Movie Review

The Thing About My Folks

I have to say I was somewhat looking forward to The Thing about My Folks. I knew that it was written by and starring Paul Reiser, which makes it his pet project. In my assumption, a seasoned comedian and TV actor with creative freedom should most likely turn out something with keen entertainment value. I was hoping for another experience on the level of Mike Binder's Upside of Anger, and boy I was way off, and this movie is even more off.

Ben Kleinman (Reiser) is a pseudo-neurotic guy who just wants to be a good husband/father and provide his family with everything they need to be happy. This involves buying a lush house in the country, and Ben has made plans for the next day to drive upstate and go look at it. But then on that very night before the trip, Ben's father Sam Kleinman (Peter Falk) shows up unexpectedly at his doorstep. Sam reveals that his wife of 40+ years has left him, leaving nothing but a note on the fridge. So Ben decides that the only sensible thing is to take his distressed dad on a road trip to go see the potential real estate investment. And that's where the wild and woolly adventure begins.

Okay, so this movie isn't wild or adventurous at all, and that's the problem. The script takes absolutely no chances, as Reiser resorts to an onslaught of gag-inducing cliches instead of using any sense of imagination or storytelling ethic. The dialogue, save for a few amusing lines, is incredibly insipid self-help/growth/change/psychobabble talk. It's as if Reiser read the entire "Chicken Soup" collection and then used that wisdom as the sole inspiration for this screenplay. Peter Falk's Sam actually utters the line "Live a little!" in response to his son hesitating to eat a peach. You see, peaches always gave Ben allergies, and now he's, uh, tackling his fears I guess. And then what do you know: Ben gets an allergic reaction, which just makes it all, um, "funny."

There are also subplots that go absolutely nowhere, most notably one involving two young women the boys meet at a ballgame. They all meet, and the stage is set for these girls to do "something" to the guys: seduce them, rob them, try to set them up, etc. What happens? Nothing - no, really, nothing. They all go out to dinner and then Reiser bores/disgusts them out of the picture (literally) by whining about his father's lack of familial commitment...40 years prior.

That segment is a microcosm of the whole movie - just repetitive and irritating. But what really plunges the dagger into this movie is the sap factor. It's all here: a teary hospital scene, a stargazing scene replete with emotional proclamations, a cute catchphrase, slightly eccentric family members, and tidy voiceovers about life and love; this is good CBS or Movie of the Week fare.

Peter Falk works with the material he has, but he isn't enough to rescue everything else. Every supporting character is weightless and meaningless, and Paul Reiser's screen presence matches his writing skills: annoying and unlikable. Reiser turns in one of the worst acting jobs and screenplays I've seen in a while, as I can't believe he thought this would make a good movie.

Scott's Grade: C-

A	15.1%
B	59.2%
C	24.5%
D	1.2%
F	0.0%