trimmerb1234 Given Bill Naughton's reputation as a writer I am sure that the original play worked well - the structure, the staging and the casting all fell naturally into place. Here it is a very good cast and some good performances but this film version seems uncertain where its heading or what it's about. until the last 15 minutes when much if not all is revealed about Ezra (John Mills) and (Marjorie Rhodes) marriage - and that is how the film ends. In terms of structure, around half the film is fairly aimless: young couple get married but are obliged to live in the husband's parent's house. Then half way through it is revealed that the marriage has not been consummated, and the problem seems to be the young husband (we get no impression from Hywel Bennett if he is experienced or not. Its always the same Hywel Bennett from "Virgin Soldiers" to Joe Orton - clever agile but rather detached). From the very little he says on the subject it seems he was put off by his bride's laughter at particularly critical moment and still, 10 weeks later, nothing has progressed. In a rather knockabout section news of the problem spreads until the entire neighbourhood gets to know of it. The young husband gets mocked by his leering employer, fights with him, is sacked, comes home early and, his blood up, shows (for the first time?) passion for his wife and thereafter all goes like clockwork. At this point attention shifts to an oddity in his parent's marriage and something major is revealed and the film ends with Ezra sorrowfully reflecting on what has been revealed. But what was revealed didn't have a great bearing on the what the audience had sat through for an hour - the story of the rather feeble young couple. The film itself won no awards, just, and rightly so,one for Marjorie Rhodes great performance. And that accords with my view - apart from her powerful and coherent performance, the rest is rather floundering.I would be interested to read the play.

theslick1 I saw this film last Friday night at an American Cinematheque screening in Los Angeles. It was my first time to see it, although I'd long been curious about it since McCartney provided the musical score.The film was the second half of a double feature, paired with How I Won the War, and it was worth staying to see. McCartney's score is top notch, and it's a shame it's not available on CD. The film is based on a play, and it has the feel of watching a filmed stage production. There aren't a lot of different locations used for filming, and most of the action takes place in a house. This may not sound so interesting but the story and characters are worth following. Hayley Mills is wonderful and her father, John Mills, turns in a stellar performance as her husband's overbearing father. They don't make films like this anymore, which is too bad. Note: The film has garnered a slight notoriety for a "nude" scene involving Hayley Mills. What this amounts to is a very brief shot of her holding a towel around herself and baring part of her backside. The shot is so brief that you will scratch your head wondering how this ever became even worthy of comment. I'd guess that this film would be rated "G" or at worst "PG" by American standards today, as it has no foul language, very little violence, and no on screen sex or nudity.

johnplummerphotography Great movie! I agree with most of the reviews above and can't really add anything to them so I will comment on the soundtrack. Composed by Paul McCartney it contains one of the rarest, and in my opinion, one of the best McCartney compositions, "Love in the open air" played by George Martin. It's worth renting the video just to hear this song. Paul recorded his own version many years later but it doesn't match the original score.

chris.murray3 A late entry to the British kitchen sink cycle, which suggests that if there was one thing that the upstanding, chapel going, gossipping classes disapproved of more than sex before marriage, then it was failing to fulfill one's conjugal duties afterwards. Which is unfortunate for a willing, but unable, Hywell Bennett and his virginal bride, portrayed by a divine Hayley Mills. Bennett is good, and Mills is suitably wide eyed and adorable, which in fairness is all the script really asks of her, but the film belongs to the senior cast members. John Mills, ironically portraying his real life daughter's father-in-law, succeeds in being comical and pathetic yet immensely noble, and Marjorie Rhodes is equally compelling as his wife, who loves, yet at times, quietly loathes him. The Family Way is a touching and amusing look at the social mores of Northern England circa the mid-sixties, and a chance to see Hayley Mills' bare bottom!