BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Fatma Suarez The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Film Watchin Fool Watch this if...you are in the mood for a movie with a nice message that is superbly acted. It tackles many racial issues and is entertaining, but drags a bit toward the end.Acting/Casting: 8* - Great casting and Duvall and Jones are gold in the lead roles. The supporting cast does a good job as well and this is really the strong point of the film.Directing/Cinematography/Technical: 6* - I felt that the scenes taking place in Arkansas felt much more real than those in Chicago. The flashback scenes were done very well and overall the directing was on par. My biggest complaint would be the last 20 minutes of the film that seemed to drag a bit.Plot/Characters: 7* - Very well written story and message by Billy Bob Thornton concerning racism and passing judgment on those we don't actually know or get to know. It is a somewhat far fetched plot, but the irony and underlying premise is good.Entertainment Value: 6* - I enjoyed the film and the acting really carries the movie. There isn't a ton going on in the film, but it manages to keep your attention. A good show, but it will likely be a few years before I sit down to view this again.My Score: 8+6+7+6 = 27/4 = 6.75Email your thoughts to filmwatchinfool@gmail.com

hdavis-29 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.

bob the moo A Family Thing is a drama about a Southen man (Duvall) who's mother reveals on her deathbed that he was not her child. Rather he was the result of a forced encounter between his father and the black help. In order to keep a promise Duvall sets off to find his half-brother (Earl-Jones).Although the story seems to be about race - it's main theme is one of forgiveness and acceptance of others, with race being one of the barriers to break down.All the characters have their own barriers to overcome - Duvall has to confront the fact that he is not white, Earl-Jones has to deal with his hatred of past events and Michael Beach has to come to terms with missing out on pro-football and the breakup of his marriage. Only the sagely aunt T. (Irma P. Hall) has the ability to accept everyone for whom they are - partly due to being blind "and not being able to judge folks on what they look like".It's not an earth shattering piece of story telling and at times doesn't seem to have a consistent flow to it but it held my attention throughout and was actually quite rewarding.It's all a bit tidy (in real life, nothing gets sorted this easy), but it definately makes you think.

Boyo-2 I love this movie very much. I wish more people saw it, and also that Irma P. Hall got a nomination, because she was fantastic and memorable. I thought everyone else in the cast was great, too, but Hall steals the movie from her more-famous co-stars.