A Family Thing (1996) watch online HD

I saw this movie back when it first came to video. I didn't know anything about it, but I put it in anyway and sat back with an open mind. What followed for the next two hours was a fascinating story of a bigoted, Mississipi tractor salesman who finds out that he is half black. While this might not sound like a big deal, let me explain a bit. I grew up down in the delta, near the location that this movie was filmed. It is a big deal down there. Unfortunately, the majority isn't quite as color-blind as they are in other parts of the united states and bigotry is still a pretty common thing. I'm sad to say that there is still a little bit of a barrier there, and if more people were to see this movie, then I'm sure things would be a little bit different.

You see, Robert Duvall plays a fellow (not the most open-minded of sorts) named Earl. In the opening, we get to see the events that make up a typical day for Earl (coffee drinking, shooting the breeze, and selling tractors). We also learn that Earl's Mom isn't in the best health as she passes away ten minutes into the film. She also leaves a note behind telling Earl that she isn't his real mother. His real mother was black and Earl is the result of an affair that costs his blood mother her life. Since Earl came out looking white, he was raised up like nothing ever happened.

I can see it as a shock. One, Earl appears to be in his mid-fifties. (that's quite a big shock to a guy in the prime of his life) two, he discovers that not only is he a b**tard child to a mother he never knew, he also has an older half-brother. After all of this, Earl needs to take a road-trip to get himself together and maybe meet the brother he never knew. What follows next is a journey (both physical and spiritual) that will show ol'Earl a thing or two about life and love.

Written by Tom Epperson and none other than Ol' Billy Bob Thornton himself, "A Family Thing" is one of the best feel good movies I have ever seen. I highly reccommend it. It's pretty rare that a movie comes along that is good enough to change one's life. This oughta be required viewing for high-school students. What a film. 10/10

Everything about this movie touched my heart. Robert Duvall has to be the best actor who's ever tread the face of this earth. The way he 'sinks into' his character in this particular film is almost uncanny. The completely fresh and unexpected perspective from which the story is written took my breath away. I confess when I first saw this film I had no idea who Billy Bob Thorton(one of the co-writers) was - I just knew that this was one of the best movies I'd ever seen. Never at any time during this film do you get that feeling of 'I've seen this somewhere before' - and in this day and age that's almost unheard of. How come you haven't seen it yet?? Believe me it's worth the hunt.

This is a movie that reminds one of the saying: "Just when I thought I knew the answers, they changed the questions." A Caucasian man discovers late in life that his mother was actually Black, instead of the White woman who raised him. The history of slavery in the US, and the American version of apartheid in the south that followed the Civil War until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and given the often "strained" relations that exist today; the subject matter is important and challenging. The result is that "A Family Thing" is a little gem. It speaks of bigotry, fear, the way things were and the way things are. Some White Americans will not be comfortable with this movie. This will be due to the bigoted nature of Mr. Duvall's character, metaphoric of White hatred towards Blacks. Then, his world crumbles when he discovers when all is not what it seems. Kudos to the producers(of whom Mr. Duvall was one) and the cast for a superb lesson in confronting hate, and how one special Aunt can heal wounds generations old.

Irma P. Hall should have won the Oscar for this performance. I can't believe she wasn't even nominated. Duvall and Jones were also wonderful. An actor's treat!

Robert Duvall is great as the Southern man who is in for a surprise when his daddy dies. James Earl Jones matches him ever step of the way in magnificent interaction. But Irma P. Hall as the mother, really steals the film. If you haven't seen this, rent it. If it doesn't make you cry and laugh, you have no emotions.

A Family Thing is a drama about a Southen man (Duvall) who's mother reveals on her deathbed that he was not her child. Rather he was the result of a forced encounter between his father and the black help. In order to keep a promise Duvall sets off to find his half-brother (Earl-Jones).

Although the story seems to be about race - it's main theme is one of forgiveness and acceptance of others, with race being one of the barriers to break down.

All the characters have their own barriers to overcome - Duvall has to confront the fact that he is not white, Earl-Jones has to deal with his hatred of past events and Michael Beach has to come to terms with missing out on pro-football and the breakup of his marriage. Only the sagely aunt T. (Irma P. Hall) has the ability to accept everyone for whom they are - partly due to being blind "and not being able to judge folks on what they look like".

It's not an earth shattering piece of story telling and at times doesn't seem to have a consistent flow to it but it held my attention throughout and was actually quite rewarding.

It's all a bit tidy (in real life, nothing gets sorted this easy), but it definately makes you think.

A moving portrayal of the problems of racism - from both sides. The central characters a portrayed with incredible depth. Aunt T (Irma P. Hall) sums up the futility of racism - the films central theme - with the line "being blind does not give me the opportunity to judge a person by their color" (paraphrased). That being said, the film gets it's message across without preaching. An excellent film.

Robert Duvall's father dies and he finds out that he has a long-lost brother - a black man (played by James Earl Jones). He treks to the big city in order to find his brother (against his wishes, as he's a prejudiced Southener) and soon finds himself stuck under the company of Jones and his rambunctious family.

This story isn't always as realistic as reality but it draws good allusions and parallels - I watched it very late one night expecting to fall asleep and, much to my surprise, I was completely entertained (and even touched) by the film's sweetness. It's an incredibly easy viewing - it touches on some deep racial issues but is never disturbing. It is a good family film with some strong morals and a rewarding finale that is a bit too simplistic, perhaps, but nevertheless uplifting and a nice reminder of many values many of us forget.

A worthwhile, extremely underrated experience - highly recommended.

4.5/5

What a pleasant surprise this was. I caught this one day on Showtime and really didn't give it much of a chance. But I was so wrong!! Powerful performance by Irma P. Hall (as Aunt T.), and Robert Duvall is at his best as well. Wonderfully acted and written, this has to be the best movie I have seen in a long while. Sure, the same old southern stereotypes are portrayed as well as the same for the inner-city black culture, with many being quite accurate. Some parts were a little over the top, like the birthday party in the bar that Earl crashes as a total stranger. But that being said, not a lot of negatives I can say about this movie.

I feel some of the best movies are those that depict human drama... Movies that 'could really happen' and this is one of them.

"A Family Thing" is a story about an aging southern white man who learns at his mother's deathbed that not only was he adopted, but that his birth mother was black. This Robert Duvall / James Earl Jones pairing is superb!

Aunt T (Irma P Hall) ties the movie together with her love for a dead sister's child deep enough to bridge any racial barrier. Her character uses homespun wisdom to enlighten 'the boys' with heartwarming honesty.

Scenes include arguments/wrestling matches just like two natural siblings would participate in.. and of course there are moments when Aunt T's wisdom coaxes two half brothers into being whole ones...

All in all A Good Watch....

I love this movie very much. I wish more people saw it, and also that Irma P. Hall got a nomination, because she was fantastic and memorable. I thought everyone else in the cast was great, too, but Hall steals the movie from her more-famous co-stars.

I would like to give this movie a higher rating, but there is something that detracts from it's quality. Duvall is a brilliant actor, but perhaps the whitest guy in Hollywood. His complex is pale, and he doesn't have any curls to his hair. Now, it is hard to believe that Nicole Ritchie is half-black, but you can see she has a darker complexion. Therefore, it is impossible to believe that Duvall's character is half-black.

If Duvall's character grew up in this very white small town, people probably would have suspected he had American Indian, Italian, or Hispanic blood. Duvall's character may have been aware that he was not totally Scotch-Irish. If he were in the Bayou, perhaps it wouldn't be as big a deal. But in farm country of the South, highly unlikely that he wouldn't be aware of something.

I didn't like the fact that Duvall's character goes to the big city and all of a sudden he is being considered half-black. It would be more of an adjustment than the movie portrays. In addition, his nephew probably would have resented him giving advice to him. Why wouldn't James Earl Jones' character be the one to give him advice.

The movie was interesting, but this point severally detracts from it's credibility. I have a better idea. Why not make Duvall's character 100% white, and have the Father having an extramarital affair that produced Jones' character. Jones' is definitely light to medium brown complexion. He could be a believable mulatto.

The Father could be the one dying. On his deathbed he can confess that he had an extramarital affair, and that there was a half-brother to Duvall's character. The Father could leave out the fact that his brother is half-black. Then Duvall's character shows up, and is completely shocked.

This would have been a better idea. Duvall could have been conflicted, because he was so white, but now he had to accept that his brother was half-black. In addition, Jones' family would deal with their own fears and reluctance in accepting Duvall's character. This would have been a more meaningful scenario. It would have forced both races to accept that they have a father in common.

It's pretty telling that people are still contributing reviews of this film 14 years after its release. It's hard to imagine anyone seeing it (or re-seeing it, as in my case) and not having a powerful emotional response. It's just that good.

The acting is spectacular - not just the two leads, who are both as good as you'd expect them to be, but also the supporting cast. Irma Hall, as Aunt T is joy to behold. She'll still be in your thoughts days later. There's really not a throwaway scene here. Everything rings true and serves the plot. The settings are real-looking, the dialog is natural...it's just a fine piece of movie making. Kudos to Billy Bob Thornton and those involved in getting this from the drawing board to the screen.

I'm guessing that kids won't like this as much as adults. Nothing blows up real good and there may be too much "wisdom" in the story. That's unfortunate because the moral center of this film is just where you'd want it to be, unless you're a die-hard retro racist. But forget morality. A FAMILY THING is just a hell of a fine piece of movie-making. As they used to say, "You'll laugh. You'll cry." They're both true. And you'll have a fine time in the process.

The plot for "A Family Thing" sounds unlikely when you first hear about it. An Arkansas man gets a note from his deceased Mother that she is not his real Mother, that he is actually the product of a sexual encounter between his Father and the family's black maid. The letter urges him to travel to Chicago to find his half-brother, who is a black man. Sounds like a scenario Hollywood would dream up for a broad comedy ("I'm white, you're black, but we're brothers?" Cue wacky music) or a liberal social piece on how we all should "just get along".

"A Family Thing" takes neither road. Instead it examines the realistic reactions the characters would have in such a situation. It services the racial element without getting preachy, and it finds comedy in unlikely places, but mostly it deals with the topic in a frank, straightforward manner.

Robert Duval plays the bewildered Earl Pilcher, a hard-working equipment rental store owner and self- described "redneck", who suddenly finds the very foundation of his life shaken by his Mother's startling post-mortum revelation. His Father's silence on the matter confirms the story, so Earl hops in his truck and drives to Chicago. He locates his half-brother, Ray, a good-natured Chicago cop nearing retirement, played by James Earl Jones. Ray is polite but cynical about the whole matter, with some deep rooted hatred for Earl's Father that he manages to keep from spilling over to much on to Earl. They part ways, but Earl is car-jacked and ends up in a hospital with a concussion, and the only thing they find on him is Ray's phone number. Thus the stage is set for an unorthodox family reunion.

Duval and Jones hit all the right notes as the perplexed brothers discovering each other, despite their distaste for their shared history. Duval's flawed but decent Earl is reminiscent of his performance in "Tender Mercies", subtle and understated. Jone's Ray is a kind-hearted man who has nursed the wounds from a hard life and come out better for the experiences. In a touching scene, beautifully under-played by both actors, the two men talk about their experiences in the Korean War while preparing to bed down for the night. They are two unlikely brothers sharing a room, and sharing their lives.

Michael Beach plays Ray's angry son, Virgil, a divorced bus driver who lost his chance at athletic stardom to a knee injury. But the most fascinating performance is delivered by Irma P Hall as Ray's (and Earl's) Aunt T. Aunt T is a cranky but soulful old woman who happens to be blind, but she sees things the other characters can't, and teaches them all a thing or two about the meaning of family. A scene where she recounts the night of Earl's birth is the emotional highlight of the film.

Don't expect any fireworks or explosions. "A Family Thing" is mostly a quiet, character-driven story. Do expect to be touched by the simple drama of human lives, relayed by a talented director (Richard Pierce) two insightful writers (Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson) and some very skilled actors.

This movie is one of my all time favorites. It felt so real. My family has a story like this. The acting by all the cast members were awesome. It feels so real when you are watching the flick. I would love to see it come to Broadway as a show something like that or as a play or whatever. Aunt Tiara, Aunt T was great!!!!!Love her. "Now don't go forgetting about your old Aunt T"!!!!!!!!!She rocks.......James Earl Jones, who by the way is one of the best actors ever; was interviewed on the Diane Rimms radio show ca. 2006 and he said it was one of his favorites also! ....... Now then ..........the birthing scene WOW it was one of my best parts-- so real powerful and sad. I cried like a baby. Loved the soundtrack also, great music these songs where just perfect! Robert Duval was perfect, love him also....JKE Brooklyn, NY 2/1/2007

Another delightful collaboration of Robert Duvall and Billy Bob Thornton. How refreshing it is to be treated to non-Hollywood type characters that the viewer can identify with. Jones and Duvall are splendid, but like another reviewer says, the show stealer is Irma P. Hall.

What a great film! Robert and James Earl Jones were terrific. You believe everything in this film. The characters draw you right to them and you don't want the film to end.

"Ignorance of how we are shaped racially is the first sign of privilege." - Tim Wise

Directed by Richard Pearce, and written by Billy Bob Thornton, "A Family Thing" stars Robert Duvall as Earl Pilcher. A racist Irish-American Southerner, Earl learns that his biological mother was in fact a Black-American maid named Willa Mae. Willa Mae was raped by Earl's white father.

When he learns that he has a black brother - played by the mighty James Earl Jones - Earl embarks upon a quest. He travels north, and spends several days in his brother's company. Along the way, Earl finds himself wrestling with issues of race, forgiveness, white privilege and acceptance. Though marred by some stereotyping, the film's marginally better than most mainstream films which attempts to delve into 20th century racism. Irma P. Hall is excellent as Earl's loving aunt.

7.5/10 – Worth one viewing.

Many African-American families include persons of varied complexions, from the darkest hues to the lightest. These light-complexioned individuals are simply "white" as the world reckons appearances. This very fact makes blacks and whites kin within the last four or five generations. Aunt T gives perhaps the most profound statement in this film: "Nobody ever knows what it's like for somebody else. That's always the problem." The writer Guy Murchie wrote that if there is anyone we disdain, do not shake our family tree because our ancestors both near and far will surprisingly show up with every racial variant imaginable. For some "A Family Thing" speaks an unpalatable truth: blacks and whites are kin and closely related to each other.

It is not every day that one comes across such an enjoyable movie, but the premise on which it is based can well have been an every day occurrence.

It took the brilliant work of its makers, and not just a little bit of talent and creativity to make such a great movie out of an ordinary story.

The dialogue is so natural and real that it takes you there. One of the memorable highlights of this film is the conversation the two brothers have before going to bed in the same room for the first time ever, during which their bonding process begins.

So much has been said about the leading members of the cast that there is not much to add. For me, I noticed Robert Duvall the first time as the mob lawyer in the "Godfather, and it was years later when I saw again "To Kill a Mockingbird" that I recognized him in the small bit he had there. I heard the magnificent voice of James Earl Jones as that of Darth Vader in "Star Wars", and later on I saw his acting abilities. Who can forget Reginal Taylor as Lilly in the TV Series "I'll Fly Away", and Michael Beach is doing now an excellent job in the currently shown "Third Watch" as the paramedic "Doc" Parker.

I like Robert Duvall. He has made some great films over the years - A Civil Action, The Apostle, Tender Mercies, The Great Santini, Apocalypse Now and the Godfather, to name a few. Even his small films are great, like Assassination Tango.

This film, co-written by Billy Bob Thornton, is a gem that shines in a sea of excellence. The discovery that his real mother was black, was a shock to Earl Pilcher Jr. (Duvall), and he heads off from Arkansas to Chicago to find his brother Ray, played by James Earl Jones, another great actor known by most people as Darth Vader.

Ray already knows everything and is not anxious to revive old memories. The interaction between the two is mesmerizing and funny. It is what movies are all about.

Irma P. Hall (The Ladykillers, A Lesson Before Dying) is captivating as Aunt T. and has some of the best lines in the film. It is worth your time just to see her.

What a memorable experience!

Robert Duvall plays an aging Southerner who discovers he has a half-brother -- and worse, their mother was black! He journeys to Chicago to meet his half-brother (James Earl Jones), who is as shaken as he to discover their connection. The blind Aunt T. (Irma Hall), who lives with Jones, helps the two men sort out their differences. A familiar TV face, Michael Beach, plays Jones' grown son, who is dealing with personal problems and not exactly overjoyed to have a white man -- worse, a bona fide cracker -- in the family. Duvall walks away with this one. He is amazing. At one point, after having been carjacked and beaten and wandering off from Jones in anger and hurt feelings, he finds himself in a bar where he drunkenly invites himself to join a table of folks celebrating one of the ladies' birthdays. They're black, and his redneck, incorrect way of talking to them becomes painful to hear. He is that convincing. The last shot of the movie, which is absolutely precious, has Aunt T. walking away from the camera, headed for the market. Veteran movie and TV director Richard Pearce made this from a script cowritten by Billy Bob Thornton. A must-see.

I turned on the TV this morning and saw this movie listed in the viewing guide. I love Robert Duvall, so I decided to have a look, even though the info in the guide gave only 2½ stars (out of 5). Well, I think it's pretty sad that it got such a poor rating from ANYBODY! What a great movie. I was glad to see it got better reviews here.

I found this movie to be well-written and well-acted. It moved me to tears several times. I live in Oklahoma, and am pretty well-acquainted with folks from neighboring Arkansas. I was really pleased at how well Robert Duvall portrayed the role. From the body language to the speech patterns to the attitude, he had the small-town Arkansas tractor dealer down pat.

The interactions were quite accurate, becoming more and more touching as time went on. I highly recommend this film to anybody who wants to see a good treatment of the way racism is still alive and unwell in many parts of America.

While some may think a white child with a black parent is a rare occurrence, a recent story revealed that the mother of six of Thomas Jefferson's children was a black slave by the name of Sally Hemming. Richard Pearce's A Family Thing is a modern day fictional example of such racial mixing. The film is a comedy but has serious overtones in its thoughtful look at America's racial divide. When 60-year-old Earl Pilcher's elderly mother Carrie dies, she leaves him a letter that the local pastor (Nathan Lee Lewis) delivers to him after her death. The Arkansas equipment rental manager is shocked to read in the letter that his real mother was Willa Mae (Patrice Pittman Quinn), an African-American who was impregnated by his father (James N. Harrell).

"Nobody knew," the letter says, "because you came up white. Willie Mae died having you. I was right there." Needless to say, this piece of information does not sit well with Earl who was raised by the Pilchers and never questioned his heritage. To compound Earl's confusion and disbelief, he also finds out that he has an African-American brother, Ray Murdoch (James Earl Jones), who lives in Chicago. When Mrs. Pilcher implores Earl to find his brother, Piclher suddenly takes off to Chicago in his old pickup truck without telling his family the reason for his departure. In Chicago, he discovers that his brother Ray is a cop who works in the office of Chicago's mayor, that he knows all about him, and is not happy about seeing his brother again, blaming him for his mother's death.

Finding himself in a dangerous part of town, Earl is held up, mugged, and has his truck stolen. After getting out of the hospital and needing a place to stay, he is reluctantly put up by his brother who lives in a flat with his son Virgil (Michael Beach) and his elderly, blind Aunt T (Irma P. Hall) who brought him up. Even though Ray tries to convince her that Pilcher is an old Army friend, the wise old woman isn't buying. "Stop BS-ing me," she says "Earl Pilcher -- I know all about your sorry half-black a -- ." Once they get over the shock of recognition, the plot unfolds in a predictable but highly entertaining manner as the brothers discover they have more in common than they thought.

Earl gets drunk and winds up sleeping under a bridge. Virgil reveals that he had a serious leg injury that curtailed a promising football career and listens to some upbeat suggestions from his uncle. There is also a wonderful scene with Earl and his blind aunt shopping at a supermarket where she has memorized the inventory, and a moving flashback to Earl's birth. Though both Duvall and Jones are accomplished veteran actors, Hall steals the show and makes the film special. Old Aunt T. sums up the film's message when she says, "I don't have the blessing of being able to separate people out by looking at them no more." That kind of colorblindness is a blessing more people ought to have.

Watch this if...you are in the mood for a movie with a nice message that is superbly acted. It tackles many racial issues and is entertaining, but drags a bit toward the end.

Acting/Casting: 8* - Great casting and Duvall and Jones are gold in the lead roles. The supporting cast does a good job as well and this is really the strong point of the film.

Directing/Cinematography/Technical: 6* - I felt that the scenes taking place in Arkansas felt much more real than those in Chicago. The flashback scenes were done very well and overall the directing was on par. My biggest complaint would be the last 20 minutes of the film that seemed to drag a bit.

Plot/Characters: 7* - Very well written story and message by Billy Bob Thornton concerning racism and passing judgment on those we don't actually know or get to know. It is a somewhat far fetched plot, but the irony and underlying premise is good.

Entertainment Value: 6* - I enjoyed the film and the acting really carries the movie. There isn't a ton going on in the film, but it manages to keep your attention. A good show, but it will likely be a few years before I sit down to view this again.

My Score: 8+6+7+6 = 27/4 = 6.75

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