It's pretty telling that people are still contributing reviews of this film 14 years after its release. It's hard to imagine anyone seeing it (or re-seeing it, as in my case) and not having a powerful emotional response. It's just that good.
The acting is spectacular - not just the two leads, who are both as good as you'd expect them to be, but also the supporting cast. Irma Hall, as Aunt T is joy to behold. She'll still be in your thoughts days later. There's really not a throwaway scene here. Everything rings true and serves the plot. The settings are real-looking, the dialog is natural...it's just a fine piece of movie making. Kudos to Billy Bob Thornton and those involved in getting this from the drawing board to the screen.
I'm guessing that kids won't like this as much as adults. Nothing blows up real good and there may be too much "wisdom" in the story. That's unfortunate because the moral center of this film is just where you'd want it to be, unless you're a die-hard retro racist. But forget morality. A FAMILY THING is just a hell of a fine piece of movie-making. As they used to say, "You'll laugh. You'll cry." They're both true. And you'll have a fine time in the process.
The acting is spectacular - not just the two leads, who are both as good as you'd expect them to be, but also the supporting cast. Irma Hall, as Aunt T is joy to behold. She'll still be in your thoughts days later. There's really not a throwaway scene here. Everything rings true and serves the plot. The settings are real-looking, the dialog is natural...it's just a fine piece of movie making. Kudos to Billy Bob Thornton and those involved in getting this from the drawing board to the screen.
I'm guessing that kids won't like this as much as adults. Nothing blows up real good and there may be too much "wisdom" in the story. That's unfortunate because the moral center of this film is just where you'd want it to be, unless you're a die-hard retro racist. But forget morality. A FAMILY THING is just a hell of a fine piece of movie-making. As they used to say, "You'll laugh. You'll cry." They're both true. And you'll have a fine time in the process.