Synopsis:
Runs in the Family is a film from 2003 directed by Fred Schepisi and written by Jesse Wigutow. This movie is unique, in that it combines the novel themes of a family’s inner relationships and family casting. It features three generations of the real-life Douglas family, Kirk Douglas, Michael Douglas, and Cameron Douglas, who portray family members from different generations of the same family. This movie is thus very personal, embodying a blend of fiction and real life, legacy, relationships, and the gaps between generations of a family.
The story is that of the upper-middle-class Gromberg family, a Jewish family residing in Manhattan. The family is headed by Kirk Douglas who plays Mitchell Gromberg, a retired lawyer and traditional patriarch of the family. The family is trying to reconnect with Mitchell after a stroke and the character is slowly trying to improve and reconnect his family relationships as well as recover. Mitchell is a determined and stubborn man, and with the passage of time, his relationships, with his son for instance, have become strained.
In the film, Michael Douglas portrays Alex Gromberg, who is Mitchell’s middle-aged son. He is a successful lawyer, but he left corporate law to work for a nonprofit organization which disappointed his father. Despite having a career with a nonprofit organization, Alex is experiencing a midlife crisis and is seemingly well-off, and stable. Living up to a sense of purpose, a father’s touch, and his own expectations puts a great deal of pressure. Rebecca, played by Bernadette Peters, is his wife and the mother of his children. Their marriage is functional, but emotionally distant, which adds to the questioning of Alex’s work and home roles.
Arriving to the scene is Alex’s rebellious son, college student Asher Gromberg (Cameron Douglas). Asher is uninterested in academics, family traditions, and is more more focused on girls and partying. Asher represents the youngest generation of his family, carrying the burdens and legacies of two generations before trying to carve out his own misguided and misguided path. His quieter, more introspective younger brother, Eli (Rory Culkin), is the loving but odd observer within the family’s dysfunction.
The film looks at the ways in which the men of the family – grandfather, father, and sons – deal with love, regret, and reconciliation. Mitchell struggles with aging and the reality of mortality, Alex wrestles with personal dissatisfaction and unresolved conflicts with his father, while Asher struggles with his efforts at embracing personal independence. These conflicts gradually and realistically build toward small poignant moments of connection instead of grand resolutions without the use of melodrama.
The issues facing the family as a unit are the daily, mundane battles: miscommunication, generational gaps, emotional expectations, the need to be understood, and the need to be understood. Rather than following a traditional plot structure with rising stakes and climactic battles, Runs in the Family is a slice-of-life meditation on the complexity of family relationships, focusing on the bonds between fathers and sons.
Cast and Characters:
Michael Douglas as Alex Gromberg
As the emotional center of the film, Michael Douglas delivers a restrained and mature performance. He portrays Alex with the kind of quiet frustration that is present in midlife, and the feeling of duty mixed with a yearning for self-fulfillment.
Kirk Douglas as Mitchell Gromberg
This role is meaningful because it was one of Kirk Douglas’s major screen appearances after his real-life recovery from stroke. Mitchell is one of Kirk’s character’s in his films and shows, and, like Kirk’s own life, Mitchell is trying to live his golden years with dignity and strength. Douglas’s performance is heartfelt, humorous, and at times, heartbreaking.
Cameron Douglas as Asher Gromberg
This was the first feature of Cameron Douglas. Asher is the typical young man trying to find himself, but the role has already been done. Cameron provides a real touch of life and shows the tension as well as affection that is enjoyed between him and his father and grandfather.
Bernadette Peters as Rebecca Gromberg
Peters is warm and stronger as the wife of Alex. It is easy to neglect Rebecca because of the male-centered nature of the storyline, but through her performance, she provides the Gromberg men with emotional anchoring and allows them to ponder about their shortcomings and virtues.
Rory Culkin as Eli Gromberg
Eli Gromberg is Alex and Rebecca’s second son. He remains observant and sensitive, conveying the emotional spectrum of the family. Culkin’s performance, as understated as it is, adds to the range of the ensemble cast, which is great.
Director & Style:
Fred Schepisi, famous for Six Degrees of Separation and Roxanne, approaches the film in a naturalistic way. Direction gives space for the actors to interact in ways that seem real rather than scripted. He embraces the generational realism of the story and grounds the drama with subtle visual and commonplace cues. The cinematography captures the intimate and bustling parts of New York and the Gromberg household without exaggeration, which furthers the film’s grounded and realistic tone.
IMDb Ratings and Critical Reception:
Runs in the Family has an IMDb rating of 5.9/10 which indicates a modest reception. Critics were split in their reviews. The film’s veracity and the Douglas family’s rare on-screen togetherness drew a number of positive reviews. The performances, particularly Kirk and Michael’s, were praised for their authenticity and depth. On the other hand, some critics highlighted a lack of dramatic tension and described the pacing as too slow for the plot.
The film’s absence of conflict and, thus, high-stakes storytelling led some to deem it “uneventful,” but some people enjoyed focusing on real-life scenarios and personal reflections. A family drama centered around anger and chaos would not appeal and would come off as boring, while those looking for focus on characters would find it to be a moving experience.
Themes and Analysis:
Legacy and Identity
The film analyses how identity is constructed through family, focusing on how sons either define themselves in opposition or in the shadow of their fathers. Alex’s conflict with Mitchell’s expectations along with Asher’s rebellion towards Alex displays intergenerational conflict through a cyclical lens.
Aging and Mortality
Mitchell’s storyline serves as a poignant reflection on aging, pride, and the desire to remain relevant. Stroke and other aging symptoms do not define him, but they do create challenges for the self and for relationships.
Emotional Distance and Reconciliation:
The characters portray a struggle over the inability to express vulnerability. Many conflicts arise from a lack of spoken words. The film indicates that reconciliation often requires not grand gestures, but soft acknowledgments, quiet shared memories, and gentle moments of understanding.
The Challenge of Being Masculine:
Each of the Gromberg men represents a different type of masculinity as the film critiques traditional masculine roles: the distant father figure as the masculine patriarch, the frazzled husband as the family’s provider, and the directionless husband as the aimless rebel.
Conclusion:
Runs in the Family is a deeply personal family drama that expresses their struggles in cohesive families and is moreover, introspective in nature. Rather than relying on overwhelming spectacle, the film harnesses quiet authenticity and emotional authenticity. Although the film might not garner wide appeal due to its languid pacing and subdued narrative, it provides a profound look at the bonds that bind families and families that strain across generational divides.
The film focuses heavily on the central message of disconnection that comes with trying to communicate with loved ones: the hardest attempt relating with those closest to us. This film is at its strongest with the seamless nature of the family and the characters bringing the narrative to life as best as possible.
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