The movie was ok. The book, of course is better. There were subtle nuances the movie missed, for example, in the book, Danny said the only time him and his father could talk was while debating Talmud. The book also shows that paralleled when Danny and Reuven cannot talk by monopolizing their Talmud class by arguing passages back and forth. I think that one thing omitted, does a severe disfavor to the friendship of the boys, and their resourcefulness to be close and communicate any way they are able.

in the book Reuven was portrayed as coming from a Modern Orthodox home, and his father being a modern orthodox rabbi, not like int he movie where he is portrayed as a conservative or reform jew.

great story about loyalty and integrity of the human spirit

The Chosen, by sharing this friendship between a Hasidic and non-Hasidic boy, gives us a peak into the insular world of the Hasidim. Benson and Steiger perform well and give an authentic example of Hasidic men in 1940's New York.
The events of the period give a fair representation of the postions of both communities with regard to the UN vote for a state of Israel.
The poignant scenes between the players makes an impression and gives us something to take away from seeing this fine movie.

Complexities of religion and the relationship of a father and son is displayed here. I can watch this over and over and would still enjoy it like its my first time viewing it.

I'm not sure I would have 'gotten' this without having read the book a few times.Max Schell (as Prof. David Malter) was basically wasted here, the relationship he had with his son Reuven just didn't come across nearly as powerful and moving as in the book. It's ironic that his most effective scene was with Danny in the library (and not any of his father/son scenes).Robby Benson as Danny was pretty uninspired. For the most part, I felt like I was watching an actor play an autistic idiot-savant. The accent was weird, and his disengenousness was annoying. The best of his part certainly was the penultimate scene, when his dad (Rod Steiger as Reb Saunders) tells him he's OK with with Danny being a psychologist. (not even getting into how messed up his theory of child-rearing seems), but it was a powerfully acted, moving scene between the two of them.In the end, I feel that Barry Miller (after a weak start) and Rod Steiger really carried the film. It can be difficult to see a beloved book made into an imperfect film (and nearly impossible to view dispassionately), but this was a pretty good attempt. Not every nuance came across, but it wasn't butchered, either.

It goes about how you would expect it to...and trite is a fair criticism...but its endearing in its sweatness and lack of pace...and ultimately in its universal sentimentality bc as much as it is about two boys/worlds it is much more about manhood and the relationship between a boy and his father. The 2nd to last scene is really pretty powerfully performed by Steiger, and there really isnt a "weak" performance at all her to speak of.