hdavis-29 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.

MovieAddict2016 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

thejoebloggs 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.

Kay-18 This movie stars Robert Duval and James Earl Jones as sons of the same mother. Robert Duval's character is not legally adopted, but he is raised to believe that someone who is not his mother is his mother. This movie seems more interested in exploring racial issues, but not even that overtly. It makes certain that the pain of the mother is avoided as subject matter. It would be nice if all family members separated by adoption were able to accept each other this quickly and painlessly.