It Runs in the Family
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | Release Date: April 25, 2003 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
44
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
14
Negative:
6
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
The New York TimesStephen Holden
Jesse Wigutow's screenplay is one of those marvels of economy, idiomatic facility and well-chosen detail that knows exactly when to cut away from a scene without grinding it into your face. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMark Caro
Never quite transcends its movie-of-the-week trappings. But either you're glad to have spent time with these three generations or you aren't. Bottom line: I was. Read full review
70
VarietyRobert Koehler
Uneasily pivots between comedy and drama, with its best parts strongly reminiscent of Schepisi's previous, British-made drama about aging and dying buddies, "Last Orders." Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Schepisi not only inspired the cast to give well-shaded, reflective portrayals but also made the film a work of honest, heartfelt sentiment. Read full review
70
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
Much to my surprise and delight, the movie is nothing like its marketing. Read full review
63
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
It's so wispy that at the end you wonder: Exactly what runs in the family? Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Father and son Kirk and Michael Douglas' moments together are among the movie's best. Read full review
63
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
Manages to sidestep the potential overload of cheap sentimentality -- an intimate dance between an elderly couple registers with heartbreaking sweetness -- and evokes a lingering sense of loss. Read full review
60
Village VoiceEd Park
Family goes easy on the schmaltz, and the catastrophes have the puncturing feel of real life. Read full review
60
SalonStephanie Zacharek
The picture never quite finds its footing. Read full review
58
Portland OregonianKim Morgan
An unsteady mixture of treacle and dark comedy that never feels as "dark" as it pretends. Though well-intentioned, it's not terribly compelling. Read full review
58
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
This is one family reunion where you need someone to act up or pick a fight, anything to bring a little life to the party. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Essentially the same heartwarming goo about three generations of men quarreling and bonding, with Kirk just as feisty as ever. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTy Burr
It's ''Hannah and Her Sisters'' with all the emotions and half the artistry. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Sluggish comedy drama. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
As an actor, Kirk Douglas still has more to give; too bad he didn't have more to work with. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The movie is simply not clear about where it wants to go and what it wants to do. It is heavy on episode and light on insight, and although it takes courage to bring up touchy topics it would have taken more to treat them frankly. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
The best reason to see It Runs in the Family is the sight of unquenchable Kirk. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
To an outsider, it's pretty thin stuff. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleMarrit Ingman
Schepisi underscores each emotional note by pulling the camera away from his actors and pointing it at family photographs, a saccharine conceit that becomes more irritating each time it appears. Read full review
40
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Every scene in this oppressive film has a theme or didactic purpose, but little life.
40
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
The question is not how bad this excuse for a domestic comedy is (medium cringe), but how the gifted Fred Schepisi got suckered into directing a vanity project. Read full review
30
Washington PostRita Kempley
Schmaltzy. Read full review
25
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
A sodden drama of filial conflict that dares the audience to confuse the characters with the players. P.T. Barnum couldn't have come up with a better hook, but he would have rewarded his suckers with more ''On Golden Pond'' entertainment bang for their buck. Read full review
25
New York PostMegan Lehmann
An exercise in drudgery... The whole thing is so patently uninteresting it's hard to see it as anything but a Douglas family vanity project. Read full review
25
New York Daily NewsStaff (Not Credited)
The family's all here and surely, with all their accumulated years of wisdom, they should have been able to distinguish a cloying script when one fell into their hands. Read full review
20
New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter Rainer
Fred Schepisi, the great Australian director, had the thankless task of trying to turn Jesse Wigutow’s screenplay into something with a pulse, but his finesse is wasted on this steaming heap of dysfunctionalism. Read full review
0
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
Achingly long and pointless, "Runs" is a movie about family that's dishonest in its presentation of every relationship. Read full review
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