It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

As Good As It Gets

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

THE FAMILY WAY is a Boulting Brothers comedy-drama in which Hywel Bennett and Hayley Mills team up for the first of three times during their careers (the other two efforts were the horror picture TWISTED NERVE and the psycho-thriller ENDLESS NIGHT). This is a much more sedate affair about a couple of young newlyweds finding it difficult to consummate their marriage after being forced to move in with the husband's family.The thing that this film kept reminding me of was LAST OF THE SUMMER WINE. The Yorkshire setting and the broad accents, not to mention the costumes and look of the film, and the presence of Kathy Staff as the nosy neighbour, make the similarities difficult to ignore. And like LAST OF THE SUMMER WINE, this is largely a character-focused comedy in which various conflicts between personalities come to the fore and play out throughout the running time.I found John Mills a little incongruous cast as a Yorkshireman although he gives the usual professional performance. Bennett has the meatiest role as the conflicted youngster while Mills just has to act lovely, which she does very well, although she does show a bit more mettle towards the end. THE FAMILY WAY is no classic but fans of the actors and era should enjoy it regardless.

This stands alongside "Its a wonderful life " as something sure to make any intelligent viewer laugh and weep with delight - which is no easy task for a hardened film fan and curmudgeon such as I. I cringe at sentimentality and so much formulaic drama but this sweeps you up, takes its time to draw you in with laughs from delightful performances and a genius script of delicate and succinct storytelling. We the audience, see all the pieces of a small puzzle fit together beautifully. By the end you will gasp with delight at the resolution. Ignore or enjoy the dated setting and period, - this film is not about England in the 1960s its about heart, family and genuine everyday love, with understated and underrated power. One of the greatest movies you have never heard of!!

I first saw 'The Family Way" when it was first released. I enjoyed it then. I found it funny and sad at the same time. My date thought it was rather boring.Thirty years later I saw it again on Cable-TV and I've even recorded it so I can share it with my wife (not the woman I dated way back when). I've read many of the comments made by previous posters and I agree withmost of them.It is a very funny and very moving story. The young couple have problems from the very start: the "prank" on their wedding night and the disappointment the day after. Having to live with his parents because they can't get a "flat" or anything else would tend to put a crimp in anyone's love life.The final confrontation and resolution between husband and wife is simply great. The addition of Beethoven at the end of that scene underscores the sense of victory over all the adversity. Benny Hill couldn't have done it any better and I think he did try...John Mills clearly steals any scene he's in, even from the newly weds. The final scene in the movie isn't to be missed. It's what he doesn't know that makes it soo good.At one time I had the novel based on the film, but it's long lost.The sound track, written by Paul McCarthy, is great. If only he'd written more like that...

Fear not, I am not going to reveal what I consider to be one of the best lines in all cinema, as spoken by John Mills in this English classic. I agree completely with jw-8's comments on this. Now everybody knows Rhett Butler's "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." That is not actually the last line in Gone With The Wind, and I am not going to risk being blacklisted for telling you the actual last line in The Family Way either. Just take it from me, if you get a chance to see this movie, give it a look. I see that it is billed here as a comedy, I think it would be much better labelled "drama".