Born on the Fourth of July

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Born on the Fourth of July

R

1989

2h 24m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

84%

Tomatometer

56 Reviews

76%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

In the mid 1960s, suburban New York teenager Ron Kovic (Tom Cruise) enlists in the Marines, fulfilling what he sees as his patriotic duty. During his second tour in Vietnam, he accidentally kills a fellow soldier during a retreat and later becomes permanently paralyzed in battle. Returning home to an uncaring Veterans Administration bureaucracy and to people on both sides of the political divide who don't understand what he went through, Kovic becomes an impassioned critic of the war.

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Critics Consensus

Led by an unforgettable performance from Tom Cruise, Born on the Fourth of July finds director Oliver Stone tackling thought-provoking subject matter with ambitious élan.

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

Sep 12, 2023

Stone plays bumper cars with the camera and uses cutting to jam you into the action, and you can’t even enjoy his uncouthness, because it’s put at the service of sanctimony.

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

Jul 5, 2023

A score from John Williams and aggressive direction from Oliver Stone make this the pre-eminent Vietnam War movie.

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Kurt Jacobsen

Chicago Reader

May 12, 2022

Stone niftily strings together a batch of cuttingly effective dramatic sequences.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Dec 30, 2025

3.5/4

After playing back-up to Oscar-winning turns by Paul Newman in The Color of Money and Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man, Tom Cruise made his own awards run with this powerful drama.

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Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

Jan 16, 2025

4/5

More than one man's story, it’s a reminder of the rites of passage and disposal in a military complex built on failure and fattened pockets, of the meaningless muscle memory of carnage, of the plague war has (and will) cast on every American generation.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Aug 8, 2023

8/10

It’s a taxing watch, but the themes are potent and timeless.

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Samuel G

@RT17024543 Sep 19, 2026

Born on the Fourth of July is the best blockbuster to celebrate America's Birthday!

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Nick B

@NickBtheHorrorOG Sep 12, 2026

This movie was absolute garbage! The whole thing could've been a 60 minute TV documentary, and even that would've been 45 minutes too long. This movie sucks, from beginning to end

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B.B. B

@b.b.2026 Sep 1, 2026

One of his best movies very early in his career

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Chirag P

@trini Aug 14, 2026

I really liked how the movie glamorized one’s desire to go to war to only backtrack later

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rex W

@RT11010153 Jul 5, 2026

The first 50 minutes of "Born on the 4th of July" are a masterpiece of filmmaking. After that, the movie becomes part real-life horror, part family dysfunction, and part political commentary. The direction by Oliver Stone and the acting by Tom Cruise are better than anything else in 1989. Stone won for Best Director. But Cruise and the picture were overlooked. They don't make movies like this anymore. People have become terrified of the truth.

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Marti M

@Goodmom4 Mar 7, 2026

My brother was drafted during the Vietnam War. This film was a reminder of how frightened our family was, with all of the terrible risks involved. I think that Cruise deserved an Oscar for this role.

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Oliver Stone

Director

Tom Cruise

Ron Kovic

Willem Dafoe

Charlie (Villa Dulce)

Kyra Sedgwick

Donna (Ron's girlfriend)

Raymond J. Barry

Mr. Kovic

Caroline Kava

Mrs. Kovic

Movieclips: John Williams: 11 Incredible Themes

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Born on the Fourth of July: Official Clip - You Never Killed a Baby!

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Born on the Fourth of July: Official Clip - Your Yankee Doodle Dandy Come Home

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Born on the Fourth of July: Official Clip - Thou Shall Not Kill

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Born on the Fourth of July: Official Clip - Maybe We're Home

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Born on the Fourth of July: Official Clip - To Be Whole Again

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Born on the Fourth of July: Official Clip - A Painful Confession

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Born on the Fourth of July: Official Clip - The Homecoming Speech

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Synopsis

In the mid 1960s, suburban New York teenager Ron Kovic (Tom Cruise) enlists in the Marines, fulfilling what he sees as his patriotic duty. During his second tour in Vietnam, he accidentally kills a fellow soldier during a retreat and later becomes permanently paralyzed in battle. Returning home to an uncaring Veterans Administration bureaucracy and to people on both sides of the political divide who don't understand what he went through, Kovic becomes an impassioned critic of the war.

Director: Oliver Stone
Producer: A. Kitman Ho
Screenwriter: Ron Kovic
Distributor: Universal Home Entertainment, Universal Pictures, Warner Home Vídeo, MCA/Universal Pictures [us], Image Entertainment Inc.
Production Co: Ixtlan Corporation
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 20, 1989, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $68.8M
Runtime: 2h 24m
Sound Mix: Surround

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