The Shawshank Redemption

I really thought this one would make a hit with The Grandmother, but as soon as the end credits started rolling she got up and left the room. Neither of us had seen it before, although I'd seen enough bits and pieces on tv to know it was worth watching. The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 drama that takes place mostly in Shawshank prison. It's based on the Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. It stars Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. James Whitmore has a role as the elderly prison librarian who has difficulty on the outside when paroled after spending most of his life in prison. I enjoyed watching it, even though it's a bit more sentimental than I generally like.

trailer:

Slant Magazine calls it over-rated and says,

the film's naïve sentimentality undermines serious issues of violence, rape, manhood, and male bonding. Indeed, after the Sisters are silenced, Darabont cranks up the unilateral act of hero worship: prison goes from being "mean and scary" to, well, "cute." Andy writes letters in order to get books into the prison library, starts doing everyone's taxes, and wins the hearts of guards and prisoners alike. Someone should bake a pie. Oh, wait, they do!

Roger Ebert has a positive review.