Familien-Bande

This movie is all about Peter Falk, and what he's capable of when released from his Columbo role. Not that I have anything against Columbo -- it's one of the all-time great cop characters, along with Sgt. Friday and Sipowicz -- but in a police procedural we're mainly interested in what happens next, and any good director keeps that in mind. Here Falk gets to display the breadth and depth of his powers, and keeps us enthralled from the first scene to the last. He was "only" 68 when this film was released, but is convincingly aged during its course from something like 60 up to 107 (yes, really), which is a tribute not only to him but to the formidable makeup department (IMDb lists nine makeup credits). And just because grandfather is such an overpowering character, we shouldn't ignore the fine performances by D.B. Sweeney as his physician-grandson and Julianne Moore as the young social worker. In all, this is a moving story, well made and superbly acted. If you haven't seen it, do.

I thought that this was a decent movie, although the title was a bit misleading. I thought the movie was going to be about college roommates or those that met shortly after. I did notice that after seeing the movie that there were many similarities between how family members and standard roommates get along.

I noted the trivial entourage of characters. I somewhat disagree with the above users outlook on Julian Moore. In comparison to other films, I found her performance to be somewhat lacking.

I did however believe that the storyline was quite interesting. I have watched this movie and find it analogous to my roommates online network experience. I mean, did you know that there were places to find people like this. Not to knock these services and believe me, I had a genuinely good experience at www.roommatesonline.net. But I did notice that other places where you could find this type of roommate were lacking in selectivity.

They always say that you can pick and choose your friends/acquaintances, but getting a roommate is often just the same as in this move - you can't quite pick them. And although you might not like them, it seems that the interesting ones keep coming back. I give this movie a 7/10 for effort and a decent storyline.

I find it hard to believe that there are only 16 reviews of this film & that of those 16 all but one is positive, yet this film has such a low rating. I like a lot of Peter Falk's work. I truly LOVE Columbo. It was a great show that is still watchable due to the acting of Falk & the stories. I think the reason I love this film so much is that the character of Rocky somehow reminds me of my own father (who is old enough to be my grandfather) Like Rocky, my father is gruff, stubborn, snores incessantly, & loves his family albeit rarely says it. He shows his love with his actions not his words. Now that I have a son of my own & have my father living with me I hope that one day my son will be able to appreciate this film as I do.

I must put in a word of defense for this excellent movie, which was sadly underrated by both critics and audiences. The true story - of a Polish baker in Pittsburgh who raised his orphaned grandson at the age of 70+ and put him through medical school - sounds like a formula for sentimentality and cliches. However, the movie transcends that to become a moving story of the strength of family, with many wonderful touches of humor. Peter Falk's portrayal of the irascible, curmudgeonly, and indomitable Rocky Holzcek dominates the movie. We are made to care about all the people portrayed (well, maybe not the mother-in-law). I don't understand the criticism about the movie "not having a story" to tie it together. The changing relationship of Rocky and his family as the years go by has plenty of elements of drama. This movie touched me deeply. It's a real sleeper. I do question why they had to change the family in the original from Jewish to Catholic, but evidently the author was onboard with it.

Roommates is one of my favorite movies. I have no idea why it was largely ignored by critics and the general public as well. The remarkable chemistry between Rocky and his grandson is just incredible. The story never fails to touch me - even after quite a few viewings!