A Family Affair

Rachel is a Jewish lesbian. Her parents are initially shocked by this revelation (the lesbian part, that is), but have come around so far that they are now leaders of PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians And Gays). After a long, on again, off again relationship with a woman named Reggie in New York, Rachel moves to southern California and meets Christine.

This romantic comedy stars Helen Lesnick, who also wrote and directed it. Her character breaks the fourth wall frequently, speaking to the camera on and off from the very beginning of the film. While I really enjoyed the film, a couple of minor problems stood out: the actress/writer/director looks much closer to the age of the actress playing her mother than to that of her love interest, and the dialog seemed stilted and occasionally badly overdubbed. I can't help but compare this to "Kissing Jessica Stein," which I saw in Toronto last year but is only now being released in theaters. This film is more real, but is not as inventive or as well delivered, so I would have to give the edge to KJS. Seen at Cinequest (the San Jose, CA film festival) on 3/1/2002.

The writing is not altogether that bad--the jokes definitely have their niche and will be entertaining to its intended audience.

Let's just say that, without looking at any of the credits, I could tell that it was one of those movies where the director had cast herself as the lead role. I was not convinced by Helen Lesniak's performance as a romantic lead. She does well with the sarcasm...and that's about it. The fact that she looked to be the same age as her on-screen mother was distracting, frankly.

And it sounds horrible but the whole time I was thinking, "How did she land a babe like Eric Shaffer?"

"A Family Affair" is all about Rachel (Lesnick) who runs from a broken relationship in NY to San Diego where she falls for Christine (Shaffer) only to have her ex try to get her back...etc. Lesnick put this little indie together single handedly and it shows. The film is fraught with deficits including hackneyed material, trite dramatic or flip Woodyesque dialogue, stiff delivery, cost cutting everywhere, and Lesnick really belongs behind the lens. In spite of all that, I was marginally engrossed post climax in the drama of the denouement when the flick consolidates itself and finally gets real. Recommended for anyone who's interested in a romantic comedy about a woman who just happens to be gay. (C+)

Billed as a top pick of Gay and Lesbian film festivals around the world, this film left me wanting. Helen Lesnick is an OK enough writer, but her direction is a little pedestrian, and her acting chops don't suit the role. I agree that she seems far too old for the part, playing a 34-year-old? Please! She appears at least 43. Also, I was turned off by the sound of her voice, it drove me mad throughout the whole film. Shaffer isn't much better -- but she suffers aesthetically for two reasons, as well: her hair looks like a very bad horsehair wig all the way through, and she has absolutely RIDICULOUS wardrobe. I have seen Shaffer in other roles, though, and she's not as bad in those as she was in this.

There is no chemistry to speak of between Lesnick and Shaffer, and the relationship seems to develop without any substance -- we don't have much of a clue what they see in each other. Five minutes of what Lesnick wants us to think is witty repartee (but isn't) and then a year has passed and they're deeply in love. It's crazy! Perhaps Lesnick is trying to play on lesbian stereotypes (moving in right after meeting), but it seems like little actual thought went into this.

Michele Greene is given very little to work with in her role as the third member of the love triangle. I felt the film would have benefited if it had given us a little more reason to understand why Rachel (Lesnick) was so attracted to Reggie (Greene) in the first place, and had thrown Reggie back into the mix a little sooner. Despite all of this, Greene's performance is the standout in the film.

As it stands, it seems to be an attempt at comedy about the confusion of love and commitment that really has nothing to say about love and commitment at all.

An attempt at humour falls flat when Christine (Shaffer) is confused about the difference between physics and phys ed, and I think it's a bit below the belt -- this film really tries to give the message that west coast Americans are stupid, and east coast Americans are all intellectual, without really ever giving much of an example of either. It's too easy, pitting a massage therapist against a physics professor. Come on, give the audience some credit! The resolution is a total disappointment: it teaches that you can make life-altering decisions on the basis of a pep talk, and that life-long problems can be solved without real examination of their causes. Plural.

Lesnick is well-meaning -- she tries her best, she puts in lots of cynicism and dark-humour, but it just doesn't cut the mustard. Her follow-up work, Inescapable, which I actually saw BEFORE I saw A Family Affair, suffers from major script and direction problems as well, and it doesn't surprise me at all, now, because it appears that Lesnick's range is fairly limited.

This film bored me to tears. Don't see it if you want to watch LBGT films with some substance.

I read about the video in a Wolfe Video brochure. Bought the DVD and am very pleased with the film. I like the way Ms.Lesnick matched up the actors and actresses with the characters. If you are not Jewish (which I am not) there may be a few things that need explaining. The dish of parsley at the beginning of the Sadar for one. Even though she points out her mistakes in her comments and on the bonus video that came with the film, I think she did a tremendous job for a first time effort. I live on 10 acres in the southern tier of NY. Needless to say neighbors are few and far between. My enjoyment comes from viewing a collection of lesbian DVD's I have started. I put A Family Affair in the top 5 of my collection. I watch it often. I think Helen Lesnick is a gifted writer and film maker. I look forward to seeing more of her talents develop on the screen. Keep up the good work.