Themes: Golden Years, Infidelity, Eccentric Families
Main Cast: Michael Douglas, Kirk Douglas, Rory Culkin, Cameron Douglas, Diana Douglas
Release Year: 2003
Country: US
Run Time: 109 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
A family takes on the difficult task of learning how to get along with one another in this emotional comedy drama. Alex Gromberg (Michael Douglas) is a middle-aged man who feels caught in the middle of his familial obligations as he muddles he way through a midlife crisis. While a successful businessman, Alex sometimes still feels as if he's under the shadow of his father, Mitchell Gromberg (Kirk Douglas), a successful attorney whose skills in the courtroom outstripped his gifts as a parent. Elderly Mitchell has recently survived a stroke, and Alex and Mitchell want to mend their relationship while there's still time, but making it so proves difficult, even with Alex getting advice from his wife, psychologist Rebecca (Bernadette Peters), and Mitchell being prodded by his long-suffering wife, Evelyn (Diana Douglas). Alex is also trying to reach out to his two sons, who are as different as night and day; college student Asher (Cameron Douglas) is an aspiring club DJ who seems to be styling himself to bear no resemblance to his father, while 11-year-old Eli (Rory Culkin) is an overly serious lad who is having trouble navigating the first steps of adolescence. It Runs in the Family marked the first time Kirk Douglas acted in a film with his son Michael Douglas; adding to the family atmosphere was Michael's son Cameron Douglas, working with his family for the first time, and Diana Douglas, Kirk's former wife and Michael's mother. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Being Hollywood royalty means you get to make movies like It Runs in the Family, where one of the leads is a stroke victim, another is an acting neophyte. But this is no mere vanity project. Michael Douglas and family aren't interested in a sentimental monument to their own success, and everyone carries his weight -- regardless of age, infirmity or experience level. In fact, the poster for It Runs in the Family -- three generations of Douglas men grinning on a fishing boat -- gives a decidedly false impression of simplistic hominess. Fred Schepisi's film tackles a host of less-than-cheery issues -- death, aging, infidelity, drugs, veteran care, liberal guilt, alienation -- all while remaining light enough to qualify as a comedy, one that benefits greatly from real-world family chemistry. In one scene that perfectly combines the movie's two selves, Mitchell Gromberg (Kirk Douglas) and his son Alex (Michael Douglas) attempt an impromptu (and illegal) Viking funeral for Mitchell's brother -- on a lake surrounded by summer homes, under cover of darkness. As Alex cracks wise about his father's hair-brained idea, it's a hilarious use of gallows humor, made authentic by the real father-son relationship informing it. Even better, the movie never panders to the elder Douglas, whose 1996 stroke severely impacted his speech. The audience quickly discovers it doesn't need to pity (or cringe at) Kirk Douglas, but rather, do what comes naturally: laugh at the veteran's comic instincts, still plenty sharp. Even Cameron Douglas proves capable as the college-aged stoner, making his casting more than gimmicky nepotism, while Bernadette Peters and Rory Culkin hold their own as the two non-Douglas Grombergs. It Runs in the Family refuses to wrap things up neatly, making for an affecting portrait of family members -- both real and fictitious -- who are grounded enough to recognize their own shortcomings. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
Bernadette Peters - Rebecca Gromberg; Michelle Monaghan - Peg Maloney; Geoffrey Arend - Malik; Sarita Choudhury - Suzie; Irene Gorovaia - Abby Staley; Annie Golden - Deb; Mark Hammer - Stephen Gromberg; Audra McDonald - Sarah Langley; Cameron Boyd - Skateboarder; Ian Boyd - Skateboarder; Roy Milton Davis - Homeless Man; Carmen Lopez - Rosario; Adrian Martinez - Mitchell's Doorman; Josh Pais - Barney; David Greenspan - Howard; Jerome Bates - Officer McDonough; Bob Kaliban - Jim Lindsay; Brenda Thomas Denmark - Teacher; Robert Montano - Officer Crane; Colman Domingo; Ray Demattis - Italian Waiter; Stephen Singer - Dr. Kaplan; Adam Grupper - Principal; Joel Rooks - Suit; Marc Damon Johnson - Professor Edwards; Keith Nobbs - Marc Stein; Wynter Kullman - Katie; Shantell Herndon - Young Jogger; Antonio D. Charity - Jogger; Alvin Crawford - Male Nurse; Lisa Ann Frisone - Homeless Woman; Linda Johnson - Teacher; Derek Kelly - Driver; Demetrius Kiprakis - Skateboarder; Mark Ledbetter - Young Jogger; Sara Meyer - Jogger; Jonathan Mondel - Morgan; Adam Mucci - Officer Samms; Erik-Anders Nilsson - Jogger; Kelly Overton - Erica; Sho Ma "Xiao" - Skateboarder; Louie Torrellas - Jeremy
Credit
George Allison - Art Director, Joel A. Douglas - Associate Producer, Avy Kaufman - Casting, Jesse Wigutow - Co-producer, Marcy Drogin - Co-producer, Marit Allen - Costume Designer, Todd Pfeiffer - First Assistant Director, Fred Schepisi - Director, Kate Williams - Editor, Kerry Orent - Executive Producer, Fred Schepisi - Executive Producer, Paul Grabowsky - Composer (Music Score), Susan Jacobs - Musical Direction/Supervision, Patrizia Von Brandenstein - Production Designer, Ian Baker - Cinematographer, Michael Douglas - Producer, Diane Lederman - Set Designer, Michael Barosky - Sound/Sound Designer, Jesse Wigutow - Screenwriter, Max Hoskins - Supervising Sound Editor
It Runs in the Family is a 2003comedy-drama movie directed by Fred Schepisi and starring three generations of the Douglas family: Kirk, his son Michael, and Michael's son Cameron, who play three generations of a family.
The story involves three generations of a highly successful New York City family, each with its set of problems, and highlights the difficulties of the father-son relationship. Mitchell Gromberg (Kirk Douglas) is trying to deal with health problems resulting from a stroke (Kirk Douglas himself suffered a stroke in 1996). His son, Alex (Michael Douglas), 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 (Cameron Douglas) does not take college seriously and seems lost. The youngest son Eli (Rory Culkin), while extremely intelligent, is entering a difficult pre-adolescent time, while being socially awkward. Diana Dill, Michael Douglas' real-life mother and now real life ex-wife of Kirk Douglas, plays the wife of Kirk Douglas.
When Alex indulges in a thoughtless and careless brief romantic fling and his psychologist wife (Bernadette Peters) 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, bring the family together in a familial show of support, respect, and love.
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 Weaver for the part of Michael's wife. "Bernadette [Peters] was a really nice balance, playing straighter than you’d usually see her play..."[1]
Total gross was $7,491,839. In comparison, Michael Douglas' next movie, The In-Laws, grossed $20,453,431. [2]
Responses
Critic Steven Holden wrote 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." [3]
Most reviews, as tallied by rottentomatoes.com, were unfavorable or mixed. 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."[4]
