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The Thing About My Folks | 2005 | PG-13 | - 3.3.5
After 40+ years of marriage, a man (Peter Falk) finds a note from his wife (Olympia Dukakis) on the refrigerator door announcing that she's left him because she needs to be alone. Befuddled, he shows the note to his son (Paul Reiser) who is equally confused. Desperate to help his father somehow he takes him for a road trip through upstate New York and along the way they begin to understand each other and figure out what might have happened to their wife and mother. Also with Elizabeth Perkins and Mackenzie Connolly. Directed by Raymond De Felitta. [1:36]
SEX/NUDITY 3 - A man asks his father about his sexual relationship with his mother, and the father describes going to a hotel the first time they had sex, and that she was wearing a short negligee (it is implied that he was making up these details). A man talks about other men being philanderers.
► Two men admire two younger women as they walk in front of them -- one wears a short top that reveals cleavage and bare abdomen and torn jeans with two holes just below her buttocks -- and one of them walks back and forth, and very close, in front of them several times and appears to be making advances toward them. A man admires a woman's clothed buttocks as she walks away.
► A man gets out of a shower and wraps himself with a towel (we see his bare chest, bare back and abdomen and bare legs just above the knee) in a couple of scenes. A woman wears a very low-cut top that reveals cleavage and a woman wears a low-cut top that reveals cleavage. A man zips up his fly as he walks out of a men's room.
► A man and a woman hug and kiss in several scenes.
VIOLENCE/GORE 3 - A man is hit in the head with a pool cue, he falls back, he is shoved into a jukebox, and another man holds the man, and he is hit in the foot with the cue and then the crotch.
► A man reaches into the back of his car while driving, he swerves off the road and crashes into a tree (no one is injured).
► A man yells at his father in a few scenes, and a man yells at his adult son in a few scenes. Two young girls argue and fight over a wand and two men struggle over a fish that flops around in a net.
► A man falls to his knees in a bar and his son thinks he is having an attack (he is admiring the rug). We hear that two people have died. A woman lies in a hospital bed with an IV in her arm. A man asks for someone to shoot him (in a joking manner).
► A man suffers from food allergies and complains of his ears and throat itching after eating peaches. A man vomits (we hear gagging and splatter) and a man flatulates in a car. We hear a man's zipper being lowered and he announces that he is going to urinate.
LANGUAGE 5 - 2 F-words, 2 sexual references, 31 scatological terms, 11 anatomical terms, 13 mild obscenities, 5 religious profanities, 14 religious exclamations.
SUBSTANCE USE - Two men drink shots of alcohol along with two women, two men drink alcohol in a few bar scenes (other people in the bar are also drinking in the background), and people drink wine with dinner. A man smokes a few cigarettes.
DISCUSSION TOPICS - Childhood memories, divorce, separation, guilt, responsibility, love, marriage, death of a spouse, death of a parent, romance, disappointment, forgiveness, parenting, terminal disease, failing in relationships, regret, promise, hope, expectations, infidelity, family, country vs. city living, keeping secrets, leaving things unsaid, food allergies, sibling rivalry, anti-Semitism, stereotypes, resentment, infidelity, the Civil War.
MESSAGE - Time won't wait for you so live every moment and do not leave things unsaid. People can change.
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CAVEATS
Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.
We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.
Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.
Afraid - 4.5.5
You Gotta Believe - 2.3.3
The Forge - 1.1.1
City of Dreams - 5.8.7
The Crow - 6.9.8
Blink Twice - 6.7.10
The Union - 3.5.5
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Become a member of our premium site for just $2/month & access advance reviews, without any ads, not a single one, ever. And you will be helping support our website & our efforts.
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We welcome suggestions & criticisms -- and we will accept compliments too. While we read all emails & try to reply we do not always manage to do so; be assured that we will not share your e-mail address.