Legami di famiglia

30th Anniversary: 1989 - the Best Year in Cinema Marathon Film #82/100: "Immediate Family" (2nd Viewing.) My memory did NOT serve me right on this film. I *know* I saw this when it first came out 30 years ago and I recall a much longer and more in-depth drama/court/law case against the two parties, but there was NONE of that here. Maybe there was a Director's Cut I saw? Not sure, but this is a straight forward story of a loving couple adopting an unborn child of another loving couple, only one family (the former) who's well off and can provide for the child. Last minute, or post?, the real Mommy has second thoughts and we'll see how that plays out. Really good performances from solid actors and nicely shot, it's only shortcoming was the glossed over real emotions that come with mothers-to-be giving up their unborn child to strangers.

Side note: My first nephew was a product of this exact situation. My sister was pregnant at 17 (gave birth at 18) and realized, or talked into by my parents and/or church, she couldn't care for the child. A VERY well-off family stepped in and adopted the child. Nicely, he was born on Christmas Day, the year of this movie: 1989.

"Immediate Family" is a look at the vicissitudes of adoption. Glenn Close and James Woods play Linda and Michael Spector, a middle-aged couple who have never been able to have children. They meet with a younger, economically strapped couple to discuss adopting from them, but further complications ensue.

I will admit that this isn't the ultimate masterpiece, but it's the sort of movie that people should see before they adopt, just to understand the issues. Equally as good as Close and Woods are Mary Stuart Masterson and Kevin Dillon, as the young couple having the baby but having doubts about giving it up. A pretty interesting movie.

The movie Immediate Family is one of those rare films that never reach the public in a big way. But, the people that do see it are usually impacted greatly on the way to handle adoption and pregnancy at an early age. The cast:Glenn Close, James Woods, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Kevin Dillon are just the right mix to produce a movie of this genre. If you like baby flicks, I suggest you try out this one. Yet another example of 80's greatness.

Rating:8/10 stars

Linda and Michael (Glenn Close and James Woods) are Linda and Michael who have been unable to have a biological child.

An adoption agency matches them with a pregnant teen (Mary Stuart Masterson) who agrees to sign away custody. Once the baby is born, she decides to keep the baby and raise the child with her boyfriend (Matt Dillon).

I do not mean in any way to make light of the plot of this film as family friends went through it, and it's devastating.

However, I was conned into seeing a preview screening of this where we had to fill out opinion cards. No one in my group gave it a good review. Glenn Close is always good. I thought James Wood was awful as was some of the dialogue and situations.

I have no idea what was changed in the final film, except I know the ending we saw was added to. It still made back a little bit over the third of its budget.

I happened upon this on television. I remember when it was released in the theaters, but as a single man, it hadn't exactly been my cup of tea.

Well, it's wonderful. The portrayal of the two couples is so very well written, so believable, so realistic, so interesting. The acting is simply superb - these actors make these people so sympathetic, so real.

How wonderfully written this is. There's nothing formulaic about the way these people speak, the way they smile at each other, the small jokes they make, how they move and interact, the awkwardnesses that arise or dissipate, the unspoken sense of threat. Each character seems quite individual.

I can't single out any one actor - they were all just wonderful. I'm nowhere close to this situation - yet I was very moved. One thing I loved was simply showing how these two couples related to each other - and the different ways they express warmth toward one another.

The only things I disliked were the excessive use of music - (the fact that I'm not a fan of Van Morrison hurt) it felt like padding. I also thought the ending was somewhat pat.

All in all, this is really top notch - it shows what talent can do - even where you've no intrinsic interest in the subject.