It Runs In The Family Review
by Josh Gilchrist (joshgilch AT aol DOT com)July 15th, 2003
Josh Gilchrist's review of "It Runs In The Family"
* * 1/2 out of * * * *
Father and son Kirk and Michael Douglas have been looking for a project to do together for some time. Michael was able to get a hold of Jesse Wigutow's screenplay "It Runs In The Family" and he made it a family affair, playing his own father's son in the film and casting his son Cameron as his eldest child in the film. But he doesn't stop there! The ex Mrs. Kirk Douglas, Diana Douglas, is the devoted wife, mother and grandmother.
It seems as though the Douglas' were desperate to work together so they didn't bother going out to find a quality film. "It Runs In The Family" is no slouch of a film but it comes to the breaking point of becoming one on a number of occasions.
The film juggles both comic and dramatic elements as it looks at the Gromberg family. Alex (Michael Douglas) is an attorney by day and struggling father and husband at night. His wife Rebecca (Bernadette Peters) seems to be growing further and further away from him. His son Asher (Cameron Douglas) is the typical slacker college student selling drugs to earn some extra cash. The youngest child is 11 year old Eli (Rory Culkin) who has his own way of being peculiar.
Alex's father Mitchell (Kirk Douglas) enters the picture after recently having a stroke and trying to connect with his son. The best scenes in the film
are when the Douglas clan is together because the audience can tell that this is not a typical film. This is their family album on film. It's only typical to everyone else.
There is nothing new in this family dysfunction piece. It's the same old rhetoric that we've seen in countless of other films and seeing the talent wasted is only more aggravating. The performances are actually rather good and surpasses the material provided.
Part of the film's trite theme is that no one is perfect and it's never too late to attempt to change. By the end of the film we also expect some closure; satisfaction in knowing that the Gromberg family is going to be okay. This conclusion never comes and we are left wondering whether the family will indeed
persevere. We've all come to that crossroad where we desperately want to change, but circumstances get in the way.
The only solace a true film fan like myself has while watching the film is seeing Kirk Douglas on film again, and with his son for that matter. It's actors like this that we want to watch as much as possible before they pass away. Let's just choose better material.
More on 'It Runs In The Family'...
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