Dir: Fred Schepisi. US. 2003. 109mins

Three generations and four members of the Kirk and Michael Douglas clan get into the act in this comedy/drama about conflicted family relationships. The film is tough-going for the first hour due to slow pacing, awkward acting, abrupt editing - as if a lot of bad material had to be cut around - and the painful sight of the once vigorous Kirk Douglas hobbling around, his speech slurred by a stroke. But the genuine characters, familiar situations and honest emotions slowly win the audience over. Despite the fact that equal time is given to each generation (the younger members of the fictitious Gromberg family are 21 and 11), the film is geared more towards older audiences. Certainly it has a pathos and poignancy that will strike mature audiences who have experienced some of the situations depicted. Commercial prospects, however, look so-so. In its first weekend it managed a poor $2.8m from 1,207 sites for a weak $2,730 average.

The dysfunctional Gromberg family consists of grandfather Mitchell (Kirk Douglas), grandmother Evelyn (Diana Douglas, once married to Kirk and Michael's real-life mother), their son Alex (Michael Douglas), his wife Rebecca (Peters) and their two sons, Asher, 21 (Michael's real-life son Cameron, in his acting debut), and 11-year old Eli (Culkin, a member of another acting dynasty).

Being the son of a strong-willed and demanding father is not easy for Alex, whose unresolved, albeit understandable, anger seems set on permanent simmer. He does not want to make the same mistake with his own kids but, not surprisingly, he hasn't clue about either one of them. Asher is flunking his college courses and selling pot; Eli, the more mature of the brothers, is entering adolescence with a lot of unanswered questions. Meanwhile, Rebecca begins to suspect that Alex is having an affair but is too angry to confront him. Evelyn has always served as the peacekeeper between Alex and his father, but when that situation changes, father and son must find a new way to communicate.

The film marks the first time that Kirk and Michael have appeared on screen together - and the elder Douglas deserves much credit. Fighting his way back from a stroke which debilitated him several years ago, Douglas has been an inspiration to people recovering from catastrophic illness. His career-long tendency to overact works to his advantage here because it suggests the over-sized personality of a man fighting his own mortality. He captures the frailty, obstinacy, fear, ego, anger and deep love which fill this man - and seems to be having a whale of a time in the process.

Acting honours, however, go to the terrific Diana Douglas who projects wonderful warmth and a convincing strength-of-character. Meanwhile Culkin marches to his own beat, yet always seems comfortable in his own skin (it is also remarkable how smoothly both Culkin and Peters fit into the Douglas/Gromberg family). Cameron Douglas fails to fare half as well as Culkin, especially at the beginning when he appears to be trying to imitate Sean Penn's goofiness in Fast Times At Ridgemont High. But he has that Douglas look down pat.

Pro co: Further Films
US dist: MGM
Int'l dist: Buena Vista International
Exec prods: Schepisi, Kerry Orent
Prod: Michael Douglas
Scr: Jesse Wigutow
Cinematography: Ian Baker
Prod des: Patrizia Von Brandenstein
Ed: Kate Williams
Music: Paul Grabowsky
Main cast: Michael Douglas, Kirk Douglas, Bernadette Peters, Rory Culkin, Diana Douglas, Cameron Douglas