| | | Some Families Can Survive Anything. Even Each Other.
"Funny, full of life and downright gratifying" (The New York Observer), this light-hearted comedy about the indestructible bonds of family marks the first-ever pairing of Oscar-winning father and son Kirk Douglas and Michael Douglas, and boasts an extraordinary supporting cast!New York lawyer Alex Gromberg (Michael Douglas) is blessed with a beautiful wife, two healthy children and vivacious parents. Sounds like the perfect family, right? Wrong! As the Grombergs drift apart with a host of modern-day dilemmas, Alex finally accepts his life's mosti mportant mission: to pull his family back together!
"...a classic intergenerational story of the trouble American males typically have expressing emotion, but it's the subtext that counts." Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
"A funny, articulate, imperfect, sometimes messy, often infuriatingly sentimental, but always caring and spirited movie." Rex Reed, New York Observer
"Wonderful!" The New York Times
Editor's Note
Three generations of Hollywood's Douglas clan star in this family comedy that mirrors the ups and downs of the famous family's real lives. Following in the footsteps of ON GOLDEN POND Michael Douglas and his father Kirk Douglas appear onscreen together as a dysfunctional father and son struggling to understand one another. Michael Douglas stars as Alex Gromberg, a successful New York lawyer working in the firm that his own father, Mitchell Gromberg (Kirk Douglas), founded. While juggling his successful career Alex has lost touch with his own family, his wife Rebecca (Bernadette Peters) suspects him of infidelity and his two sons, college slacker Asher Gromberg (played by Douglas's real-life son Cameron Douglas) and 11-year-old Eli Gromberg (Rory Caulkin) are eager to rebel against their successful family lineage. Desperate to understand his sons, Alex finds himself reflecting on his own relationship with his father after years of competition and bickering. At the same time, his father is struggling to accept his own mortality after surviving a debilitating stroke. Together with his wife Evelyn (played by Kirk Douglas's first wife and Michael Douglas's real-life mother Diana Douglas) Mitchell attempts to recuperate while slowly passing the patriarchal torch to his son. The Douglas family triumphs onscreen in this heartwarming depiction of family dynamics skillfully directed by Fred Schepisi.
| Features | Audio Commentary By Director Fred Schepesi | | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Audio: French, Spanish Dolby Digital Stereo | | Deleted Scenes | | Documentary: All That Grit - Kirk Douglas & The Movies | | Dubbed: French, Spanish | | Featurette: Family Makes You Nuts - The Making Of It Runs In The Family | | Interactive Menus | | Original Theatrical Trailer | | Photo Gallery | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Fox Home Entertainment |
| Release Date: 11/1/2007 |
| Original Release Date: 2003 | | Catalog ID: 101853 | | UPC: 00027616922793 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English, French Dubbed, Spanish Dubbed | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | New York Times
"...A surprisingly complex and subtle portrait....Throughout the movie you can feel the actors' offscreen relationships resonating with their performances and enriching them immeasurably..." 04/25/2003 p.E1USA Today
"...Michael Douglas does a credible job....[Hammer's] performance and that of Kirk Douglas powerfully illustrate the indomitable spirit of individuals who refuse to let disabilities impede their goals. For that alone, the movie is worth watching..." 04/25/2003 p.11E Box Office
"...[Kirk Douglas] gamely works his way through scenes, revealing himself in flickers of emotion. He also shows he can still play comedy..." 06/01/2003 p.58 Los Angeles Times
"...Its emotional tug has been well-earned by the Douglas family....IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY is handsome without being slick and offers the pleasure of watching three generations of a premier Hollywood family..." 04/25/2003 p.C10 Chicago Sun-Times
"...There are moments of quiet truth..." 10/17/2003 p.13 Variety 7 of 10
Though the headline on any story about "It Runs in the Family" would doubtless refer to son Michael and father Kirk Douglas co-starring together for the first time, more notable is how director Fred Schepisi steers what could have been a trite family comedy toward thoughtful moods and nuances. Resulting pic uneasily pivots between comedy and drama, with its best parts strongly reminiscent of Schepisi's previous, British-made drama about aging and dying buddies, "Last Orders." In his biggest role since his stroke (albeit one customized for him), Kirk maintains a movie star's second sense for dominating the screen..."It Runs in the Family" admirably wants to be generous to each family member, in terms of time and character development, but it never comes up with a strategy to make it all flow dramatically. One example is Asher, who shows Peg he likes her; but she's so repulsed by his stoner ways that romance seems hopeless...The Douglas match is never exactly magical, but is best in the quiet moments when father and son use unspoken emotions to reveal a bit more than a standard family feud. Culkin, feeling and playing younger than his ultra-bratty "Igby Goes Down," shows his tender side this time. - Robert Koehler
Chicago Sun-Times 6 of 10
I have no idea how accurately the story of "It Runs in the Family" parallels the actual story of the Douglas family, whose members play four of the characters. My guess is that most of the facts are different and a lot of the emotions are the same. Like "On Golden Pond," which dealt obliquely with the real-life tensions between Jane Fonda and her father, Henry, this new film seems like a way for the Douglases to test and resolve assorted family issues--to reach closure, that most elusive of psychobabble goals...The film is certainly courageous in the way it deals with Kirk Douglas' stroke, Michael Douglas' infidelity and the drug problems of a son played by Cameron Douglas. Even if the movie doesn't reflect real life, any attentive reader of the supermarket sleaze sheets will guess that it comes close. In a way, just by making the film, the Douglases have opened themselves up to that...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. - Roger Ebert
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