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A Family Thing (1996)

A Family Thing (1996)

7.0

One brother finds another in this earnest family drama

Movie

United States of America
English
Comedy, Drama
1996

TLDR

Rest in power, James Earl Jones.

What it's about

In a letter his mother Carrie wrote on her deathbed, Earl Pilcher Jr. discovers that his biological mother was actually Willa Mae, a Black woman who died in childbirth, and that he has a half-brother Raymond Murdock in Chicago. Because of this, Carrie implores Earl to make amends with him.

The take

There are certain things in a family that are kept secret from kids, especially when it paints the parents in a negative light. One such secret is that a parent betrayed the other, leading to the existence of another family. A Family Thing takes that secret in Arkansas, in a story of two brothers divided by race, that is more common than acknowledged in America. While the film could have delved deeper into the divide, Robert Duvall and James Earl Jones deliver great performances, crafting brotherhood slowly bridged by curiosity, despite its difficult beginnings. A Family Thing is an underrated family drama that could've gone wrong, but it works because of the writing and the performances.

What stands out

Robert Duvall and James Earl Jones!

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