Thing About My Folks

Theatrical Release Date: 2005 09 16 (USA - Limited)

UPC: 794043101502

Studio: New Line Home Video

MPAA Rating: PG13   Contains:[Adult Situations, Adult Humor, Profanity, Sexual Situations]

Summary: A middle-aged man finds himself dealing with the divorce of his elderly parents as well as many years of emotional baggage in this poignant comedy drama. Ben (Paul Reiser) is a writer who is enjoying a quiet evening at home with his wife, Rachel (Elizabeth Perkins), when they receive an unexpected visitor, Ben's father, Sam (Peter Falk). As it happens, Sam has some surprising news -- his wife, Muriel (Olympia Dukakis), has left him, leaving behind a note saying she wants some time alone. While Ben gets in touch with his sisters, who immediately set out to track down Muriel, he is left to deal with Sam while he tries to figure out what has gone wrong. Eager to spend some time with his dad to talk things out, Ben invites Sam along for a trip upstate to look at some property he's interested in buying, and as the two men hit the road, they get a chance to get to know one another in a way Sam, a busy salesman, was unable to do when Ben was a boy. The Thing About My Folks was a pet project for Paul Reiser, who wrote the screenplay as well as playing the lead; he'd had the script in the works for 20 years, and always intended for Peter Falk to play the role of Sam. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Category: Comedy Drama

Awards: Special Mention for Excellence in Filmmaking – National Board of Review

Features: ccTheatrical Trailer

Thing About My Folks

Format: DVD

Release Date: 02/14/2006

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: DDS2.0 Dolby Digital w/ 4 channels, DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 98 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- The Thing About My Folks
1. Opening Sequence [:09]
2. What's the Matter [5:43]
3. It's a Farmhouse [5:33]
4. There's Always a Reason [5:54]
5. Not the Way it Was [8:46]
6. In the Tow Truck [4:33]
7. Good Ford Smell [7:28]
8. Let's Go Fishing [3:42]
9. That's a Peach [6:36]
10. Start Going Out [5:19]
11. Clearing the Table [6:13]
12. I Remember Once... [5:13]
13. What a Waste [6:27]
14. If That's Camping [6:44]
15. That Letter [6:20]
16. End Credits [8:46]

Derek Armstrong

The pluralization in this movie's title is a little misleading. It could have been called The Thing About My Folk -- or maybe The Thing About My Falk -- since Peter Falk's father character has the majority of the screen time in this Paul Reiser vehicle, written and produced by the comedian. It's the right choice, as Reiser and Falk have a fun time playing off each other on the father-son road trip that comprises most of the running time. However, it does contribute to a sense of narrative imbalance, and the late introduction of Olympia Dukakis as the other "folk" sends the third act off in a direction that wasn't necessarily previewed by the first two. But it's hardly worth quibbling over a few structural miscues in what is otherwise a sweet and surprisingly substantive film. Reiser's chattiness as a performer comes across clearly in his writing, but it's not empty chattiness. In The Thing About My Folks, it's easy to see Reiser grappling with issues from his own family history during conversations that aren't afraid to psychoanalyze the small details. What's more, they come across as natural rather than stagy, due in large part to the seemingly effortless folksy professionalism of Falk, and some pretty decent chops from Reiser, who has spent much of his career on stage and in sitcoms. This is not to say that any ground is being broken. Stories about kvetching New Yorkers testing their family bonds are hardly new, especially for Reiser, who has essentially made this the focus of his body of work. But The Thing About My Folks is the type of film that allows there to be comfort in familiarity. The lessons on how to avoid relationship mistakes -- or compensate for them after the fact -- are also timeless. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Alison Fraser  Actor 
Marshall Erwin Efron  Actor 
Kevin Cahoon  Actor 
MacKenzie Connolly  Actor 
Ann Dowd  Actor 
Mimi Lieber  Actor 
Claire Beckman  Actor 
Bernie McInerney  Actor 
Lydia Jordan  Actor 
Paul Reiser  Producer 
Paul Reiser  Screenwriter 
Raymond de Felitta  Director 
Jeffrey Silver  Producer 
Bobby Newmyer  Producer 
Steven Argila  Composer (Music Score) 
Peter Falk  Actor 
Paul Reiser  Actor 
Elizabeth Perkins  Actor 
Olympia Dukakis  Actor 

Country: USA