juneebuggy Not exactly the happiest movie, it's a suburban drama along the lines of The Ice Storm or American Beauty combining dark humour with tragedy just not quite as well as those movies did.Still strong performances especially from Sigourney Weaver who gives a penetrating portrait as the mother of this dysfunctional clan as we follow year in the life of her family, left devastated by the suicide of the eldest son, a champion swimmer. Jeff Daniels is, wow, quite an a-hole here. Very unlikeable and unredeemed by the end. He shows his pain by verbally striking out at his family. Emile Hirshe is young here but does a fantastic job and I really enjoyed the relationship he had with his mother. 8/20/14

zaisim90 This movie is genius! just pure genius. the plot, the characters, the imagery, the play of emotions... a script like this could have ended up being so corny, but no, not this; and i don't think that anyone can watch this movie and remain untouched. i don't think any other movie has really dealt with the complexities of a modern day family and youth like this one has.The music is something else in this movie - be it the theme music or the soundtrack - each scene is beautifully landscaped with the right choice of music. especially one particular scene - which may shock a few people initially (OH PREJUDICES!!!) but will undoubtedly create a spark no matter how tiny in anyone's heart.MUST SEE THIS MOVIE!

whpratt1 Enjoyed this film which deals entirely about an average family, so it appears. Ben Travis, (Jeff Daniels) plays the role as a father who is only interested in one son who is excellent at swimming and wins many trophy's, however, he hates it very much and even his father. Ben has very little to say to his other son, Tim, (Emile Hirsh) and even his daughter, Penny, (Michelle Williams) who is fortunate to be away in college. The mother, Sandy, (Sigourney Weaver) tries to hold the family together and even she is completely ignored by her husband also. A very tragic event happens in the family which changes everyone's personality, young and old start using drugs, smoking pot and drinking all the time at parties. There is even a homosexual scene and at the same time there is even room for comedy and of course there is a very dark secret that Sandy Travis finally tells her son Tim.

skapunkpopemogal so. i was completely in love with this movie. gaga for it, even with all its plot twists...but the one thing i found really disturbing was the connection between the two best friends in Tim and Kyle. While the writer of the film gave us such a poignant moment between the two, and their sexual experimentation/confusion, he then gives us a plot twist that makes them half brothers?!?! (Although the subject isn't brought up in the film....and left unexplained and unaccounted for) I just thought that it was in bad taste, and the fact that it wasn't even discussed is even worse. (Oops we've created a taboo...now let's not address the situation, because that wouldn't really be P.C.) Otherwise a spectacular film