Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

David Burman's 'Derecho De Familia' (or Family Law,as it is being distributed in English speaking countries)is a tale of a young man who has become something of a mirror image of his father,another lawyer. The only difference is that Perelman,Jr.teaches law at the local university (never named),while his father,Perelman,Sr. practices law. Both share an office in a building that has seen better days (and is currently being refurbished,due to a cave in of one of the upper floors,leaving both generations of Perelman's out of work). Perelman Jr. has to try & fake the fact that he is out of work,and makes up any excuse to cover up. His wife is something of a "new age" trainer in Pilates (?). All of this (and more)make for a (so called)comedy that never really goes anywhere (but does try like the dickens to mimic one of those French family based films). David Burman writes & directs this mostly unfunny attempts at a comedy on family values that is obviously influenced by the late,great Francois Truffaut,but falls flat. The cast includes,Daniel Hendler,Julieta Diaz,Arturo Goetz,Eloy Burman & Luis Albornoz. Spoken in Spanish with English subtitles. Not rated by the MPAA,but contains some rude language,adult content & toilet humour.

Although i thought about walking out halfway through, stayed until the end cos it was raining really bad outside.Here's how good I thought the film was: * there was no real story. * Complete absence of attaching characters. I mean, sure the little boy is cute, the wife if good looking, etc. but the main character isn't exactly someone u identify with nor someone u hate. He's just someone who leaves you completely indifferent. Hence: where's the point in making a movie about it???? * not particularly funny for a comedy. * and as far as the story line is concerned, nothing much happening either. Genrelly quite slow.A boring film! Wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

I found this review today, I love the film! Its excellent, charming and you must see the little boy...The drama begins with the voice-over narration of Perelman (Daniel Hendler), a lawyer in Buenos Aires who teaches at a university. He's talking about the habits of his father, Perelman Sr. (Arturo Goetz), a popular and successful barrister who meets with his clients where they work or in restaurants so he can size them up in a personal setting. He is very close to his secretary (Adriana Aizemberg) since his wife is dead. Work fills his days, and his son his astonished by his energy. Perelman Jr. has a rather lackadaisical lifestyle. After lusting after Sandra (Julieta Diaz), a looker in his class, Perelman Jr. marries her, and she starts teaching pilates in their apartment. They have a son, Gaston (Eloy Burman), who turns out be quite the little charmer. Perelman Jr.'s office building is shut down for a month, and he is given some time off, but he doesn't share this news Sandra. Asked at school to participate in a program, he rebels but eventually capitulates. Family Law explores in a realistic and touching way the emotional barriers that often block intimate conversation between fathers and sons. Perelman Jr. intuits that something different is going on with his father but does not ask him about it. He forgets to buy a birthday present for his father's 65th birthday and is embarrassed to admit it. Many sons are intimidated by their larger-than-life fathers and spend a lot of time hiding in their shadows. Perelman Jr.'s lack of drive comes through in his relationship with Sandra as well. He has the habit of falling into bed at night and sleeping in his shirt and tie. She is very patient with his foibles and when she goes away for the first time since the birth of their son, she hopes that her husband will be able to manage without her. Daniel Hendler puts in a rounded and relaxed performance as the underwhelming Perelman Jr., a young man who slowly comes into his own. Family Law is the official entry from Argentina for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Awards.

I saw this movie being shown in a Jewish film festival. Apart from the fact that two of the characters are supposed to be Jewish there is nothing Jewish about it. Nor did there seem to be anything very Argentinian about it. None of the characters is really fleshed out and there is no genuine character development or much by way of plot development. There are little items in the dialogue or glances by the camera that you feel may lead somewhere but never do. For example the lead character's baby sitter goes to sleep in his bed one night - so? Other things just don't gel - his father turns out to have had some terminal illness and is supposedly somehow preparing him to take over the law practice but shows no signs whatsoever of ill health and dies suddenly of unexplained cause - no hospitalisation, no nothing. The presumed main theme of the movie - a father learning to be a better father to his infant son is never really convincingly portrayed. Altogether this is a boring movie about fairly boring lives. My two rating stars are for the production values which are reasonable and the female lead who is quite pretty.