In the Family

2011

2 hr. 49 min.

Drama

List

96%

28 Reviews

Tomatometer

76%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

After his partner dies in a car accident, a gay man (Patrick Wang) must fight for custody of the boy (Sebastian Brodziak) he's come to love as his own son.

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Rent In the Family on Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Prime Video, Apple TV.

Critics Consensus

In the Family uses one couple's tragedy to examine the legal meaning of parenthood - and make a persuasive argument for a more inclusive approach to family law.

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Alec B

The potential for over-the-top, weepy melodrama with this kind of material is obvious, but Patrick Wang opts for quiet realism. While the film sidesteps nearly all of the "movie-of the week" clichés by showing how in many cases the best response to intolerance isn't righteous anger or protest but rather impassioned, mature discussion and forgiveness.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/28/23

Full Review

nilufer e

It was way too long and slow for my taste but it had what you would expect from a family drama, realistic and sentimental. Good acting and cute and lovable characters.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Not bad at all, even though kinda melodramatic in blood. But 170 minutes is real too overlong for a feature film no matter what.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Maybe one of the most poignant movies I have seen. Definitely worth the long length. Patrick Wang is well worth watching in the future as both a director and as an actor.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

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Claude H

Needs editing but really good story line. Remember folks to keep your wills updated!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/22/14

Full Review

Audience Member

The potential for over-the-top, weepy melodrama with this kind of material is obvious, but Patrick Wang opts for quiet realism. While the film sidesteps nearly all of the "movie-of the week" clichés, the glacial pace could be difficult for some people to endure (nearly three hours worth of this story probably isn't necessary), fortunately Wang makes the important moments count, so if you are patient "In the Family" is quite rewarding. Another thing that helps distinguish this film is its subtle demonstration of "Bourgeois Homophobia" (The kind of passive aggressive discrimination that's becoming more common in America than the violent hatred of old) and how perhaps the best response to it isn't righteous anger or protest but rather impassioned, mature discussion and forgiveness.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

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Patrick Wang

Director

Patrick Wang

Joey Williams

Sebastian Banes

Chip Hines

Trevor St. John

Cody Hines

Lisa Altomare

Betsy

Susan Kellermann

Marge Hawks

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Mick LaSalle

San Francisco Chronicle

To see it is to sit there for long stretches amazed at how clumsy, fake and misguided it is. But then, five minutes later you might easily be riveted and moved by its awkward brilliance.

Rated: 2/4

Dec 7, 2012

Full Review

Marsha McCreadie

Village Voice

Trevor St. John is cute and broody-mouthed as the deceased lover; Wang, the movie's writer-director, is touchingly, disarmingly open; and the kid, Sebastian Banes, is adorable.

Nov 13, 2012

Full Review

Keith Uhlich

Time Out

No doubt you've noticed the nearly three-hour runtime, but please don't let that dissuade you: Every moment counts in this gripping tale ...

Rated: 5/5

Nov 13, 2012

Full Review

Nathanael Hood

Unseen Films

...a humanist triumph.

Rated: 9/10

Jan 6, 2020

Full Review

Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

Wang has created what sounds like a hot topic potboiler on paper and made a film that's as hopefully humanistic as it is melancholically realistic.

Aug 6, 2019

Full Review

Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

An emotionally shattering denouement to one of the year's most truly special debuts, heralding the arrival of a thrilling new cinematic voice.

Rated: 3.5/4

Aug 6, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

After his partner dies in a car accident, a gay man (Patrick Wang) must fight for custody of the boy (Sebastian Brodziak) he's come to love as his own son.

Director: Patrick Wang
Screenwriter: Patrick Wang
Production Co: In the Family
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 1, 2017

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