It Runs in the Family (2003 film)
Encyclopedia
It Runs in the Family is a 2003
comedy-drama
movie directed by Fred Schepisi and starring three generations of the Douglas family: Kirk Douglas
, his son Michael Douglas
, and Michael's son Cameron Douglas
, who play three generations of a family.
Diana Dill
, real-life mother to Michael Douglas and ex-wife of Kirk, plays the wife of Kirk in the film.
family, each with its set of problems, and highlights the difficulties of the father-son relationship.
Mitchell Gromberg is trying to deal with health problems resulting from a stroke
. (Kirk Douglas himself suffered a stroke in 1996.) His son, Alex, works as a lawyer in the firm that his father founded, but is questioning the usefulness of his work and his place in the family. Alex's son, Asher, does not take college seriously and seems lost. The youngest son Eli, while extremely intelligent, is entering a difficult pre-adolescent time, while being socially awkward.
When Alex indulges in a thoughtless and careless brief romantic fling and his psychologist wife Rebecca discovers it, his marriage is threatened. Asher is discovered with illegal drugs and he starts to understand that he is on the wrong path. But major life crises, although devastating, brings the family together in a familial show of support, respect, and love.
for the part of Michael's wife. "Bernadette [Peters] was a really nice balance, playing straighter than you’d usually see her play..."
Total gross was $7,491,839. In comparison, Michael Douglas' next movie, The In-Laws
, grossed $20,453,431.
that the movie is a "surprisingly complex and subtle portrait", and "Besides its laudable reluctance to tie up loose ends, the most courageous thing about It Runs in the Family is its refusal to try to make you love its aggressive, strong-willed characters."
Most reviews, as tallied by rottentomatoes.com, were unfavorable or mixed; the movie has a "Rotten" rating of 28%, with the site's consensus stating "Despite its gimmick casting, the movie ultimately goes nowhere." Roger Ebert
wrote: "But the movie is simply not clear about where it wants to go and what it wants to do. It is heavy on episode and light on insight, and although it takes courage to bring up touchy topics it would have taken more to treat them frankly."
2003 in film
The year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...
comedy-drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
movie directed by Fred Schepisi and starring three generations of the Douglas family: Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas is an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. His popular films include Out of the Past , Champion , Ace in the Hole , The Bad and the Beautiful , Lust for Life , Paths of Glory , Gunfight at the O.K...
, his son Michael Douglas
Michael Douglas
Michael Kirk Douglas is an American actor and producer, primarily in movies and television. He has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards; first as producer of 1975's Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. Douglas received the...
, and Michael's son Cameron Douglas
Cameron Douglas
Cameron Morrell Douglas is an American actor.- Early life and family :Douglas was born in Santa Barbara, California, the elder son of actor Michael Douglas and only child of Diandra Morrell Douglas and grandson of actor Kirk Douglas and Bermudian actress Diana Dill. He has appeared in four films:...
, who play three generations of a family.
Diana Dill
Diana Dill
Diana Love Dill is a Bermudian actress, active in the U.S., who has also appeared professionally under the names Diana Douglas and Diana Douglas Darrid.-Personal life:...
, real-life mother to Michael Douglas and ex-wife of Kirk, plays the wife of Kirk in the film.
Plot
The story involves a highly successful New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
family, each with its set of problems, and highlights the difficulties of the father-son relationship.
Mitchell Gromberg is trying to deal with health problems resulting from a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
. (Kirk Douglas himself suffered a stroke in 1996.) His son, Alex, works as a lawyer in the firm that his father founded, but is questioning the usefulness of his work and his place in the family. Alex's son, Asher, does not take college seriously and seems lost. The youngest son Eli, while extremely intelligent, is entering a difficult pre-adolescent time, while being socially awkward.
When Alex indulges in a thoughtless and careless brief romantic fling and his psychologist wife Rebecca discovers it, his marriage is threatened. Asher is discovered with illegal drugs and he starts to understand that he is on the wrong path. But major life crises, although devastating, brings the family together in a familial show of support, respect, and love.
Cast
- Michael DouglasMichael DouglasMichael Kirk Douglas is an American actor and producer, primarily in movies and television. He has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards; first as producer of 1975's Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. Douglas received the...
as Alex Gromberg - Kirk DouglasKirk DouglasKirk Douglas is an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. His popular films include Out of the Past , Champion , Ace in the Hole , The Bad and the Beautiful , Lust for Life , Paths of Glory , Gunfight at the O.K...
as Mitchell Gromberg - Rory CulkinRory CulkinRory Hugh Culkin is an American actor and is the younger brother of actors Macaulay Culkin and Kieran Culkin.-Personal life:...
as Eli Gromberg - Cameron DouglasCameron DouglasCameron Morrell Douglas is an American actor.- Early life and family :Douglas was born in Santa Barbara, California, the elder son of actor Michael Douglas and only child of Diandra Morrell Douglas and grandson of actor Kirk Douglas and Bermudian actress Diana Dill. He has appeared in four films:...
as Asher Gromberg - Diana DillDiana DillDiana Love Dill is a Bermudian actress, active in the U.S., who has also appeared professionally under the names Diana Douglas and Diana Douglas Darrid.-Personal life:...
as Evelyn Gromberg - Michelle MonaghanMichelle MonaghanMichelle Lynn Monaghan is an American actress known for her roles in Mission: Impossible III, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Gone Baby Gone, Made of Honor, The Heartbreak Kid, Eagle Eye, and Source Code.-Early life:...
as Peg Maloney - Geoffrey ArendGeoffrey Arend-Life and career:Arend was born in the Manhattan borough of New York City, to a Caucasian father and a Pakistani mother. He graduated from New York City's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in 1996. In 2000, he began providing voices for video games such as Daria's...
as Malik - Sarita ChoudhurySarita ChoudhurySarita Catherine Louise Choudhury is an English actress.-Biography:Choudhury was born in Blackheath, London, England, of half Bengali-Indian and half English descent. Her parents, Prabhas Chandra Choudhury, a scientist, and Julia Patricia Spring, married in 1964 in Lucea, Jamaica...
as Suzie - Irene GorovaiaIrene GorovaiaIrene Gorovaia is an American actress born in Russia and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She has been a ballet dancer for many years, training first with the Brighton Ballet School and later with the School of American Ballet. She performed in The Nutcracker with the New York City Ballet in 2000...
as Abby Staley - Annie GoldenAnnie Golden-Career:Born in Brooklyn, New York, Golden began her career as the lead singer of The Shirts . During the early 1990s she performed as part of the duo Golden Carillo with Frank Carillo. They released three albums,Fire in Newtown, Toxic Emotion, and Back for More. She then returned to The Shirts...
as Deb - Mark Hammer as Stephen Gromberg
- Audra McDonaldAudra McDonaldAudra Ann McDonald is an American actress and singer. She currently stars in the ABC television drama Private Practice as Dr. Naomi Bennett. She has appeared on the stage in both musicals and dramas, such as Ragtime and A Raisin in the Sun...
as Sarah Langley - Josh PaisJosh PaisJosh Pais is an American actor of film and television.He has appeared in many Hollywood films, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as Raphael, Music of the Heart, Scream 3, It Runs in the Family, Little Manhattan and Find Me Guilty. He played Assistant M.E...
as Barney - Bernadette PetersBernadette PetersBernadette Peters is an American actress, singer and children's book author from Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, she has starred in musical theatre, films and television, as well as performing in solo concerts and recordings...
as Rebecca Gromberg
Production
In his role as producer, Michael Douglas suggested his mother (Diana Dill), Rory Culkin, and Bernadette Peters for their roles. Fred Schepisi noted that they were originally considering Sigourney WeaverSigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver is an American actress. She is best known for her critically acclaimed role of Ellen Ripley in the four Alien films: Alien, Aliens, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, for which she has received worldwide recognition .Other notable roles include Dana...
for the part of Michael's wife. "Bernadette [Peters] was a really nice balance, playing straighter than you’d usually see her play..."
Total gross was $7,491,839. In comparison, Michael Douglas' next movie, The In-Laws
The In-Laws (2003 film)
The In-Laws is a 2003 American comedy film starring Michael Douglas, Albert Brooks, Candice Bergen and Ryan Reynolds. The film is a remake of the original 1979 cult classic, which starred Alan Arkin and Peter Falk...
, grossed $20,453,431.
Reception
Critic Steven Holden wrote in The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
that the movie is a "surprisingly complex and subtle portrait", and "Besides its laudable reluctance to tie up loose ends, the most courageous thing about It Runs in the Family is its refusal to try to make you love its aggressive, strong-willed characters."
Most reviews, as tallied by rottentomatoes.com, were unfavorable or mixed; the movie has a "Rotten" rating of 28%, with the site's consensus stating "Despite its gimmick casting, the movie ultimately goes nowhere." Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
wrote: "But the movie is simply not clear about where it wants to go and what it wants to do. It is heavy on episode and light on insight, and although it takes courage to bring up touchy topics it would have taken more to treat them frankly."
External links
- It Runs in the Family entry from Rotten TomatoesRotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
- Interview with Fred Schepisi August 21, 2003