**mild spoilers**
For me, the reason I love this film is not attached to nostalgia. I actually found this movie to be kind of boring when I was younger. It wasn't until I got older that I really fell in love with this film. And Gregory Peck definitely
doesn't remind me of my dad.
. But I understand what you are saying about nostalgia in general. The small town, the way that the film is shot, the music, it's all about nostalgia. This film spans about a year, and I think you feel each season, you can feel the wind blow through the leaves in the fall as well as the heat of the summer, and that adds a large touch of nostagia. Also, it's in black and white, in 1960, when a lot of films were in color by that point.
I am glad the courtroom scene lived up to its hype, it's truly magnificent, and I can't watch this film without tears welling when Gregory Peck is leaving the courtroom "Jean Louise, stand up, your father's passing". But I disagree that the story wanes a bit when they are outside of the courtroom. I think there are so many great scenes. The whole Boo Radley story I think is told perfectly, from the kids point of view, it really gives the feeling of mystery and fright, and the way it resolves itself really culminates with Scout's whole story. She is growing up and coming to realizations about the world, and that things aren't always as they seem, and people you may think are good (like the men she confronts when Atticus is guarding the cell), aren't always who they seem, and that men that are scary (Boo), are not. And she is learning more about who her father is as a person. He's not just her dad anymore. The story is hers.
As for Gregory Peck, I am glad he lived up to his hype. I think the quieter moments are as great as the courtroom scene. When his back is half turned to the camera when he gets the news about Tom Robinson, they way he delivers his disappointment and his hope about the appeal, is just perfect, as well as his moments with the kids.
I glad you did like it Corndog, and I am sorry that it disappointed you in some aspects, but I hope you do revisit it in the future. Like I said, I didn't love the film when I first saw it, but now it's my favorite.