Rating: 
Summary: On eof the greatest
Review: This is one of my all time favorite movies. It's certainly my favorite Duvall movie. James Earl Jone is great; the whole cast is wonderful. It should have won all kinds of awards. I stumbled upon it accidentally, and was pleasantly surprised.
Rating: 
Summary: very nice story, a lesson for all
Review:
A FAMILY THING
Robert Duvall, James Earl Jones, Michael Beach, Irma P. Hall, 1995
Synopsis
An Arkansas man (Duvall) in his 60's finds out, after his mother dies, that his birth mother was a black woman, who died giving birth to him. He then goes to Chicago to find his half brother (Jones), who does not want anything to do with him. It is thru his Aunt T. (his birth mother's sister) that the two men grow to understand the truth of their relationship.
My Review
You can't go wrong with Robert Duvall and James Earl Jones. Irma P. Hall (grandmama from 'Soul Food') gives a great performance giving this movie that special boost that makes it worth seeing and talking about. The flashback scene near the end of the film is superb. An interesting and touching story.
Rating:
Summary: Priceless
Review: A wonderful movie to watch over and over. This had to be a story dear to Robert Duvall's heart because he was one of the producers. He and James Earl Jones and 'Aunt T' really made the film. You begin to feel a part of their family and don't wish the story to end.
Rating:
Summary: best movie i've seen in a while
Review: Duvall and Jones and Hall are at there best, it must have been overlooked,should have been nominated for a award, I just loved hall in this movie, she plays her part very very well.
Rating:
Summary: A good movie
Review: I have to admit when I sat down to watch this movie I wasn't expecting much. After all so much has been written about crossing the color line in the USA and none of it has hit home for me, it seems that writers and film producers are afraid to tell the truth and either avoid the subject altogether or gloss it over in order to make it more palatable. However in "A Family Thing" there is no attempt to avoid the truth or gloss over the details and a story is told from the point of view of a man who one day finds out that his whole life has been built on lies. Earl Pilcher, played superbly by Robert Duvall is a white man living a white Southern life but with the death of his mother he finds that his family history is not what he thought it was. Armed with this knowledge he goes looking for his half-brother, Ray, played to perfection by the magnificent James Earl Jones, a man who has striven to bury the past, which includes his white half-brother. But Earl isn't Ray's brother for nothing and he proceeds to bulldoze his way into Ray's life and that of his bewildered family. Only the indomitable Aunt T, Irma P Hall at her crusty best is not fazed by Earl's appearance. She knows who Earl is the moment she meets him, and she's as blind as a bat to boot but filled with good Black Southern wisdom that has held her in good stead since the day her sister died not long after giving birth to Earl. This is a deliciously heart warming film with some genuinely moving and funning moments. I laughed and cried myself silly at Ray's attempt to keep Earl's identity secret from his Aunt, and Earl's shock when he goes to the supermarket with his Aunt and she tells the store owner that Earl is her nephew, and the store owner's expression because Earl is whiter than white. It's not all hearts and roses though, there are tough words spoken and violence takes place but the story glides steadily towards its gentle climax. With Ray's son grudgingly accepting Earl as his Uncle, and Ray himself coming to terms with a tragic past, the story ends with both men visiting their mother's grave and accepting each other for what and who they are. This is a brilliant film that somehow manages to convey a sense of America's colorful past that has been hidden in the shadows of history far too long. Two of the best moments in the film are the birth of Earl and how Aunt T eventually reconciles the embittered and angry brothers. This film might not be everyone's cup of tea but as yet in this genre I have yet to come across another film of such good quality. Billy Bob Thornton certainly knows how to direct films of merit.
Rating:
Summary: Heart warming family drama
Review: I have to admit when I sat down to watch this movie I wasn't expecting much. After all so much has been written about crossing the color line in the USA and none of it has hit home for me, it seems that writers and film producers are afraid to tell the truth and either avoid the subject altogether or gloss it over in order to make it more palatable. However in "A Family Thing" there is no attempt to avoid the truth or gloss over the details and a story is told from the point of view of a man who one day finds out that his whole life has been built on lies. Earl Pilcher, played superbly by Robert Duvall is a white man living a white Southern life but with the death of his mother he finds that his family history is not what he thought it was. Armed with this knowledge he goes looking for his half-brother, Ray, played to perfection by the magnificent James Earl Jones, a man who has striven to bury the past, which includes his white half-brother. But Earl isn't Ray's brother for nothing and he proceeds to bulldoze his way into Ray's life and that of his bewildered family. Only the indomitable Aunt T, Irma P Hall at her crusty best is not fazed by Earl's appearance. She knows who Earl is the moment she meets him, and she's as blind as a bat to boot but filled with good Black Southern wisdom that has held her in good stead since the day her sister died not long after giving birth to Earl. This is a deliciously heart warming film with some genuinely moving and funning moments. I laughed and cried myself silly at Ray's attempt to keep Earl's identity secret from his Aunt, and Earl's shock when he goes to the supermarket with his Aunt and she tells the store owner that Earl is her nephew, and the store owner's expression because Earl is whiter than white. It's not all hearts and roses though, there are tough words spoken and violence takes place but the story glides steadily towards its gentle climax. With Ray's son grudgingly accepting Earl as his Uncle, and Ray himself coming to terms with a tragic past, the story ends with both men visiting their mother's grave and accepting each other for what and who they are. This is a brilliant film that somehow manages to convey a sense of America's colorful past that has been hidden in the shadows of history far too long. Two of the best moments in the film are the birth of Earl and how Aunt T eventually reconciles the embittered and angry brothers. This film might not be everyone's cup of tea but as yet in this genre I have yet to come across another film of such good quality. Billy Bob Thornton certainly knows how to direct films of merit.
Rating:
Summary: One for the collection
Review: Irma P. Hall's performance is worthy of an Oscar.
Also includes Duvall at his best and strong performances from an excellent cast. This is a moving story of a middle aged, and down to earth southerner discovering that his family is not all that it appears to be. Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide does it a disservice by saying "Issues of race and family conflict are resolved a bit too easily in this rather contrived story". Instead, it tells the story of a simple, but genuine man and his honest attempt to come to grips with a newly discovered reality. A kind and gentle narrative that fills you with warmth. It is a must for the video collection
Rating:
Summary: MOVIE BY OUTSTANDING VETERAN ACTORS FOR EVERYONE
Review: Oddly enough, I purchased this video from a bargain bin of pre-viewed tapes at a local video store. The cast led by Robert Duvall (Earl Pilcher Jr.) and James Earl Jones (Ray Murdock ) was enough to peak my interest. I had not heard of FAMILY THING until taking it home that evening. This is the poignant story of an intense midlife crisis lived through by an ordinary middle aged white Arkansan, played by Duvall. Head of an extended family, upon his mother's death Pilcher is handed her personal letter to him by their family minister. Her letter says, his secret birth mother was his adoptive mother's then taboo Black friend. Also, he has an older half brother Ray Murdock (skillfully played by James Earl Jones). This is how the story begins. A central character named Aunt T (Murdock's surrogate mother) is so well played by veteran actress Irma P. Hall that her not receiving a nomination for an Academy Award cannot so easily be explained as an oversight. The tensions, ironies and intense character developments interpreted by Duvall and Jones keeps this movie alive from beginning to its happily resolved end. It is too bad that censors in Hollywood were embarassed by common and infrequent street talk and a mild childbirth scene in a flashback. Making an optimistic guess, these innocent segments alone led to the movie's PG-13 rating. Yet it contains important social and family messages that should be received by all children (and adults). Having raised four of my own, my position would have been to allow my nine years old and older to see Family Thing on their own. IMPORTANT AND WELL MADE MOVIES STILL CAN BE SEEN AT THE TURN OF THE MILLENNIUM. Family Thing is one of them.
Rating:
Summary: Delightful!
Review: Robert Duvall and Billy Bob Thornton (co-writer) are doing wonderful things in cinema these days. See this heart-warming film about real people. Irma P. Hall is at her best.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing theme and two fine actors, but a bit predictable.
Review: This 1996 film has two of my favorite actors: Robert Duvall and James Earl Jones. And Billy Bob Thornton was one of the screenwriters. It also has an intriguing theme.
Robert Duval is cast as Earl Pitcher Jr, a 60 year old auto body shop owner in Arkansas. He's as southern as can be and the scene is set so well that we can almost feel the heat of the hot summer. His mother is dying and he rushes home to her bedside. A few days after the funeral, the minister comes to call. He gives Earl a letter that his mother asked to be delivered after her death. When he read the letter, his life changes forever.
The letter reveals that his mother is not really his birth mother. His real mother is an African American servant girl who was impregnated by his father. The baby was born perfectly white and the real mother died in childbirth. And so the white women raised the baby as her own. This has been a secret all these years.
In the letter, his mother reveals that the African American woman had an older child who was thought to now be a policeman in Chicago. She urges Earl to try to connect with his brother. And so, he drives his pickup truck to Chicago in order to find his black brother. That's quite a setup for a plot.
James Earl Jones is cast as his brother. And Irma P. Hall is cast as Auntie T, who is in her eighties and remembers everything. Oh, and one more thing. Auntie T is blind.
The two men meet and clearly don't like each other. And then, as Earl is leaving Chicago, his truck is carjacked and he is slightly injured. He winds up staying in James Earl Jones' house for a few days. Naturally there are complications. And this is also where the plot becomes a little predictable. There's an upbeat ending too, of course.
No matter though. The acting and concept were so good that I just couldn't stop watching. And I found myself thinking about the situation long after the film ended. Therefore, I cannot help but recommend this film.
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