The Thing About My Folks
Picturehouse Entertainment | Release Date: September 16, 2005 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
48
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
7
Negative:
6
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
70
The Hollywood ReporterSheri Linden
Avoids easy shtick and saccharine conclusions, opting instead for character dynamics that the two leads deliver with consummate skill. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
Raymond De Felitta's directing is straightforward, tactful, lyrical where necessary and never mawkish, and though Reiser's script offers no grand insights, it's full of sharply observed and funny detail. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
So powerful and tender are the scenes between Falk and Dukakis that by movie's end, I was wishing that the film had been more about the marriage of Sam and Muriel and less about the father and son. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The movie is sort of a sideways version of "Sideways," even down to a scene where the two men join two women for dinner. The difference is, in "Sideways" the guys desperately want to impress the women, and in The Thing About My Folks, they want to impress each other. Read full review
63
New York PostLou Lumenick
Director Raymond de Felitta, who directed a little-seen gem called "Two Family House" a few years ago, gives Falk plenty of room to do his thing. There's an underlying emotional truth even in scenes that seem terribly contrived. Read full review
63
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
If only Reiser or director Raymond De Felitta had been able to resist the fart jokes and the sloppy male-bonding scenes, this could have been a terrific little movie. As it is, it's shamelessly manipulative shtick brightened by sharply drawn supporting performances. Read full review
60
VarietyRobert Koehler
Good-natured but only memorable as a platform for the amusingly feisty Peter Falk, The Thing About My Folks plies a light approach to the problems grown children face when their parents appear on the verge of divorce. Read full review
60
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Falk throws himself into the part and almost single-handedly enables this comedy drama to transcend some of its sitcom limitations. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyScott Brown
Thing is Woody Allen on a third-grade reading level. Neurosis abounds, but awareness doesn't, and certain ''jokes'' demand additional therapy. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
Flirts bravely, though gratingly, with messy, complicated emotions before ultimately drowning them in a warm bath of sticky sentimentality. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesKevin Crust
Sweet but dramatically inert. Read full review
50
The New York TimesJanet Maslin
Despite the grumpy, flatulent behavior the script demands of him, Mr. Falk rises above the treacly shenanigans. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
It's the same old, same old - except with some really snappy one-liners. Read full review
38
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
Felitta and Reiser mean nothing but well with this project, but too many lines sound fraudulent, and Reiser, it must be said, is a hopeless ham in the reaction shot department. Read full review
38
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
Amateurishness -- the camera angles sometimes chop off the top of Reiser's head -- aside, The Thing About My Folks is also weirdly dated, especially with regard to technology. Read full review
30
Village VoiceMatt Singer
Falk isn't given anything funny to say or do, but his performance is littered with beautiful touches, tiny oases of brilliance in an entertainment desert. Read full review
30
Dallas ObserverRobert Wilonsky
Any goy, too, can fall for this tripe, especially if they've a fondness for mawkish cliché, sitcom pacing, popcorn psychology, and lousy cinematography. Read full review
25
Boston GlobeRenee Graham
It's a family comedy-drama that wants to pluck the heartstrings but keeps getting tangled in its own tinny sentiment. Read full review
25
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
This one's just painful. Read full review
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