There are lots of little things to like about this film. The problem is, the filmmakers do absolutely nothing with them. Each character has their own quirks and problems that make for funny little moments. However, there are so many characters that the time gets shredded up between them and we never see anything beyond the surface. Not only that, but the narrative tension that drives the plot is contrived to the point of precluding any dramatic impact. The grandfather is a rather bitter old man who is critical towards his son. However, these reasons and backstories are never actually explored. This goes nowhere. The father is a dissatisfied middle-aged man who wants to find his calling in life and is dealing with an affair. However, this all came about with no build-up or chemistry and gets triggered suddenly in the middle of a public kitchen. This goes nowhere. The older son is doing terribly at school and is romantically pursuing a more responsible student. However, this only happens because she does a complete 180 degree flip on her previous repulsion towards him, for no reason. This goes nowhere. The younger son finds his parents overbearing and is infatuated with another student who had run away. The backstory is, yet again, not actually explored in any real depth. This goes nowhere. You get the pattern. The actors do their best with the meagre material they get, and these little moments are sometimes quite entertaining, but overall it feels like watching a lot of first acts of a lot of characters.
Review of It Runs in the Family
