Maidexpl Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

Kailansorac Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Brainsbell The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

mark.waltz Millions of American families have been through tragedy like this, and nobody but a family who has gone through this can imagine the pain of losing a child through war. The pain of the mother is probably even greater, and this TV movie chose America's "funny girl" to play the part. Carol Burnett takes on her most unique role, playing it straight, simply and beautifully. From the moment she asks son Dennis Erdman if he's packed (to which he responds that he will after performing his regular farming duties), you can see that she is hiding her fear. When she tries to hide tears, it's as if she's seeing into the future, as this is 1969, and this is the Vietnam war he is heading off to, and unlike he tells her, it will not be over in six months. Letters from their son describe what he's going through, read by her husband (Ned Beatty), keep her jumping, writing letters to everybody from Nixon on down. Then, there's that fateful day that they receive a visitor, and you have a sense that she already knows, such is the power of motherhood. In disgust to the way Beatty keeps asking if his boy is dead to the almost abruptly cold way a preacher says yes, and all Carol Burnett can do is look blankly as she questions the definition of what friendly fire is. In sitting there watching it, I wanted to scream out in anger (and in not such polite terms), "Just say somebody screwed up!" No war death is "friendly", no matter what caused it.Coming out around the same time as several other films on the Vietnam war, this TV movie was a ratings giant, one greatly publicized, and one that even school aged kids got to stay up late for because of its themes of anti-war, the rights of families to demand the truth, and the right to question why young men are continuously being killed, especially in a war we still believe we had no reason to be there in the first place. Burnett's mother is a no nonsense woman whose grief erupts into anger towards a government that seems intent on ignoring her or sending form letters and respond to her with standard, pointless answers. Burnett is outstanding, Beatty brilliantly supporting, and a young Timothy Hutton aw the younger son representing what she intends to not go through again or see any other mother suffer without getting to the truth.

wes-connors Based on a true story, this memorable ABC-TV movie begins in 1969 Iowa, during the Richard M. Nixon Administration. Wide-eyed young Dennis Erdman (as Michael E. Mullen) goes off to fight the Communists in Vietnam. He leaves behind loving parents Carol Burnett and Ned Beatty (as Peg and Gene). From the opening, you know this kid is going to die - it's conveyed not only in the painfully obvious title, but also through the foreshadowing performance from Ms. Burnett, under David Greene's deliberate direction.The farming family is told son Erdman died from "Friendly Fire" (herein defined as "any artillery from forces not the enemy"). But, the official explanation does not seem to match up with facts. Burnett and Mr. Beatty learn about how the military manipulates casualty figures. She becomes an anti-war activist. Later, investigative journalist Sam Waterston (as C.D.B. Bryan) enters the picture - and, to be fair, he (plus a flashback) offers a reasonable explanation for altering the facts regarding the tragic Vietnam incident.Still, that the military seeks to alter circumstances, regarding death during military service is a dishonor. Like the movie points out, those who die by "Friendly Fire" (or from wounds inflicted during battle) are just as dead as those who die in battle. Incredibly, this fact-altering practice surfaced again, during the George W. Bush Administration, with the death of Patrick "Pat" Tillman. And, ironically, one of President Bush's opponents, Vietnam veteran John Kerry appears in TV footage, speaking out against the war."Friendly Fire" is long and obvious (most of the time), but retains a haze of mystery and loss throughout. Done so close to the actual war, the period detail can't be beat. Four Emmys were shared among executive producer Martin Starger, producer Philip Barry, co-producer/adapter Fay Kanin, director Greene, musician Leonard Rosenman, and sound editor Bill Wistrom. Burnett and Beatty were nominated for leading roles, and there are more than a dozen small, effective parts. Brother Timothy Hutton (as John) leads the pack.****** Friendly Fire (4/22/79) David Greene ~ Carol Burnett, Ned Beatty, Sam Waterston, Timothy Hutton

graysroot3 This movie was made solely to discredit the Military. Friendly fire is a fact of life and has happened in every war. It is unavoidable.That said, the movie went out of its way to discredit the Military as a bumbling bunch of nitwits trying to hide the real truth from the American people, and the poor Mullens were lied to and given the old run around to prevent them from finding out the truth.To say it doesn't happen would be untrue, it does but not to the extent that was portrayed in the movie.When the Military plays fast and loose with the truth Hollywood is the quick to point it out, but when Hollywood plays with the truth and stretches to the point of being absurd no one says a word.The movie, except for the acting was trash.

helpless_dancer Riveting film about a family torn apart by a death in Viet Nam. The son of a farmer goes to war in an infantry unit and is killed by his own men by accident. The grief suffered by his family was hard to take as I watched the movie. Carol Burnett was brilliant as the shocked and angry mother. This film showed the waste of war, and the military's attitude about a soldier's duty as opposed to a family's rejection of the government calling a farmer a soldier. Everyone should see this program.