Welcome Home (1989 film)

Welcome Home is a 1989 American drama film directed by Franklin Schaffner. It was Schaffner's last film and was released posthumously. This film stars Kris Kristofferson as a Vietnam War veteran who returns to his family and tries to readjust to life after a nearly 20 year absence. The film also stars JoBeth Williams, Brian Keith, and Sam Waterston. The theme song for the film, "Welcome Home" was performed by Willie Nelson.

Welcome Home
Promotional film poster
Directed by	Franklin Schaffner
Written by	Maggie Kleinman
Produced by	Martin Ransohoff
Starring	Kris Kristofferson JoBeth Williams Sam Waterston Brian Keith Kieu Chinh
Cinematography	Fred J. Koenekamp
Edited by	Robert Swink
Music by	Henry Mancini
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date	September 29, 1989 (1989-09-29)
Running time	96 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$11 million
Box office	$1,048,322

Plot

Jake Robbins went off to Vietnam, leaving his wife behind to mourn when he is reported missing and presumed dead. Seventeen years later, he unexpectedly returns. Having been a prisoner of war, Jake was rescued and ended up in Cambodia where he had a family. Jake's reappearance is a godsend for his father, Harry, but a mixed blessing for wife Sarah, who has moved on with her life. While old feelings stir in her, Jake confronts the military on how his disappearance was handled, and, more importantly, on how to track down his missing Southeast Asian wife and child.

Cast

• Kris Kristofferson as Jake
• JoBeth Williams as Sarah
• Sam Waterston as Woody
• Brian Keith as Harry
• Thomas Wilson Brown as Tyler
• Trey Wilson as Colonel Barnes
• John Marshall Jones as Dwayne
• Ken Pogue as Senator Camden
• Kieu Chinh as Leang

Production

Filming took place in July-August 1988 in Vermont, Toronto and Kingston.^[1]

Box office and critical reception

The film was not a box-office success.^[2] Movie historian Leonard Maltin's TV, Movie & Video Guide gave the picture 2 out of a possible 4 stars, citing it as "tolerably sincere at best, embalmed at worst."^{[citation needed]}

Legacy

Unlike the similarly-named Welcome Home, Johnny Bristol, which features an Army conspiracy theory that turns out to be delusion, Welcome Home features a conspiracy of silence with regard to Vietnam War prisoners which is all too real.^[3]