Petri Pelkonen The Gromberg family is a family with some problems.The patriarch of the family, Mitchell Cromberg is an old man just waiting for his death after a stroke he has suffered.But according to doctor he still has a few good years left.His wife Evelyn isn't young, either.His lawyer son Alex has some issues with his father.There are also some problems with his wife Rebecca.His son Asher is in college and does drugs.The younger son Eli is socially awkward.It Runs in the Family (2003 is directed by Fred Schepisi.It puts some members of the family Douglas together in this movie.Kirk Douglas,a true legend, plays Mitchell.His son Michael Douglas is Alex.It was a real pleasure watching those father-son moments.It His son I really enjoyed watching all those Douglases together.

shneur Maybe it was a mistake to cast all those Douglases in this film, as it predisposes one to view it in terms of its parallels or lack of them with the actual actors' lives. (I guess Rory Culkin was made an honorary Douglas for the occasion -- but then again his own family history more than qualifies him.) If we can leave that peculiarity out for a moment, however, I think we have here a reasonably veridical, if painful, portrayal of a very assimilated New York Jewish family that has lost its way. Or rather, the second generation lost its way, and the third generation never even had a way to lose. It's no accident that the celebration of Passover is one focal point of the movie: it is this holiday that originally bestowed the Hebrews' fundamental identity, against which the infamous Blood Libels were directed, and which has retained the last vestige of "meaning" in the lives of Jews who have abandoned almost everything else. The message of Passover is not only the historical one of emancipation from physical slavery; it is the freedom from enslavement to one's inner demons that comes with dedication to a demanding set of ethics and practices, whether in business or in personal life. That is what the Grombergs have lost, and maybe the Douglases too. The title, "It Runs In the Family" is, I believe, an indictment: it is what has CEASED to run in the family that is bringing this one down.

TxMike It didn't cost me anything, the DVD came from my public library. With the cast I had mildly high hopes, but my wife and I kept waiting for something significant to happen in the story. It never came. Much of the situations seemed greatly contrived and then it just sort of ended, after the wife made three demands of the husband -- get our son a good lawyer, get us a good marriage counselor, and do the dishes tomorrow in OUR kitchen. We would not recommend this movie to any of our friends.My following comments contain some SPOILERS so please don't read them if you have not seen the movie. The heart of the husband/wife friction came after she found green panties in her husband's coat pocket. The scene at 15 minutes which got them there was highly implausible, given the people and the setting (a soup kitchen), and when you replay it, and watch how and why she puts the panties in his pocket, it seems even more contrived. But that was what they needed for the story. Then, when husband was confronted, he had to say the wrong things, and conveniently omit telling his wife that nothing happened, for him to end up 'in the doghouse.' There is another 'almost sex' scene with the son and his new girlfriend. Again, it seemed awkward, unrealistic, then he put on his shoes and left, as his grandfather advised, so the girl would come begging for him later. An insult to women, and distasteful for a grandfather giving advice on 'how to score with women' to his grandson. I admire Kirk Douglas for making this movie, still recovering from his stroke. The scenes between the real son and father never rang true for me, nor most of the other family scenes. Maybe it was just a mediocre script. The whole movie was a big letdown for me.

cfchen It's a light-hearted family comedy. The chemistry between the casts is wunderful, especially that of Kirk and Diana Douglas. The husband-and-wife conversations in the film feel warm and real, thanks to Jesse Wigutow's good script. The Douglas family really pulled it off without making it a vanity.Although I agree with other ratings on IMDB, I feel that this movie is underrated here.(6.5/10)