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Family Law
IFC First Take
FILM:
MPAA RATING: Not Rated
Starring
Daniel Hendler,
Arturo Goetz,
Eloy Burman,
Julieta Díaz,
Adriana Aizemberg,
Jean Pierre Reguerraz,
Dmitry Rodnoy,
and
Luis Albornoz
Ariel Perelman is an attorney, like his father. And, because it is customary in Argentina to do so, the people refer to them both as Dr. Perelman -- regardless of whether they mean the father or the son. Yet it is not so much sharing the same name that bothers Perelman Junior as not knowing if he is beginning to look just like his father -- or at least, the exact opposite. (IFC First Take Films)
| GENRE(S): |
Comedy
|
Drama
|
Foreign
|
| WRITTEN BY: |
Daniel Burman
|
| DIRECTED BY: |
Daniel Burman
|
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: May 15, 2007
Theatrical: December 8, 2006
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
102 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: |
Argentina / Italy / Spain / France |
| LANGUAGE(S): |
Spanish (with English subtitles) |
Original title "Derecho de Familia"
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
88
TV Guide
Ken Fox
Writer-director Daniel Burman's dryly humorous, poker-faced comedic style is once again in full play in this funny and touching film about a young Argentine man and his aging father, both of whom happen to be lawyers.
80
Village Voice
Ella Taylor
Like his equally father-fixated, and equally wonderful, 2003 film "Lost Embrace," Burman's beguiling tribute to his Jewish father -- or, for all I know, the one he wishes he had -- is warm and deep enough to give humanism a good name.
75
New York Daily News
Elizabeth Weitzman
Burman tends to focus very tightly on the details of individual identity - religion, nationality, gender. It is all the more striking, then, that his restrained and unassuming films are wise enough to speak to every adult.
75
Chicago Tribune
Michael Wilmington
This is a comedy made for people who think, who like smart talk and who, like the Perelmans, know the score.
75
San Francisco Chronicle
Ruthe Stein
It's a serious subject handled with humor -- not the ha-ha kind, but the hard laughter that comes from recognizing parts of yourself in the Perelmans.
70
The New Republic
Stanley Kauffmann
Burman is particularly good at the tiny details that become recognition points in daily patterns.
70
Variety
Jonathan Holland
A deft, witty and emotionally rewarding study of a thirtysomething man in his roles as father and son.
70
The New York Times
Stephen Holden
Delicate, bittersweet comedy.
70
Washington Post
Ann Hornaday
Family Law never really gets to the nitty-gritty of the Perelmans' fraught relationship, instead maintaining a gently ironic distance that, while admirable in its restraint, ultimately lacks emotional fire.
67
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Noel Murray
While Family Law is well-shot, it's not spectacularly well-shot, or involving in any conventional cinematic way.
67
Entertainment Weekly
Owen Gleiberman
Well acted.
63
Boston Globe
Ty Burr
It's a deceptively small film, one whose observations may continue to detonate quietly in your mind after the lights have come up.
63
Miami Herald
Marta Barber
The filmmaker may not appeal to large numbers of filmgoers. But if you get his humor and delicate style, you'll enjoy his latest work.
60
Salon.com
Andrew O'Hehir
An alternately charming and frustrating comic entertainment.
60
Chicago Reader
Reece Pendleton
Engaging and well acted, the film is admirably low-key, yet Burman's relaxed approach becomes a liability--everything goes down smoothly but leaves one hungry for something more substantial.
58
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Bill White
This is standard fare on the subject of father and son relations.
50
The Hollywood Reporter
Kirk Honeycutt
A meticulously observed story about fathers and sons within the Argentine Jewish community...What the film desperately lacks, however, is any meaningful conflict. Thus, there is little story here.
50
New York Post
V.A. Musetto
After sitting a while in front of my computer trying to come with the right word to describe the Argentine soaper Family Law, I've settled on "diverting." You will be entertained, but you won't tax your brain.
 The average user rating for this movie is 8.5 (out of 10) based on 6 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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