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Movies / On DVD / The Thing About My Folks
The Thing About My Folks

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The Thing About My Folks (2005)

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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

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Reviews for The Thing About My Folks

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41 - 60 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 >> >|
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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.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
09/16/05
Bob Strauss
Bob Strauss
Los Angeles Daily News

If ever there were a movie to see with your pop, this is just the Thing.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
09/16/05
Chris Vognar
Chris Vognar
Dallas Morning News

As it is, it's shamelessly manipulative shtick brightened by sharply drawn supporting performances.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
09/16/05
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide

The Thing About My Folks is Paul Reiser's return to playing Paul Reiser.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
09/16/05
Ned Martel
Ned Martel
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The movie belongs entirely to Falk's memorable Sam.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
09/16/05
Lou Lumenick
Lou Lumenick
New York Post

A talky therapy session of a comedy.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
09/16/05
Jami Bernard
Jami Bernard
New York Daily News

Despite some amusing and touching scenes, it is a bit too sitcom-like for its own good.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
09/16/05
Bridget Byrne
Bridget Byrne
Boxoffice Magazine

Flat and forgettable, it's a tiresome film barely held together by its plinky piano score, sophomoric flatulence jokes, and cloying greeting-card emotions.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
09/16/05
Renee Graham
Renee Graham
Boston Globe

...not nearly enough of the film finds the proper balance between slapstick and sap.

Full Review Source: Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) | comment Comment
09/16/05
Josh Larsen
Josh Larsen
Sun Publications (Chicago, IL)

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.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
09/16/05
E! Online
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
09/16/05
Carrie Rickey
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer

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.

Full Review Source: FilmJerk.com | comment Comment
09/15/05
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
FilmJerk.com

brings out the best in Falk and Reiser, especially Falk, who could be looking at another Academy Award nomination

Full Review Source: WaffleMovies.com | comment Comment
09/15/05
Willie Waffle
Willie Waffle
WaffleMovies.com

The real problem with this Paul Reiser project is Reiser himself, who displays little talent for anchoring a feature film

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
09/15/05
Jesse Hassenger
Jesse Hassenger
Filmcritic.com

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.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
09/15/05
Kevin Crust
Kevin Crust
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

should resonate with any baby boomer dealing with living parents of the WWII era...It's Reiser's "Mad About Falk."

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
09/15/05
Laura Clifford
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews

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.

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
09/15/05
Les Wright
Les Wright
culturevulture.net

The Thing About My Folks is a crowd-pleasing, tear-tugging film about relationships that should have wide appeal and widespread resonance.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
09/15/05
John Anderson
John Anderson
Newsday

A comedic, sometimes jarring, and deeply human interaction with only a few brief feints toward hyper-sentimentality.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
09/15/05
Clayton Collins
Clayton Collins
Christian Science Monitor

This movie won't dent anyone's career. It's too 'eh' for that.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
09/15/05
Michael Phillips
Michael Phillips
Chicago Tribune
 
 
41 - 60 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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