Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- sardonic
- conflicted
- intimate
- family drama night
- character study viewing
What critics said
Critics found the multigenerational premise and performances potentially compelling but largely unfocused, episodic, and unable to turn its conflicts into a satisfying whole.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Mitchell, Alex, and Alex's sons repeatedly reproduce and contest patterns of criticism, permissiveness, and parental disappointment.
The Grombergs are successful and wealthy, yet remain beset by grief, resentment, weak communication, and parental anxiety.
The story raises serious conflicts around Asher's drug-bust and family expectations without decisively reconciling the aggressive, strong-willed characters.
The Gromberg family's Jewish identity and New York milieu inform its values, rituals, arguments, and sense of inheritance.
Films like It Runs in the Family, and why
The Royal Tenenbaums
intergenerational family dysfunction, affluent domestic conflict, and dramatic comedy
The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)
bittersweet family tensions, Jewish cultural context, and emotionally restrained drama
The Squid and the Whale
multigenerational conflict, parental expectations, and comedy grounded in painful domestic realism
Movie Details
- Director
- Fred Schepisi
- Release Date
- 2003-04-25
- Runtime
- 109 min
- Rating
- 6.0 / 10 (85)
Cast
- Michael Douglas
- Kirk Douglas
- Bernadette Peters
- Rory Culkin
- Cameron Douglas
- Diana Douglas
- Josh Pais
- Michelle Monaghan
- Geoffrey Arend
- Sarita Choudhury
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is It Runs in the Family about?
- Three generations of a wealthy New York family confront the inherited resentments, parental anxieties, and moral compromises that success cannot resolve.
- What is It Runs in the Family like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of It Runs in the Family as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is It Runs in the Family violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in It Runs in the Family.
- What did critics think of It Runs in the Family?
- Critics found the multigenerational premise and performances potentially compelling but largely unfocused, episodic, and unable to turn its conflicts into a satisfying whole.
- Which films are like It Runs in the Family?
- Films with a similar feel include The Royal Tenenbaums, The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected), and The Squid and the Whale.
- How long is It Runs in the Family?
- It Runs in the Family runs 109 minutes.
- Where can I watch It Runs in the Family?
- In United States, It Runs in the Family streams on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus.
