It Runs in the Family

Three generations of the Douglas clan--old-time star Kirk, Michael of Fatal Attraction and Wonder Boys, and movie newcomer Cameron--star in It Runs in the Family. Alex Gromberg (Michael) is a high-powered lawyer who works for a firm co-founded by his father Mitchell (Kirk), who's recovering from a stroke, while Alex's son Asher (Cameron) is dealing pot and flunking out of his senior year in college. The movie moves between the three men's relationships with women and each other. Surprisingly, It Runs in the Family isn't as much of a vanity project as it seems; though some implausible elements serve only to flatter the stars (wealthy lawyer Alex volunteers at a soup kitchen for the homeless, where a babelicious co-worker throws herself at him), most of the script is solidly written and the parent-child conflicts ring true. Also featuring Bernadette Peters and Rory Culkin. --Bret Fetzer