The Sum of Us

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.

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.

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

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