Immediate Family (1989)

Instant Favorite.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

As someone who went through much of what the movie portrays, I think it was beautifully written and felt true to life. I think the most wonderful thing about this movie are the subtle vignettes - like when Michael Spector is at a baseball game and sees a boy on his dad's shoulder ... everything becomes slow motion around it. And I absorbed the subtle shots of Linda dealing with everyday life and job, while going through treatments ... not many words had to be spoken to understand her sadness and stress. The insensitive doctors, friends, and the imperfections of Michael and Linda were important to understanding the layers involved. There were some touching and subtle moments between the Linda and Lucy that were great to see. Lucy's character was likable and genuine. A few years after this movie was released, I entered into an open adoption. When listing my favorite movies of all time, this one makes the list of my top ten, and I often recommend it to friends going through a similar situation.

...but I thoroughly enjoyed this movie from beginning to end. The performances of each actor were exemplary...and surprising, considering James Woods' ability to play such a sleazy worm so convincingly (as in "The Onion Field" or "Against All Odds") and Glenn Close's horrifying character in "Fatal Attraction"...these are two outstanding actors, whose roles of a warm and long-married-yet-unfulfilled couple really put extra credibility in each of their bag of tricks. Masterson and Dillon are equally excellent as the working-class, clueless kids who are suddenly thrust into parenthood, seeing adoption as their only sensible option out of the situation. What I found most compelling is Michael and Linda (Woods and Close) are a couple who have it all; long-term experience in a loving marriage, excellent careers (he's a veterinarian, she's a real estate broker), a nice house near the bay, nice cars, etc...but are lacking what they really want; a child of their own. Their obvious envy of their friends' relationships with their children is played beautifully, where you can really feel the deep hurt of the "empty womb" through their expressions (the best of which is Michael's observing a young father and his son at a football game) and their discomfort of being among all the happy parents and their children (the birthday party). I found the anticipation of the arrival of Lucy (Masterson) and the ultimate arrival of the baby were very contagious, again, through the excellence of the cast. The glimpses of the younger couple's lives back in Ohio were very revealing as to their characters...again, superbly done! I also loved the understated mischief of the family dog, which, hilariously, closes the film. A warm movie, extremely enjoyable.

"Immediate Family" is a look at the vicissitudes of adoption. Glenn Close and James Woods play Linda and Michael Spector, a middle-aged couple who have never been able to have children. They meet with a younger, economically strapped couple to discuss adopting from them, but further complications ensue.I will admit that this isn't the ultimate masterpiece, but it's the sort of movie that people should see before they adopt, just to understand the issues. Equally as good as Close and Woods are Mary Stuart Masterson and Kevin Dillon, as the young couple having the baby but having doubts about giving it up. A pretty interesting movie.

The movie Immediate Family is one of those rare films that never reach the public in a big way. But, the people that do see it are usually impacted greatly on the way to handle adoption and pregnancy at an early age. The cast:Glenn Close, James Woods, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Kevin Dillon are just the right mix to produce a movie of this genre. If you like baby flicks, I suggest you try out this one. Yet another example of 80's greatness. Rating:8/10 stars