Plot
A young man (Cruise) leaves Ireland with his landlord's daughter (Kidman) after some trouble with her father...

Release Year: 1992

Rating: 6.3/10 (26,891 voted)

Critic's Score: 49/100

Director: Ron Howard

Stars: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Thomas Gibson

Storyline
A young man (Cruise) leaves Ireland with his landlord's daughter (Kidman) after some trouble with her father, and they dream of owning land at the big giveaway in Oklahoma ca. 1893. When they get to the new land, they find jobs and begin saving money. The man becomes a local barehands boxer, and rides in glory until he is beaten, then his employers steal all the couple's money and they must fight off starvation in the winter, and try to keep their dream of owning land alive. Meanwhile, the woman's parents find out where she has gone and have come to America to find her and take her back.

Writers: Bob Dolman, Ron Howard

Cast:
Tom Cruise - Joseph Donnelly
Nicole Kidman - Shannon Christie
Thomas Gibson - Stephen Chase
Robert Prosky - Daniel Christie
Barbara Babcock - Nora Christie
Cyril Cusack - Danty Duff
Eileen Pollock - Molly Kay
Colm Meaney - Kelly
Douglas Gillison - Dermody
Michelle Johnson - Grace
Wayne Grace - Bourke
Niall Toibin - Joe
Barry McGovern - McGuire
Gary Lee Davis - Gordon
Jared Harris - Paddy

Taglines: What they needed was a country big enough for their dreams.

Release Date: 22 May 1992

Filming Locations: Ardmore Studios, Herbert Road, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland

Box Office Details

Budget: $30,000,000 (estimated)

Gross: $58,883,840 (USA)

Runtime: 140 min

Trivia:
Three of 'Ron Howard''s great-grandparents actually rode in the Great Land Rush of 1893, as depicted in the film.

Goofs:
Continuity: When Shannon and Joseph first go to meet the ward boss, Shannon's face is splattered with blood, and she wipes some of it away. Later in the scene, the blood is back on her face.

Quotes:
Nora Christie: [upon seeing Shannon's collar unbuttoned] Better to choke than be vulgar.

Underrated storybook of a movie that embraces its cliches

Rating: 10/10

If you pay too much attention to the cliches and unlikely situations the characters are placed, you really miss the charm of this movie. I can see how people would be put off if they were expecting a serious historical reenactment. Still, I believe that Ron Howard fully meant for this to be a fully romanticized account of the time. This movie works in many of the ways Titanic does, and I think it does it more effectively. Still, with Titanic, most people seemed more than willing to overlook the absurdities. With Far and Away, I don't think Ron Howard was trying to trick us or dumb us down. I don't think he was ever trying to underestimate the intelligence of his viewers. I think he was asking us to follow him and trust him as he told a story. I enjoyed it. Kidman and Cruise were both fun to watch. The supporting cast, although they did seem like they came from a comic book, were entertaining. I hope this movie has life on cable and DVD.

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