The Sum of Us

R

Released Mar 8, 1994

1 hr. 39 min.

Drama

LGBTQ+

List

63%

16 Reviews

Tomatometer

80%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Harry (Jack Thompson), a middle-aged father who suffered through the death of his wife, is ready to get back into dating. Harry shares a home with his gay son, Jeff (Russell Crowe), who is also looking for a serious relationship. Harry and Jeff, who are very close, decide to help each another look for potential partners. Jeff finds a boyfriend who is still in the closet, and Harry begins dating Joyce (Deborah Kennedy). She has a bias against gays, which puts Harry in a tough spot.

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Stacey D

I saw this in the 90's and it was way ahead of it's time. It is dated, but still a favorite... A film seeping with kindness and good intentions.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A satisfying and somewhat stirring examination of love and family. Crowe and Thompson give solid performances despite limited production values. "The Sum of Us" made me smile, so I guess I gotta recommend it.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Having a Gay affirming parent or child can make all the difference in the world between a stiff uncomtortable existence & a joyful wholesome embrace of life.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

What a phenomenal movie. I didn't see this level of quality, humor and love coming from the 90s movie. Very touched. This seems like a movie from 2030s. Being different is being normal, regular and as most people one has its daily misunderstandings. It also made me reconsider how I see (love) my family and that it is normal to treat my parents the way I treat them. I just want to say thanks. To those who have created this movie, have a seed of thought that triggered such emotions and thoughts in me. To those who have watched it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

There is something that always makes for a good movie when it concerns a father-son relationship. It could be society's fautls or anything but father-son relationships can be really troublesome, Someone having difficulties in accepting the other with his faults, or someone not happy with one's legacy. I don't know it's just a real thing that always makes for a compelling story. I adored this two protagonists and I envied their relationship, it was honest and true. A really sweet movie, a wonderful cast. I really did enjoy it. It was beautiful.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A sweet, sensitive movie on an original topic, especially for its time. Making a movie that features a homosexual man, his relationship with his father, how his father accepts him and loves him unconditionally, and their trials and tribulations, makes for a very original and special story. In 1994, when the movie was made, it would have been even more novel. Sensitively told story, based on the play by David Stevens. Great performances by Russell Crowe and Jack Thompson as the son and father, respectively. The banter between them is one of the highlights of the movie. A timely reminder of how much of acting talent Russell Crowe has, here demonstrating his range. This was to be his last local (ie Australian) movie before hitting the big time. His next movie was a Hollywood one - The Quick and the Dead - and he got third billing...

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

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Geoff Burton

Director

Kevin Dowling

Director

Jack Thompson

Harry Mitchell

Russell Crowe

Jeff Mitchell

John Polson

Greg

Deborah Kennedy

Joyce Johnson

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Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: C

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Alison Macor

Austin Chronicle

Rated: 4.5/5

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

The movie betrays its stage origins in several ways, but for me the most distracting was how it kept "audience lines" -- lines of dialogue that must have worked well in the theater, but seem too mannered and "written" for the movies.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Anne Stockwell

The Advocate

Originally an off-Broadway play, The Sum of Us won an Obie award in 1990, but the film version unfortunately took too long in coming. It feels dated, and the big screen only magnifies the flaws of a story that was slender to begin with.

Apr 5, 2022

Full Review

James Plath

Family Home Theater

Sexual orientation aside, it's the kind of film that can have you looking past family member faults and focusing on what's important.

Rated: B

May 26, 2016

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

The novelty of this Australian working class comedy of manners is that sexual orientation is not a probelm. Father and gay son (nicely played by Russell Crowe) enjoy the kind of warm, amiable relationship thast's unheard of and unseen in American films

Rated: B-

Feb 13, 2007

Full Review

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Synopsis

Harry (Jack Thompson), a middle-aged father who suffered through the death of his wife, is ready to get back into dating. Harry shares a home with his gay son, Jeff (Russell Crowe), who is also looking for a serious relationship. Harry and Jeff, who are very close, decide to help each another look for potential partners. Jeff finds a boyfriend who is still in the closet, and Harry begins dating Joyce (Deborah Kennedy). She has a bias against gays, which puts Harry in a tough spot.

Director: Geoff Burton, Kevin Dowling
Executive Producer: Hal McElroy, Errol Sullivan
Distributor: Samuel Goldwyn Company, Hallmark Entertainment, Miramax Films
Production Co: Samuel Goldwyn Company
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 8, 1994, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 14, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA): $743.0K
Sound Mix: Stereo