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
If you've ever wondered what it would feel like to be trapped in a '36 Ford convertible for 47 years with a Yiddish theater version of Dr. Phil and the runaway bride, this is the movie for you.
Reiser wrote the script specifically for Falk and himself, so it's not surprising that the actors bond with their characters. And that makes it easy for the viewers to bond with them.
With Mother's Day and Father's Day on the horizon, is there a better way of showing the people who brought you into the world how much you hate them with their very own copy of The Thing About My Folks?
What an amazing and magnificent movie. It`s hilarious, deeply moving and utterly satisfying. A masterpiece of comedy and drama well rounded into a real joy of a film. Some of the best and most realistic character work i have ever seen ina film. It delivers unstoppable laughs from start to finish. Peter Falk and Paul
Reiser give outstanding and beautiful performances. Falk is brilliant, he gives one of the bet screen performances of 2005. Weiser is excellent, he writes as well as performs superbly in this film. A stunning and well-crafted picture.
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