Robert Redford's screen adaptation of Norman Maclean's 1976 autobiographical novella A River Runs Through It is a triumph of taste and wisdom that emblazons the heart with its truths about the beauty of nature and the sadness of human self-destructiveness.
Norman and Paul Maclean grow up in Missoula, Montana, in the early years of this century. Their father (Tom Skerritt) is a stern Presbyterian minister whose love of language is only matched by his delight in fly fishing. He teaches his sons the sport which has become a spiritual practice for him. They all savor the opportunity to commune with the Big Blackfoot River and to test their wits and agility while fishing for trout.
Norman (Craig Sheffer) takes after his father and becomes an avid student of literature, eventually attending Dartmouth College. His younger brother Paul (Brad Pitt) has a recklessness about him which is demonstrated when he convinces Norman to accompany him over a dangerous waterfall in a wooden boat. Perfectly satisfied with the place of his birth, Paul becomes a newspaper reporter. When Norman returns from six years in the East, the two brothers immediately go fishing. Norman discovers that while he was away, Paul has become an artist at fly fishing. But "life," observes the film's narrator, "is not a work of art."
Paul's youthful recklessness has now turned to self-destructiveness. Home for the summer, Norman falls in love with a local girl (Emily Lloyd) and discovers to his dismay that his brother has succumbed to alcoholism and compulsive gambling. Yet in a conspiracy of silence, the family avoids Paul's addictions, convinced, despite a few weak signals to the contrary, that he would only spurn their help. Later, in a sermon the father observes, "Those we live with and should know elude us. But we can still love them...love them without complete understanding."
A River Runs Through It is a poetic and heart-affecting testament to that kind of love. The film takes its time unwinding its salutary messages about family, siblings, and the spiritual solace of mastery in a sport. The screenplay by Richard Friedenberg stays true to the novella. Mark Isham's melodic music serves as a perfect accompaniment to Philippe Rousselot's superb cinematography.
This is one of the best films of 1992. It is at its best when it celebrates the wonders of the natural world and those mystical moments when its characters feel at one with the universe.