Born on the Fourth of July (film)

Born on the Fourth of July
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Oliver Stone
Screenplay by	Oliver Stone Ron Kovic
Based on	Born on the Fourth of July by Ron Kovic
Produced by	A. Kitman Ho Oliver Stone
Starring	Tom Cruise Kyra Sedgwick Raymond J. Barry Jerry Levine Frank Whaley Willem Dafoe
Cinematography	Robert Richardson
Edited by	Joe Hutshing David Brenner
Music by	John Williams
Production company	Ixtlan Productions[1]
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	December 20, 1989 (1989-12-20)
Running time	145 minutes[2]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$17.8 million[1]
Box office	$162 million[3]

Born on the Fourth of July is a 1989 American epic biographical anti-war film that is based on the 1976 autobiography of Ron Kovic. Directed by Oliver Stone, and written by Stone and Kovic, it stars Tom Cruise, Kyra Sedgwick, Raymond J. Barry, Jerry Levine, Frank Whaley, and Willem Dafoe. The film depicts the life of Kovic (Cruise) over a 20-year period, detailing his childhood, his military service and paralysis during the Vietnam War, and his transition to anti-war activism. It is the second installment in Stone's trilogy of films about the Vietnam War, following Platoon (1986) and preceding Heaven & Earth (1993).

Producer Martin Bregman acquired the film rights to the book in 1976 and hired Stone, also a Vietnam veteran, to co-write the screenplay with Kovic, who would be played by Al Pacino. When Stone optioned the book in 1978, the film adaptation became mired in development hell after Pacino and Bregman left, which resulted in him and Kovic putting the film on hold. After the release of Platoon, the project was revived at Universal Pictures, with Stone attached to direct. Shot on locations in the Philippines, Texas and Inglewood, California, principal photography took place from October 1988 to December, lasting 65 days of filming. The film went over its initial $14 million production budget and ended up costing $17.8 million after reshoots.

Upon release, Born on the Fourth of July was praised by critics for its story, Cruise's performance and Stone's direction. The film was successful at the box office as it grossed over $162 million worldwide, becoming the tenth highest-grossing film of 1989. At the 62nd Academy Awards, it received eight nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Cruise, his first nomination, and the film won for Best Director, Stone's second in that category, and Best Film Editing. The film also won four Golden Globe Awards for Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama, Best Director and Best Screenplay.