly, for my part, I did not find the few less-than-stellar lines distracting when I saw the film the first time, and neither do they leap out at me when I watch it again now. Some people may be more irritated by that sort of thing than I.) Oppenheimer (Dwight Schultz) and General Groves (Paul Newman) are both very strong in their roles, and they naturally are the ones who would make or break the movie. <
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>So, overall, I think that this film is a good film. I don't mean that to sound flippant. I mean that it is a good story, a good drama, one that captures the emotional tensions, fears, and moral doubts of the period. What it is definitely NOT is a historically-accurate documentary, but I don't think it was ever trying to be. Documentaries are certainly important too, but they are plentiful and easily had elsewhere. (Try the History Channel or your local library.) In some ways, Fat Man and Little Boy resembles the blockbuster movie Pearl Harbor, which also fictionalized quite a bit to show the emotional impact of the historical events on the people involved. <
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>Fat Man and Little Boy is a film I personally own, enjoy and recommend.

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"I am become Vishnu - the destroyer of worlds."
J. Robert Oppenheimer said on viewing the first atomic bomb explosion, "I am become Vishnu - the destroyer of worlds." <
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>An intriguing rendition of the trials and tribulations of creating the first atomic bomb. <
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>This is not the first or maybe the best and it surely will not be the last interpretation. However there is some fine acting and well designed story. This has held my attention more than once. Every part, in fact every line contributed to making you forget that you are watching a movie and that this is real. <
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>This is the story of how the need for the bomb came about and the building of a camp and the collection of men needed to accomplish the job. We see technical difficulties as well as emotional.

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Entertaining enough
As most viewers will already know, the film basically depicts (inaccurately, from what I've heard) the developement of the first atom bombs.
What can I say? This drama is highly uneven; Paul Newman is in fine form as the general in charge of the project, his conflicts with Dwight Shultz, who plays the leading scientist, Dr. Oppenheimer is very enjoyable to watch, you got some very (good) dramatic acting there. However, the romantic subplots (especially the one between John Cusack and Laura Dern) are boring and wooden.
The most memorable scene in the film is the finale, where we have the final count-down to the testing of the world's first atom bomb (or, in humanity's case, the final count-down towards doom); with the scientists and military officers waited with both hopes and fears, any yet not really knowing the immense power of their creation; the clock ticks away; with the memorable Nutcracker's Suite playing away in the background.
Overall an entertaining movie; Newman's excellent performance makes this worth seeing.