Boy, this movie got one
hell of a lousy distribution. First of all, the film
was hardly given a trailer -- I never saw one on
television and only saw two in the theatres.
Secondly, this film was sent out to hardly any theatres
for distribution. It would seem that a Michael
Douglas picture would be given more attention and more
respect, especially since this is Kirk Douglas' first film
since his near life ending stroke. Maybe it was
because this seemed, to many, like a biography of the
Douglas Family. Maybe it was because test screenings
were not entirely receptive of the material. Maybe
it is because the film is a little uneven. Or, maybe
Hollywood doesn't know it's a$$ from a hole in the ground.
The film stars just about every Douglas under the sun.
Michael Douglas stars as Alex Gromberg, a prosperous
attorney. Kirk Douglas stars as Mitchell Gromberg,
Alex's father and the man who started the firm.
Diana Douglas (interestingly, Kirk' real life first wife)
stars as Mitchell's wife Evelyn. And, Cameron
Douglas stars as Asher Gromberg, Alex's son, who is
somewhat of a troublemaker. Bernadette Peters
co-stars as Alex's wife, Rebecca, as does Rory Culkin as
Alex's youngest son, Eli.
The film deals with Kirk Douglas' stroke in a very
courageous and sensitive way. We see the effects
that the stroke has had on him through both his on screen
character and his actual person. The film also deals
with infidelity, which Douglas had trouble with in the
past, and it deals with Cameron Douglas' run ins with
authority, which were all too real in the past. So,
I guess you can say this is a biography of the Douglas
clan.
The primary problem with "It Runs in the Family"
is that there is just not enough of a storyline to keep us
too interested. The film reminded me of the film
"Shallow Hal", in which Jack Black learns that
the kids he was visiting were in a burn ward. I
could not tell if the Ferrelly Brothers were going for
humor or not. If not, that scene was oddly
misplaced. If so, that scene was terribly
inappropriate. Some of the scenes in this film seem
to be going for comedic appeal, but end up being too sad
and emotionally charged to have humor derived from them.
Some scenes also seemed as if Michael Douglas was holding
back, possibly because he was working with his family.
The most miraculous aspect of this film was how effective
Kirk Douglas can still be. His speech is slightly
slurred and he is not as mobile as he once was, but his
intensity and technique are still over the top. I
would not be surprised if the Golden Globes did not honor
him with a Best Supporting Actor nomination. And, he
deserves it, for his sheer determination in this film.
All in all, "It Runs in the Family" is much
better than it's distributor thought, and is worth
checking out, if only for Kirk Douglas' brave and
incredible performance. He is funny, he is touching,
and he is worth the price of admission. If you can
find this film, give it a look see and let me know what
you thought.
