It Runs in the Family (PG-13)
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Like that pyrite-by-twilight atrocity On Golden Pond, this Douglas-dynasty vanity project serves a Kevorkian cocktail of cloying sentiment with a double shot of celebrity psychodrama. Make that a triple: Kirk Douglas plays the rigid patriarch of the Gromberg clan, coming to terms with age and mortality; Michael Douglas portrays the middle-aged son who followed in Dad's footsteps and craves his approval; and Michael's son Cameron is the family's pothead black sheep, paralyzed by his fear of failure. As in Golden Pond, the tepid drama's only edge comes from its stunt casting--and even then, watching the actors for glimpses of real-life discord, infirmity, or affection does nothing to make the Grombergs more believable. What keeps the movie watchable is director Fred Schepisi's poignant evocation of lives slipping into memory, of watching New York's youthful pleasures pass by like other people's lighted windows. Using widescreen space for expressive effect, Schepisi captures the simultaneous tumult and loneliness of family life--the feeling of being isolated even in the midst of domestic uproar. His ally is Rory Culkin, who gives the movie's best performance as the youngest Gromberg. Sleepy-eyed and achingly morose, Culkin could be the 11-year-old version of the jaded prep-school casualty his brother Kieran played in Igby Goes Down. (Jim Ridley)
Review by Jim Ridley
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