Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!
... View MoreThat was an excellent one.
... View MoreIt is a performances centric movie
... View MoreThis is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
... View More"Glenn Close and James Woods are Michael and Linda Spector, a mature, successful couple who have everything it takes to be parents except a baby. Mary Stuart Masterson and Kevin Dillon are Lucy and Sam, a teenage couple who have a baby on the way but aren't ready to be parents. Director Jonathan Kaplan and screenwriter Barbara Benedek mix laughter and tears in this funny, uplifting look at two very different couples who unexpectedly find a common bond and ultimately bring out the best in each other. Dazzling, funny performances bring a touching humanity to this slice-of-life comedy with a big heart." The above synopsis, trimmed of its references to Academy Awards and cast credits, is how it appears on video sleeves from Columbia Pictures. But, "Immediate Family" is not a "slice-of-life comedy" with "funny performances." Perhaps they are referring to a couple of scenes where family dog "Ellen" wrestles with Ms. Close or, maybe it's the abundance of bratty kids on screen. The misbehaving youngsters are there to show viewers Close and Mr. Wood really, REALLY want a child. Both they and the donating couple are so sweet and huggable, you just know they will make wise decisions for little William or Andrew...****** Immediate Family (10/27/89) Jonathan Kaplan ~ Glenn Close, James Woods, Mary Stuart Masterson, Kevin Dillon
... View MoreMary Stuart Masterson, two years before her role in Fried Green Tomatoes, plays Lucy, a simple teenager who has a child with her young musician boyfriend. While pregnant she makes arrangements for the baby to be adopted by a family that can give it a good home. That family is Linda and Michael Spector, played by Glenn Close and James Woods, living on the west coast.As Lucy carries the child she becomes friends with the Spectors, and even visits their home before the baby is born, to the point of admiring the room they have decorated for the newborn. However, after the delivery she has second thoughts, the normal bond between a mother and her child, and simply leaves the hospital, with baby boy, and travels to Ohio and her dad's home. Later when it become clear to her that she and the young father cannot give their son a proper upbringing, she goes back to the Spectors and gives him to them. She leaves a letter to William (the boy) and in a voice-over as the movie is ending, we hear her tell him why she gave him up. The Spectors stay in touch and we see a photo she has of the boy about two years old, with a big shaggy dog.
... View MoreI happened upon this on television. I remember when it was released in the theaters, but as a single man, it hadn't exactly been my cup of tea.Well, it's wonderful. The portrayal of the two couples is so very well written, so believable, so realistic, so interesting. The acting is simply superb - these actors make these people so sympathetic, so real.How wonderfully written this is. There's nothing formulaic about the way these people speak, the way they smile at each other, the small jokes they make, how they move and interact, the awkwardnesses that arise or dissipate, the unspoken sense of threat. Each character seems quite individual. I can't single out any one actor - they were all just wonderful. I'm nowhere close to this situation - yet I was very moved. One thing I loved was simply showing how these two couples related to each other - and the different ways they express warmth toward one another.The only things I disliked were the excessive use of music - (the fact that I'm not a fan of Van Morrison hurt) it felt like padding. I also thought the ending was somewhat pat. All in all, this is really top notch - it shows what talent can do - even where you've no intrinsic interest in the subject.
... View MoreImmediate Family is a heartwarming tale about four people who's lives are interwoven by one thing: a baby. Glenn Close stars as a frazzled woman who desperately wants to have a baby with her husband. When it becomes apparent that it can't happen, the couple looks into adoption. Through this, they meet up with a young, unmarried couple who are expecting their first child and want to give it to a nice family. The whole movie revolves around whether are not the young couple will actually go through with the adoption. Glenn Close is absolutely convincing as the very eager, very frightened "mother-to-be". For anyone who's ever loved a child, this is a must see.
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