The Waltons' Homecoming

Movie review by Brian Costello, Common Sense Media
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Common Sense says

age 8+

Gentle tale of '30s family has mild language and peril.

NR 2021 80 minutes
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Parents say

age 10+

Based on 2 reviews

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  • The Waltons' Homecoming Movie: Scene One
  • The Waltons' Homecoming Movie: Scene Two
  • The Waltons' Homecoming Movie: Scene Three

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

Stands out for .

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Waltons' Homecoming is a 2021 movie in which a rural Virginia 1930s family prepares for Christmas while awaiting the arrival of their father. It's a remake of the 1971 made-for-TV movie The Homecoming: A Christmas Story that launched the popular 1970s TV show The Waltons. There's cigarette smoking, and two characters give the gift of moonshine to friends in the community now that Prohibition has ended. Some peril as the family worries that their father was in a bus crash due to a snowstorm that the radio is reporting has injured and killed some of the passengers. Mild profanity -- the word "damn" is often used by the father. "Hell" used on occasion, and "ass" used once. Some childish name-calling between siblings. Talk of how the Waltons are attending a "colored church" due to the storm because it's closer to their house than the one they normally attend. One of the Walton brothers makes a joke about his sister's developing breasts. John-Boy and a librarian love interest express shocked surprise at some of the more ribald scenes in the classic English novel Tom Jones. There are many positive aspects to the movie including the importance of family and community, treating others as you would like to be treated, and helping each other out during difficult times.

Community Reviews

imjeannie
imjeannie Adult
December 5, 2022
age 10+

Details overlooked

One glaring omission - there are only 6 Walton children in this remake. What happened to Ben? The house doesn't look at all like a farmhouse. Glaring detail - the door is on the far right, yet the inside shots show that the kitchen is to the immediate right. Poetic license aside, another detail overlooked. And then the scene where Grampa is at the family cemetery. He says the land was given to his grandfather by the local native Americans out of gratitude for that grandfather saving a child's life. However, Grampa cites the year 1925. The Waltons' remake takes place in the 1930's. So Grampa's grampa was an adult more than 200 years ago. Doesn't anyone pay attention to details. The storyline is the same as the original Homecoming so that's fine But if the Executive Producer is Earl Hamner's daughter or sister, how were the 7th child and the timeline overlooked? Also, why was it necessary to use words like "damn"? Seems out of character for this family in the 1930's.
Rclancytx
Rclancytx Adult
February 7, 2022
age 10+

Great Remake

I thought the movie was great. Huge Waltons fan, so I was skeptical. I would love to watch it with the grandkids but the kids in the movie swear. Pretty disappointed in that. The house is too nice, kids dressed too well, and lots of other little unrealistic things, but since it’s a feel good story I’m okay with all that. Just not okay with cussing kids. Unnecessary. Actors did a great job.

This title has:

Too much swearing
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In THE WALTONS' HOMECOMING, the year is 1933 and the Walton family prepare for Christmas as they await the arrival of their father, who has taken a far-off job due to the Great Depression. Meanwhile John-Boy (Logan Shroyer) has dreams of becoming a writer, despite his father's concerns that writing won't pay the bills. He tries to balance his ambitions with practical realities, as he wants to prove that he can be the responsible oldest son who can help provide for the family while their father is away. He observes his family and their community in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia while his siblings come of age and the community does what it can to help each other get through the Depression. As John Sr. leaves his work to take the long bus ride home to his family, a snowstorm brings travel to a near-standstill, and as Christmas approaches, Olivia Walton (Bellamy Young) grows increasingly worried about her husband, especially when news reports come in on the radio about a bus accident on the same road John Sr. will be taking to get home. John-Boy is sent to find the accident location, and must find a way to bring his father home in time for Christmas.

Is It Any Good?

This cozy tale is a soothing choice for quiet nights with the family. In 1971, during a time of unrest among differing generations and the political divide, CBS released the TV movie The Homecoming: A Christmas Story. Against a similar societal backdrop, The Waltons' Homecoming is a remake of the movie that launched the popular television series The Waltons, about a Depression-era family from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. The show was about, among other positives, kindness, according to Richard Thomas, who played the original John-Boy on the show, and provides voice-overs for this movie, and it almost goes without saying now is the perfect time to bring back this kindhearted, hardworking family from a simpler but no less difficult time.

And maybe it is. If Ted Lasso is any indication, perhaps audiences have grown weary of the cynicism and amorality of the antiheroes who so dominated the Golden Age of Television these past 20-plus years, no matter how truly groundbreaking and excellent these shows have been. As a remake, The Waltons' Homecoming is all about the reminder of the kindness and decency in us, and while it steers clear of issues of race in a way that modern audiences are likely to find a bit much to accept, it still manages to be a feel-good story that doesn't sugarcoat most of the Depression-era realities. The real question, then, is whether or not audiences are now seeking entertainment less for confronting ugly realities lurking in the individual and society as expressed by the likes of Tony Soprano, Walter White, Omar Little, and so many others, and more as a way to take a break from all the discord long enough to hear, once again, the comfortably familiar "Good night, John-Boy."

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the positive messages in The Waltons' Homecoming. What are these messages? Do these messages seem just as important today as when the original movie was released 50 years ago? Why or why not?

  • Do you think the movie accurately depicts what life was like for families in rural Virginia during the Great Depression? Why or why not?

  • How does the movie depict race relations in 1930s rural Virginia? Do you think this is an accurate portrayal? How could you learn more about this topic?

Movie Details

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