The thing about Paul Reiser is, just when you think you can't stand another lame, vulgar, obvious scene he's written, he blindsides you with some real insight or character truth.
The Thing About My Folks (2005)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:63
Fresh:28
Rotten:35
Average Rating:5.6/10
Consensus: The Thing About My Folks lacks cohesiveness, and the cloying tone makes the talkiness grating.
Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: The Thing About My Folks teams two singular talents - legendary actor Peter Falk (THE INLAWS, "Columbo") and writer/actor Paul Reiser (DINER, "Mad About You") – for a hilariously truthful look at... The Thing About My Folks teams two singular talents - legendary actor Peter Falk (THE INLAWS, "Columbo") and writer/actor Paul Reiser (DINER, "Mad About You") – for a hilariously truthful look at family and marriage. Directed by Raymond De Felitta, The Thing About My Folks follows a father and son who set out on an impromptu road trip in the wake of mom’s unexpected flight after 47 years of marriage. Ben Kleinman (played by Reiser) knows that his mother wrote a farewell to Sam Kleinman (Peter Falk) once before – a letter penned two weeks before his birth and never sent. When Ben, in a fit of anger, decides to show Sam the letter, he opens up a monumental can of worms – and a new chapter in his relationship with his father. Finding the past four decades of his life called into question, Sam responds in a surprisingly impulsive fashion: he buys the car of his college dreams and proposes a road trip to his incredulous son. Over the next several days and nights, Ben will have the trip with his dad that he’d always wanted as child. Through various idylls and misadventures in the small towns of upstate New York, Ben and Sam will chat, argue, get drunk, and generally get to know one another as never before. And despite generational differences, they discover they have a good deal in common – including a basic cluelessness about the women in their lives. For both men, it will be a time to take a closer look at the ties that bind – and ponder what really goes on in any marriage, and what could be changed if the chance were given. With its observational humor and sympathy for its characters’ flaws and follies, Thing About My Folks speaks to a universal experience of family as both screwy and sublime. [More]
Starring: Paul Reiser, Peter Falk, Olympia Dukakis, Elizabeth Perkins
Starring: Paul Reiser, Peter Falk, Olympia Dukakis, Elizabeth Perkins, Lydia Jordan
Director: Raymond De Felitta
Director: Raymond De Felitta
Screenwriter: Paul Reiser
Producer: Paul Reiser, Robert Newmyer, Jeffrey Silver
Reviews for The Thing About My Folks
If ever there were a movie to see with your pop, this is just the Thing.
As it is, it's shamelessly manipulative shtick brightened by sharply drawn supporting performances.
The Thing About My Folks is Paul Reiser's return to playing Paul Reiser.
Despite some amusing and touching scenes, it is a bit too sitcom-like for its own good.
Flat and forgettable, it's a tiresome film barely held together by its plinky piano score, sophomoric flatulence jokes, and cloying greeting-card emotions.
...not nearly enough of the film finds the proper balance between slapstick and sap.
The great thing about an old pro like Falk is that he can take the weakest of bits and make you laugh anyway, which he does with consummate skill. But he shouldn't have to work this hard at his age.
While I resisted much of it, by its finale I was grateful for the trip, and even more grateful to Reiser, who enabled Falk and Dukakis to give the performances of their careers.
Folks means well with its combination of slapstick comedy and tearjerking material, yet it’s a random picture, never quite gelling the way Reiser imagines it.
brings out the best in Falk and Reiser, especially Falk, who could be looking at another Academy Award nomination
The real problem with this Paul Reiser project is Reiser himself, who displays little talent for anchoring a feature film
While stocked with simple, earnest observations on love, relationships and family, the film's haphazard plotting and often discordant tone keep it from being anything more than an episodic collection of sentimental aphorisms.
should resonate with any baby boomer dealing with living parents of the WWII era...It's Reiser's "Mad About Falk."
As a film about family relations this one does not disappoint. As a slightly self-indulgent study of New Yorkers looking at themselves, it will charm.
The Thing About My Folks is a crowd-pleasing, tear-tugging film about relationships that should have wide appeal and widespread resonance.
A comedic, sometimes jarring, and deeply human interaction with only a few brief feints toward hyper-sentimentality.
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