Got this one from the library. I often look for movies that are not the mainstream. Sometimes they’re not that great, but once in a while I find a gem.
Here’s some of the review on Amazon.com:
The Climb is one of those sterling independent films that some times unfortunately slip through the cracks. Set in 1959 in Baltimore suburb, it’s an engrossing and sometimes wonderful little family drama, revolving around a young boy’s relationship with his reticent father (played by David Strathairn), a man falsely accused of cowardice, and with the dying old engineer (played by John Hurt) who lives next door. The boy, Danny Himes, is obsessed with the notion of proving his courage, partly because in a neighborhood dominated by Korean War veterans, his non-veteran father Earl (Strathairn), is a target to abuse and ridicule. Danny becomes fixated on proving his own bravery by climbing an abandoned TV tower high in the hills above the suburb. One of his collaborators is Hurt’s, Chuck Langer a cancer-ravaged engineer who built many a bridge and road in South America. Impending death has snuffed out almost all Langer’s inhibitions and turn him into a railing profane old tyrant. Yet, the warmth and the depth of his ties with Danny are always convincing. The Climb is a little jewel well-worth seeking out – for its humanity, its humor and, most of all, for the brilliant hurting of Hurt.
I don’t know that it’s a movie to purchase, but definitely worth a rental.
