Written by Jennifer
March 28, 2009
Who knew hanging out with Peter Falk could be this much fun?
The Thing About My Folks could easily be cloying and trite, but it works for two reasons: Paul Reiser and Peter Falk. Now, I knew I liked Paul Reiser, but Peter Falk took me by surprise. Who knew hanging out with him could be this much fun?
Reiser plays Ben Kleinman, and his world is turned on its ear when his mother, Muriel (Olympia Dukakis), leaves his father, Sam (Peter Falk), after 40-odd years of marriage. Why would she do that? Is she insane? Is she having an affair? Well, flip over the DVD box and you'll figure it out soon enough. Olympia Dukakis is pictured in a hospital bed, so you can bet she's gone off to die alone like a cat.
Though the characters in the movie don't have the benefit of the DVD box, I'm not sure it would do them any good. Falk is no Columbo this time around, and as scandalized as the family is by Muriel's departure, they don't try that hard to look for her. Instead, Ben and Sam drive upstate to look at some property, crash into a tree, buy a classic car, and take a father/son road trip. Naturally!
The road trip is full of male bonding, entertaining dialogue, and shenanigans, but it is essentially an extended therapy session. The session begins when Ben pulls out a tiresome letter that Muriel wrote to Sam 40 years ago, but never gave to him. Apparently she always thought Sam was a crappy husband and that her life was a big old disappointment. This news opens a major can of worms, and leaves the two men dissecting the past as they go fishing, watch a baseball game, get into a bar fight, and sleep in the woods.
I know Paul Reiser is a self-help kind of guy, but I think he may have lost the plot as he was penning this movie. At one point Ben and Sam go out for dinner with a flashy mother/daughter duo (the closest either has come to cheating). The whole time you're thinking, "It's a scam! They're going to pick their pockets and leave them with the bill!" but nothing comes of it. Ben and Sam start arguing. The women just look at each other, excuse themselves, and disappear forever. Um, I guess they just got bored with all the yammering and family analysis? Weirdly, even with plot holes, the movie is still pretty darn charming.
By the time Ben and Sam find Muriel in the hospital, they are closer than ever. Oh, and Muriel didn't really mean what she said in the letter. She just meant it for awhile, except for the stuff she still means, but mostly it's water under the bridge... except for the stuff that isn't, which Sam can make up to her right now. Ugh! Could she be more wishy-washy?
The movie ends tidily, with everyone at peace. It sounds stupid, but it's kind of lovely and refreshing. I must confess that I had a major childhood crush on Paul Reiser. I loved him in Beverly Hills Cop and My Two Dads, and when he appeared on a talk show with his leg in a cast, I thought my heart would break. Eventually I outgrew him—I was never mad about Mad About You, and for awhile I thought he'd gone soft. The Thing About My Folks brought him back to me, and made me realize that he's always been soft—that's the best thing about him.
