The Talent Given Us

Critics Consensus

The Talent Given Us is an odd hybrid of reality and fiction, but works due to its engaging characters.

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The Talent Given Us Photos

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Movie Info

Filmmaker Andrew Wagner cast his own mother, father and sisters to portray themselves in this film, which is partially based on their own experiences. Elderly New Yorkers Judy and Allen Wagner wish they were closer to their son, Andrew, who is currently trying to make his mark in Hollywood. The couple drag their adult daughters, Maggie and Emily, along with them on an odyssey across the United States to reunite with Andrew. Along the way, the family's regrets and secrets begin to surface.

Genre:

comedy, drama
Original Language:

English
Director:

Andrew Wagner
Producer:

Andrew Wagner
Release Date (Streaming):

Mar 4, 2014
Runtime:

1h 38m
Sound Mix:

Stereo

Cast & Crew

Judy Wagner
Judy

Allen Wagner
Allen

Emily Wagner
Emily

Maggie Wagner
Maggie

Judy Dixon
Bumby

Billy Wirth
Billy

Show all Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews for The Talent Given Us

All Critics (51) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (30) | Rotten (21)

Faux documentary, home movie or unexpurgated family therapy? The Talent Given Us, a funny, surprising ride with a mercurial New York clan, is all three.

October 13, 2005 | Full Review…

Damon Smith
Time Out
[A] one-of-a-kind movie that sends the family road-trip genre happily spinning into these self-obsessed, overanalytical times; it's National Lampoon's Vacation as re-imagined by Dr. Phil.

October 13, 2005 | Rating: B+

Christopher Kelly
Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com
The notion that there is no escape from one's family is elevated-and ameliorated-by the inkling that the Wagners' story is, in fact, real.

October 13, 2005

Shauna Lyon
New Yorker
Ultimately, the movie isn't as strong as the idea behind the movie, or the people inside that idea.

October 7, 2005 | Rating: C+

Tom Long
Detroit News
What initially seems hard to watch, even excruciating at times, becomes hard not to, a fascinating fiction that seems to be more real than just about any actual documentary you can imagine.

October 7, 2005 | Rating: 3/4

Terry Lawson
Detroit Free Press
If you enjoy HBO's cult hit Curb Your Enthusiasm, you're almost guaranteed to enjoy this bawdy, heartbreaking, deeply discomfiting mockumentary.

September 29, 2005 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

Jessica Reaves
Chicago Tribune
It's a self-indulgent, utterly painful film that attempts to explore all sorts of genres, but it fails.

April 29, 2009 | Full Review…

Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed
The ranting, whining, kvetching, self-involved family begins to outstay its welcome [...] so that time spent with them can feel like entrapment at a raucous bar mitzvah reception.

March 1, 2007 | Full Review…

Doris Toumarkine
Film Journal International
Quote not available.

December 6, 2005 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Film Threat
The unwashed talent and originality of "The Talent Given Us" makes it a compelling and fascinating film.

December 1, 2005 | Rating: B+ | Full Review…

Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews
Maybe Andrew Wagner was hoping they would be endearingly human, but instead they come off as annoying, hardly the type of people we want to be stuck with for an hour and a half.

October 14, 2005 | Rating: 1.5/4 | Full Review…

Jeff Vice
Deseret News (Salt Lake City)
The result is a funny and sometimes touching docu-comedy, sort of like watching your parents if they were in the middle of a Woody Allen movie.

October 14, 2005 | Rating: 3/4

Sean P. Means
Salt Lake Tribune