La famille Cleveland

Everything about this movie is perfect. The set design, the acting, the camera movement, the mood, the colors - everything. You'll be hard pressed to find a better movie. Easily, the best film generated in the last 35 years. Keep an eye on Michael Almereydas!!

I must be really missing something. I watched this movie and saw a meandering voyeuristic doting on what appear to be spoiled pseudo-intelligent rich brats, their mentally comatose father, his grand-daughter, and their hired keeper. The players are all virtually perfect in their roles, but are wasted in this looney home movie with no point. The boyfriend Chris at first appears fairly normal, but later he seems caught up in their uninhibited self-indulgence. I don't even want to think about the helicopter!

The only really sympathetic character in the picture is the patriarch of this strange brood, ably played by Harry Dean Stanton. His attempt to passively transfer from the asylum into a somewhat normal life is thwarted by the harridan he tries to partner up with. We see and applaud his withdrawal from the mayhem.

Look for a bit role filled by a young Tim Robbins.

While everyone does a decent job in this film, I agree with the other comment: it's too loose and scattered, too much like a script-less experiment with really talented actors. As such, it isn't enough to hold your attention. Having said that, there are a few really funny moments, one involving Dylan McDermott and a flaming shot glass that I think anyone who's been that drunk would find as funny as I did; the other is a split-second with an inflatable dinosaur. Crispin Glover does his usual nutty twitch-fest guy and does it fine, Harry Dean Stanton does his usual nutty patriarch (Repo Man, anyone?) etc. Good cast, not enough to keep it going. Just a few gems, seconds long.

A root canal without anesthesia is more amusing. This movie is disturbing and pointless. There is absolutely nothing believable about any of these characters or the plot line. What in God's name were these people thinking when they agreed to star in this movie? The acting in this movie is so incredibly bad - even from actors who are usually pretty damn good. "The In-Laws" is a funny movie. "The Birdcage" is a hilarious movie. "The Big Lebowski" is a humorous movie. This movie is just dumb. I cannot even begin to fathom the kind of sick mind it takes to write the "novel" that this movie is based on. I honestly cannot think of even one nice thing to say about this movie. It just doesn't make any sense. People please - I beg of you - do not see this movie. You will regret it for the rest of your life. This movie is not the worst ever made, but it is definitely right up there on the top of the list.

Each actor in this movie had to stretch their limits of obvious insanity, most unusual unstable movie I had ever seen.

Ended up thinking "what the hell"