ThiefHott
Too much of everything
Redwarmin
This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place
Pacionsbo
Absolutely Fantastic
runamokprods
The strongest and most affecting of Alan Berliner's impressive list of quirky, personal documentaries to date. This study of his cantankerous, difficult, if also very bright (and buried under the surface, quite human) father is both very funny and sometimes very sad. Berliner captures perfectly the buttons that parents push in children and vice-versa as their interviews together often turn into angry verbal sparring matches. And yet, by the end of the film, you can feel how much the gap between the two men has narrowed through the process, and that Berliner is left with more love and less anger and confusion about the man who raised him. A very personal document, that paradoxically becomes more universal for daring to be so intimate and real.
thomas9krabbe
This was a cousins description of Alan Berliner and his father at family gatherings. This description really fits the film as well. Alan is inspiring, exciting and curious in the way he interviews his father, but the old guy is like a brick wall: 'who cares', 'leave it, it's a long time ago', 'what's the point', and so on. This attitude could seem cynical, as one in this forum puts it, but aside of being very entertaining, it's clear that Alan and his sister love their father very much. Maybe he's more informative off the camera, but I doubt it, hence the cousins description. Anyway, I find the mere historical facts of the family interesting, and the interviews of the father very moving, so it's a perfect 10/10. I don't know much about the technical side of making a film, but I really enjoyed this. If anyone comes across it in the trade, please post a note on this forum.
jkc
This has to be one of my favorite documentaries. Berliner's use of sound is unparalleled, and the structure of this film is full of humor and insight into the complicated father-son relationship. It's a very witty, well-made documentary, and I highly recommend it.
Randall Good
If you should by some luck happen to come across this film, by all means, watch it. It is a very well done documentary which is never boring, never pretentious, and always entertaining. To uncover his family's history, film maker Alan Berliner questions his family and grapples with his cynical father to feed his own appetite for knowledge of his lineage. Even though this is obviously a personal film for Berliner, one he made for himself, it is quite entertaining and very accessible. Dealing with divorce, paternal love, and questions which we all seem to have, Berliner creates an energetic, fun documentary which is honest in its portrait of families and curiosity about the height of one's family tree.
