GETTING EVEN WITH DAD
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1994 James Berardinelli
Rating (0 to 10): 4.0
Date Released: 6/17/94 Running Length: 1:48 Rated: PG (Mild Language)
Starring: Macaulay Culkin, Ted Danson, Glenne Headly, Saul Rubinek, Gailard Sartain, Hector Elizando Director: Howard Deutch Producers: Katie Jacobs and Pierce Gardner Screenplay: Tom S. Parker and Jim Jennewein Cinematography: Tim Suhrstedt Music: Miles Goodman Released by MGM
One of many pervasive societal problems in the United States is the fracturing of the family unit, which sometimes leads to children growing up without one of their parents. More often than not, the missing adult is the father, and the effect of his absence is rarely positive, and occasionally profound. GETTING EVEN WITH DAD would like potential viewers to believe that it puts a "positive spin" on this issue. Actually, the dysfunctional family in this film is little more than a shameless plot device to introduce a lame father/son bonding adventure.
Macaulay Culkin plays Tim, another in a line of precocious boys portrayed by the young actor. Tim's mother is dead and his father, an ex-con named Ray (Ted Danson), is unsuitable as a role model, so he lives with his aunt--until she gets hitched and drops him off to spend a week with his dad. Now, normally Ray can't be bothered with the boy, but his sister's timing is especially bad on this occasion, because he and his buddies Bobby (Saul Rubinek) and Carl (Gailard Sartain) are in the midst of planning a rare coin heist. When Tim learns about the robbery, he immediately puts the knowledge to use for maximum personal gain - a week of uninterrupted fun with dad.
The premise of GETTING EVEN WITH DAD is vaguely reminiscent of that of the vastly superior AMERICAN HEART, a 1993 release with Jeff Bridges in the lead role. AMERICAN HEART delivers everything that this film doesn't: a solid plot, impressive acting, and a hard look at the complex dynamics of a fragmented father/son relationship - not to mention the pressures on an ex-con trying to make it outside prison walls. GETTING EVEN WITH DAD wouldn't know real sentiment or believable character development if it stumbled upon either.
Just to make sure that the audience accepts this film as a lighthearted (and light-headed) romp, two bumbling crooks--Bobby and Carl--have been included (sound a little like another Culkin film?). Most of the time, however, the pair proves to be more annoying than amusing, with almost every attempt at a gag executed with dubious aptitude.
The central focus of GETTING EVEN WITH DAD is supposed to be the forging of a genuine relationship between Tim and Ray. The problem is, with two such flat characters, how can any interaction between them be meaningful? Never are we given insight into how the two got along before Ray's wife threw him out of the house and, more oddly, there's no hint of resentment in Tim's attitude towards his father. These are only some of the issues that the filmmakers didn't want to address. They apparently felt that all they had to do was put two big names together. After all, who cares about "details?" Have father and son spend a week going to baseball games, aquariums, amusement parks, and a fishing pond, and the necessary bond will be formed.
Need I mention that GETTING EVEN WITH DAD has a happy ending (guess what happens)? Anyone who thinks I'm giving something away with that statement has the wrong idea about the film's nature and intent. As bereft of intelligence as the movie is, I suppose it's amiable enough, and likely to be enjoyed by children (many of whom will have no trouble relating to the actions of 11-year old Tim).
One curious note: some of the occasionally-bluesy incidental music (by composer Miles Goodman) bears an odd resemblance to the Spencer Davis Group's 1967 tune "I'm a Man." Every once in a while, I half-expected to hear the voice of a young Steve Winwood. That my attention was so arrested by the less-than-exemplary score should be an adequate comment about how noteworthy the rest of the production is.
- James Berardinelli (blake7@cc.bellcore.com)
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