Diane Stone

I just watched this film yesterday having never heard of it prior. I loved it. Yes, it is a love story some, but not me, might do an eye roll for. It is 2 love stories, actually, the second of which, told only through Ira’s memories through his letters to Ruth, is so beautifully unfolded by the great Alan Alda. Luke and Sophia are beautifully portrayed and Alan Alda and the flashback Ruth are spectacularly touching. Bringing their stories of 2 Jews, 1 from a family fleeing Nazism in Vienna in 1940, to N. Carolina where Ira’s family business selling clothing makes them pillars of the Jewish community is historically correct since The South had many family businesses like theirs. Being Jewish, their story was most touching to me. Lastly, Scott Eastwood is not only a spectacularly gorgeous guy but also played Luke beautifully. Sophia was played by a lovely young actress I’d never heard of who could definitely win a Jennifer Lawrence Look-a-Like contest!

It is a monumental film. Yet another story out of 1920’s Oklahoma most of us didn’t know about, like the destruction of “Black Wall Street” in Tulsa. The acting was excellent by Di Caprio, Di Niro, and the magnificent performances of the roles of Mollie, Jessie Plemons and the other FBI officers. A great few hours in an IMAX theater. I will definitely watch it again when it streams to catch the nuances one misses the first time but I’m glad I saw it on the big screen.