The Great Santini (1980)

Despite being forty years old, this film is still surprisingly relevant.
While clouded under the muddled father-son relationship of narcissist, asshole Naval pilot Bull Meechum (Robert Duvall) and his oldest son, Ben (Michael O'Keefe, in his breakthrough role), this film also has the ever present struggle between races.
While the Meechums are white, and though Lillian (Blythe Danner), the mother is southern, they aren't racist and in fact, Lillian encourages a friendship between Ben, a shining basketball star, and Toomer (Stan Shaw), their maid's son who loves his stray dogs and making honey. But there is bad blood between Toomer, who does have a limp and slight stutter and one of the locals (as this is Beaufort, South Carolina), Red (an unrecognizable David Keith) but while Red accidentally shoots Toomer, instead of another one of his dogs, but the rest of Toomer's slightly unclean but ever loyal pups mauls Red to death. Toomer dies too, in the Meechum's car. That sequence is also memorable because Ben finally confronts his father and says in near monotone, "No one ever tells you anything." Which is true, as Bull is extremely controlling and can't stand losing, not even when Ben puts up a fair fight and once Ben finally wins, Bull changes the rules and bounces the ball off Ben's head just to get an emotional reaction out of Ben, which doesn't happen.
Now, the film isn't perfect, with some rough transitions between scenes, and the younger two Meechum children barely have any personality or anything to do, and the film doesn't focus much at all on how Bull is at having his own squadron, but the acting is solid, Duvall and O'Keefe certainly deserved their Oscar nominations. Danner was also shockingly underrated in this film as she was great. Despite these noticeable flaws, the film is a must watch. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-There is also a lot to delve in to in regards to Lillian's relationship with Ben, and then there is also the fact that Ben took his sister, the delightfully droll Marianne (Lisa Jane Persky) to the prom.
-The family dog deserved more screen time.
-We were also missing the needed scene of how Bull reacted to Ben getting benched for the rest of the basketball season.
-Leaving at three am is really a good idea as there is a lot less traffic.