Best movie of this year hands down!

A Major Disappointment

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Found this a few years ago on a very cheap DVD in the UK and wasn't disappointed ! I have watched it over and over again. Richard Crenna is a very handsome actor and always plays his parts with great care and great professionalism. He has the perfect balance in his attitudes when trying to negociate the adoption of Sean. With his wife and other kids, he is the perfect Dad and husband. The film is very well done with the usual ups and downs of family life and I found the acting of the little boy Sean just spot on, not overdoing it but showing just enough emotion towards his new parents to keep the spectator hoping throughout the whole film that things would turn out right. The various courtroom scenes and of course the final one are brilliantly done. The child's adaptation to his new surroundings, to his new brothers and sisters is very emotional and I confess to having had watery eyes on several occasions. To return to Richard Crenna, I was very sad to discover on IMDb that he had died a few years back. I do not know all of his films but every time I saw him I was most impressed by his person. I think this film will appeal to all those who are sentimental and who love children. Definitely to be recommended for repeated viewings.

There was one boy who made a stand and fought for nothing but a place to be. His unprecedented courage stirred public conscience and paved the way for children's rights. Rights - unalienable rights, as they are held self-evident by the Declaration of Independence - that include the Pursuit of Happinesss for every citizen of the United States - even for minors. This boy was in the midst of a legal case that altered the understanding of parental rights and parents' responsibility towards their children. This boy made it clear that all you need is courage and steadfastness, which he – badly enough – gained from years of suffering and years of neglect; from years of being abandoned and deceived by his natural parents.This boy is known as Gregory Kingsley. This is his story.This adaptation focuses much more on Gregory's new family and how he manages to become a part of it, while following the same pattern as 'Switching Parents' aka 'Gregory K' with Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Here Tom Guiry plays Gregory, and he does so with outstanding sincerity and genuine charm that makes his screen debut a brilliant success.Here the story starts right with George Russ running into Gregory at the "Boys' Ranch". Thus nothing substantial about the boy's previous story with his natural parents is introduced as it is in 'Switching Parents', which makes it clear that this movie differs from the other adaptation of Gregory's quest. It does not take long, and Mr. Russ (veteran Richard Crenna) decides to take Gregory into his family. The movie then elaborates on Gregory's development within the Russ family, how he manages to deal with the eight other kids he is now living together with and how the family as a whole reacts to him as a new member.Whereas the strength of 'Switching Parents' lies embedded in the emotional conflict between Gregory and his mother, 'Shattered Family' gains its quality from a more convincing portrayal of how Gregory integrates into his new environment, how he gets along with his new siblings, how he deals with these arising challenges and how they family itself responds to him. These aspects are so strongly and genuinely implemented due to a stronger storyline as in 'Switching Parents' and above all, a stronger, more convincing and experienced cast. Richard Crenna is just the perfect head of the Russ clan, rugged and sensitive at the same time. Cyril O'Reilly is also much more credible than the comical and awkward Robert Joy. On the other hand I would say that Kathleen York is a better Rachel Kingsley in 'Switching Parents' than Joycelyn O'Brien in here, mainly due to a stronger mother-son conflict and as she basically has a more substantial and credible appearance.A comparison of the two young actors Tom Guiry and Joseph Gordon-Levitt is very difficult. They both have tremendous talent and give outstanding performances in these movies. Both manage to carry the emotional burden with genuine charm and natural skills. Still, if I had to decide, I would say Joseph Gordon-Levitt has done slightly better. He manages to say so much with subtle facial expressions; he seems to have such a strong personality that makes him perfectly fit into the role of Gregory Kingsley. Tom Guiry then again caught my heart with his genuine performance, which he delivered in a way which is typical for newcomers; he never appears to be "working hard to act", he rather seems to evoke a kind of natural relation to him as a character among the audience, due to his uncomplicated manner and unconventional honesty that pervades his acting.I give this movie a 9 because I was personally attached to the story and stunned by the sensibility of the cast when it comes to handling the emotionally exposing scenes. Furthermore the movie manages to emotionally address an issue of profound importance. It is the issue of whether parental rights are unalienable or not. It is the issue of which rights minors are entitled to, the issue if they ought to have the possibility of deciding for themselves where to live, so that they can be happy. All these aspects are wonderfully transformed and brilliantly visualized and treated by the cast.Just as Gregory says, in both movies: "I'm doing this for me – so that I can be happy." This is what he is fighting for – but it is also the origin of this movie's dramatic and emotional quality.

This is one of the best movies I have ever seen. It's about a boy, Gregory, who has been taken away from his parents, because they didn't took care of him. After a few foster homes, he end up at the Russ family. They are the parents he searched for all his life, and they want to adopt him! When his real parents hear about this, they suddenly want him back! They all end up in courtroom, where everything that happened in the past years comes up. It is a movie with suspense and drama and of course real good acting in it. A MUST see!!