Daddy and Them

First off, let me say that I am a southerner.

I'm also a fan of Billy Bob Thornton, but I can't say that all of his movies are works of genius. When he's good, he's very, very good...etc.

I watched "Daddy and Them" and thought I had really stumbled onto a gem! Also written and directed by Billy Bob, it portrays two of the most dysfunctional families ever. They are his immediate family, plus his wife's (Laura Dern), who've gotten together because Uncle Hazel (Jim Varney, in a very small, thankfully non-Ernest role) has been arrested for attempted murder.

To top it off, these people are the epitome of Arkansas rednecks! Diane Ladd is in it, as is Andy Griffith. Since it's a Billy Bob-er, the language is kinda raw, and it's a real hoot to see and especially hear old Sheriff Andy get down and dirty! He plays BB's elderly, semi-senile father.

Very humorous, with more than a few belly laughs... up until 1:10, or thereabouts, then the whole thing just collapsed! It went into a final half-hour or so of boring, self-absorbed pseudo-psychological angst and apologia claptrap. What a come-down! I guess it was intended to make the film "relevant," or something, but what it really did was to make it a semi-disaster.

I'd recommend looking at the first 2/3rds, then, when BB starts to become a self-analyzing motormouth, turn it off and play Scrabble, or something.

I will be the first to admit that I was skeptical about Thorton writing and directing this movie. And since I was (still am) going through a complicated divorce when I saw the movie, it made me cringe a few times in the first half of the movie. Up until Julia had her outburst - after that, things started to converge. Without giving away too much, I'll say that I can easily compare this movie to a symphony that is unconventional in the sense that it doesn't have a climax where a naive audience expects it to be. However, the first half being full of dissonance and stark tones, that almost magically become resolved into a harmony.

Seeing as though the IMDb patrons gave this movie only barely more than a 5 score, what I am going to say now will be controversial: I think Thorton is a freaking genius, and I am glad I watched this movie. For me, this is a solid 8 stars.

This was the first of four movies I saw as a personal tribute to actress Kelly Preston (who died last July). When I found this movie I was very surprised as it's a bit obscure especially here in Italy. I found some parts very funny and some not, but in the end, it was just ok.

The movie is about the dysfunctional Montgomery family that lives in the South of the US. It's composed by Claude (Billy Bob Thornton), his wife Ruby (Laura Dern), her sister Rose (Kelly Preston), her cousin Julia, their grandfather OT (Andy Griffith) and their uncle Hazel (Jim Varney). Ruby's family reunites with this family because their uncle is convicted in prison for attempted murder. And trouble follows because Rose doesn't do anything other than reminding Ruby the fact she had a relationship with her husband, and this causes a bit of anger in the family. The ending is a bit muddled.

This movie has quite an impressive cast for an obscure movie: Thornton, Dern, Preston, Griffith, Brenda Blethyn and even Jamie Lee Curtis and Ben Affleck (playing a couple of married lawyers)!! I really wonder how Affleck got involved in this movie since he was already a major star back in 2001. The scenery of the Arkansas woods and plains was very nice to look at and it makes you want to go there in vacation.

Don't have high expectations if you want to watch this movie. Mostly because it doesn't belong to a particular genre. At times it doesn't even know if it's a comedy or a drama and that's one of the film's negatives. But at least it has a few funny moments (especially when Thornton becomes some sort of self proclaimed philosopher). If you, like me, are interested from time to time in finding obscure movies with famous actors, then this movie is for you.

It looks like the lack of marketing for this film has really caused the filmgoing public to be deprived. I understand there was some turmoil surrounding the films release, which is why it was so delayed, and had things worked out better, it may have reached the audience it was designed for. The endearing part of this movie, with it's wandering plot, and it's archetypal characters, is that it is an accurate reflection of daily life among many of the lower middle class that lives in the middle of this country. I know these characters. Every one of them could be a neighbor to me. Although this film was based in Arkansas, it easily could have been made in Clay City, KY, right down to the phrase "daddy and them's" to refer to the patriarchal home-place. In short, this movie is about life, and not everyone's life, but hopefully about the life of someone everyone knows. When you add in the stellar cast, including hillbilly hero John Prine, this movie can simply not go unwatched.

Finally saw this film via Showtime after years of waiting for a studio/theatrical or video/DVD release. It was worth the wait, although strange seeing BBT and LD as a couple long after they've both moved on to other people. I didn't realize there were so many big-name personalities involved in the project (e.g. Ben Affleck, Jamie Lee Curtis, etc.) The film, with its collection of quirky characters reminiscent of "Daddy's Dyin', Who's Got the Will?" left me with a thoroughly enjoyable experience. It's one of those films that mostly makes you laugh, maybe tear up a little, and in the end, think about what the message was. There are so many families like the Montgomerys - dysfunctional with few to nonexistent communication skills - and we see bits of ourselves and our own families in these characters. The main reason I wanted to see this film so badly is because I'm a John Prine fan, and although his lines were few, they were effective! And stick around for the closing credits to hear his song "In Spite of Ourselves," a duet with Iris Dement. Worth the wait!