The Thing About My Folks
| The Thing About My Folks | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Raymond De Felitta |
| Written by | Paul Reiser |
| Produced by | Paul Reiser Robert Newmyer Jeffrey Silver |
| Starring | Peter Falk Paul Reiser Olympia Dukakis Elizabeth Perkins |
| Cinematography | Dan Gillham |
| Edited by | Sheila Amos David Leonard |
| Music by | Steven Argila |
Production company | Outlaw Productions |
| Distributed by | Picturehouse |
Release date |
|
Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $823,337 |
The Thing About My Folksis a 2005 Americancomedy dramafilm directed byRaymond De Felittaand starringPeter Falk,Paul Reiser,andOlympia Dukakis.The screenplay byPaul Reiserfocuses on the effect a terminal illness has on the marriage of an aging couple and their adult children.
Plot
[edit]When Muriel Kleinman unexpectedly leaves her husband Sam, their three daughters Linda, Hillary, Bonnie, and daughter-in-law Rachel set about trying to find her while Sam and his son Ben spend a day in the country inspecting property Ben and his wife are considering buying. The journey evolves into an extended road trip in a restored 1940 Ford Deluxe coupe convertible Sam buys when Ben's car crashes. As time passes, the two men fish, drink, and play pool while discussing the past and reestablishing their relationship.
Ben learns Muriel went on vacation, but after enjoying a leisurely day by herself, began to experience blackouts. The doctors give her six months to live, and Muriel and Sam begin to mend a marriage Sam never realized was deteriorating. She lives through the summer, and Ben realizes he has never seen his parents happier in his life. When Muriel dies, Sam moves in with Ben and his family, and they enjoy life together until Sam himself passes away. Ben and Rachel have another child and name him Martin Samuel Kleinman to honor his parents, whose gravestone bears theHebrewinscription "מה שלי שלך ומה שלך שלי" ( "What is mine is yours and what is yours is mine" ), testifying to the truly giving and compassionate relationship Ben's parents had with each other.
Cast
[edit]- Peter Falkas Sam Kleinman
- Paul Reiseras Ben Kleinman
- Olympia Dukakisas Muriel Kleinman
- Elizabeth Perkinsas Rachel Kleinman
- Ann Dowdas Linda
- Kevin Cahoonas Perky Waiter
- Claire Beckman as Hillary
- Mimi Lieber as Bonnie
- Jerry Seinfeldas himself
Production
[edit]The film was shot on location in Minnesota.
The film premiered at theSeattle International Film Festivalin June 2005 and went into limited release in the US on September 16, 2005. It grossed $235,341 on 93 screens on its opening weekend and eventually earned $816,403 in the US and $6,934 in foreign markets for a total worldwide box office of $823,337.[1]
Critical reception
[edit]The review aggregatorRotten Tomatoesreported an approval rating of 45%, with an average score of 5.6/10, based on 65 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "The Thing About My Folkslacks cohesiveness, and the cloying tone makes the talkiness grating. "[2]
Roger Ebertof theChicago Sun-Timesobserved, "One of the nice things about my job is that I get to enjoy the good parts in movies that aren't really necessary to see.The Thing About My Folkstravels familiar movie territory...but we discover once again what a warm and engaging actor Peter Falk is. I can't recommend the movie, but I can be grateful that I saw it, for Falk. "[3]
Ned Martel ofThe New York Timessaid, "As the crotchety paterfamilias, Peter Falk is convincingly grating, and for a few moments heroic, as he makes his character, Sam Kleinman, into someone the son need not complain about so much. Despite the grumpy, flatulent behavior the script demands of him, Mr. Falk rises above the treacly shenanigans."[4]
Steve Persall of theSt. Petersburg Timesgraded the film B− and commented, "Nothing surprises inThe Thing About My Folksexcept how effective such timeworn material can be when the right people deliver it. The movie contains little that we haven't seen before, but charm can make anything seem a bit fresher. Most credit goes to Peter Falk... [who] doesn't merely carry [the film]; he bravely totes it over a mountain ofclichéslike one ofHannibal's elephants... somehow this derivative, predictable story works, probably because of Falk's unforced determination to make that happen. "[5]
Robert Koehler ofVarietycalled the film "good-natured but only memorable as a platform for the amusingly feisty Peter Falk" and added, "Pic belongs more to Reiser than to director Raymond De Felitta, who allows the extremely talky script to go on uncut and covers the chatter with an excess of TV-style tracking close-ups."[6]
Awards and nominations
[edit]Peter Falk tied withJosh Hartnett(Lucky Number Slevin) for Best Actor honors at theMilan International Film Festival.[7]TheNational Board of Reviewcited the film for Excellence In Filmmaking.[8]
References
[edit]- ^"The Thing About My Folks".Box Office Mojo.Archivedfrom the original on 2022-09-13.
- ^"The Thing About My Folks".Rotten Tomatoes.RetrievedJuly 6,2024.
- ^Ebert, Roger (September 15, 2005)."Falk, not 'Folks,' worth seeing".RogerEbert.com.Archivedfrom the original on September 13, 2022.RetrievedSeptember 13,2022.
- ^Martel, Ned (September 16, 2005)."Agitation and Anxiety Are All in the Family".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on September 13, 2022.RetrievedSeptember 13,2022.
- ^Persall, Steve (September 22, 2005)."Finessing the familiar".St. Petersburg Times.Archived fromthe originalon October 30, 2005.
- ^Koehler, Robert (January 12, 2005)."The Thing About My Folks".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on September 13, 2022.RetrievedSeptember 13,2022.
- ^"History | Miff Awards".www.miffawards.com.Archivedfrom the original on September 13, 2022.RetrievedSeptember 13,2022.
- ^"2005 Archives".National Board of Review.Archivedfrom the original on August 14, 2021.RetrievedSeptember 13,2022.