SnoopyStyle
It's 1969 Morrison, Alabama. The Caldwell clan has 3 brothers Skip (Billy Bob Thornton), Carroll (Kevin Bacon), Jimbo (Robert Patrick), sister Donna (Katherine LaNasa), and patriarch Jim (Robert Duvall). The men are all veterans of various wars. When Jim's ex-wife and mother to the 'kids' die, her present husband Kingsley Bedford (John Hurt) and the Bedford family Phillip Bedford (Ray Stevenson), Camilla Bedford (Frances O'Connor) comes over from London to bury her back home in Alabama. The two families try to deal with the estranged relationships against a backdrop of volatile outside world of Vietnam and inner worlds. Jim is fascinated with car crashes. When a nearby town has a side show displaying Jayne Mansfield's car that she died in, Jim Caldwell takes Kingsley Bedford along for a look.This movie is jam packed with great actors but they keep getting into each other's way. Writer/director Billy Bob Thornton lets this assemble of talents go off on their own and loses any structure or narrative. There is a lack of clarity. It needs to tell us clearly that the kids aren't actually related early and often. There is also a plodding pace to it all. They are moseying along and every once in awhile, there is an amazing scene between some of these great actors. The movie is just too uneven with the splintered groups garnering different levels of interest.
selffamily
I watched this DVD this afternoon, expecting not much and becoming glued to the whole thing. The characters were drawn perfectly, and we saw the characters of the American family drawn carefully for us before we met the English family. (I did wonder what would have happened, had the English family not spoken with such pristine middle class accents, but that's silly, no American woman would fall for anything less.) There is a touch of farce, some neurosis and some age-old baggage to be sorted before the film ends, touchingly and with horror written on the face of the father in question. It's not a blockbuster, and it's not full of hysterical dramas, but it did put me in mind of Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and not purely because of the accents - the taught drama spinning away behind the pleasant and civilised dialogue. Excellent all round.
LeonLouisRicci
It's obvious that Director/Writer Billy Bob has a lot on His mind. Transferring those thoughts to the page might prove somewhat difficult. Imaging said thoughts on the Screen is even more of a challenge. Although it is a valiant effort, in the end it renders itself flat but occasionally interesting.There are far too many words in this misfire and a surprising lack of Style. 1969, at the height of very diverse opinions about the Vietnam War and Patriotism that did drive Families apart, would seem to be a fertile field for Thornton to let loose and express. But nothing here seems all that insightful or profound, more like a rambling, soft spoken rant on something about War, Family, Drugs, and Sex.It is not a bad Movie but falls very short from being anything more than a great many great Actors given a load of lethargic points to make and for the most part it all just seems sort of Ho Hum. Not the sort of thing that these deep and touching themes deserve.Jayne Mansfield's car does make a Cameo.
edborden123
Duvals performance as the introspective, typical unemotional parent of the 50's/60's was masterful. Bacon gave his usual great performance as the hippy son. Thornton's southern ignoramus and the American brash personality clashing with the proper brits was a great storyline. Ron White's performance was great...he played himself. The guy who played the liquid terminater is great too... I loved it. Several story lines within the same family all moving forward in a similar direction. The setting is in the south. It is unclear exactly where. I didn't need to see Billy Bob Thornton naked, but I guess it was important to the storyline.. LOL. "she could take it right up to the gills" is one of billy bobs quotes...
AD
