A Family Thing | | Cast : | Robert Duvall, James Earl Jones | | Director : | Richard Pearce | | Studio : | MGM/UA Video | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | March 29, 1996 | | DVD Released Date : | May 08, 2001 | | Language : | Spanish (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | January 30, 2005 | | Summary | On eof the greatest | Content
 | This is one of my all time favorite movies. It's certainly my favorite Duvall movie. James Earl Jone is great; the whole cast is wonderful. It should have won all kinds of awards. I stumbled upon it accidentally, and was pleasantly surprised. |
| Rating | | | Date | January 27, 2005 | | Summary | WHAT HAPPENED TO IRMA P. HALL'S OSCAR NOMINATION? | Content
| When this film first came out, all the critics agreed that Irma P. Hall would get a Best Supporting Actress Oscar Nomination. What happened? Such a disappointment that her wonderful performance didn't get the recognition it deserved. A wonderful film. The only criticism I have is that the Chicago locations used are all mixed-up and not set up the way they really are in town. |
| Rating | | | Date | December 29, 2004 | | Summary | Intriguing theme and two fine actors, but a bit predictable. | Content
| This 1996 film has two of my favorite actors: Robert Duvall and James Earl Jones. And Billy Bob Thornton was one of the screenwriters. It also has an intriguing theme.
Robert Duval is cast as Earl Pitcher Jr, a 60 year old auto body shop owner in Arkansas. He's as southern as can be and the scene is set so well that we can almost feel the heat of the hot summer. His mother is dying and he rushes home to her bedside. A few days after the funeral, the minister comes to call. He gives Earl a letter that his mother asked to be delivered after her death. When he read the letter, his life changes forever.
The letter reveals that his mother is not really his birth mother. His real mother is an African American servant girl who was impregnated by his father. The baby was born perfectly white and the real mother died in childbirth. And so the white women raised the baby as her own. This has been a secret all these years.
In the letter, his mother reveals that the African American woman had an older child who was thought to now be a policeman in Chicago. She urges Earl to try to connect with his brother. And so, he drives his pickup truck to Chicago in order to find his black brother. That's quite a setup for a plot.
James Earl Jones is cast as his brother. And Irma P. Hall is cast as Auntie T, who is in her eighties and remembers everything. Oh, and one more thing. Auntie T is blind.
The two men meet and clearly don't like each other. And then, as Earl is leaving Chicago, his truck is carjacked and he is slightly injured. He winds up staying in James Earl Jones' house for a few days. Naturally there are complications. And this is also where the plot becomes a little predictable. There's an upbeat ending too, of course.
No matter though. The acting and concept were so good that I just couldn't stop watching. And I found myself thinking about the situation long after the film ended. Therefore, I cannot help but recommend this film. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 02, 2004 | | Summary | One Great Movie! | Content
| To make a long story short, this is one awesome movie. I'm proud to own it on dvd. I highly recommend it. This movie plainly proves that we're all God's children, pure and simple! |
| Rating | | | Date | November 15, 2003 | | Summary | EXCELLENT MOVIE -- A FAMILY THING | Content
| When my husband asked me to watch this with him, I was like "ok, there's nothing on cable, might as well". I wasn't really thrilled about watching it but to my surprise it is one of the BEST movies I have ever seen. Robert Duvall is super in this movie not to mention James Earl Jones. This movie really says it all "it doesn't matter your color...family is family, it's just A FAMILY THING. I give this 2 thumbs up and 5 stars. |
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