Family Weekend (2013) User Reviews

A refreshingly funny comedy about a psychotic break turned family event

[thepotatoHasEyes · 7/10 · 30 April 2013]

I didn't think this was going to be funny at all, i passed over it at least three times.... what a mistake, I found this movie to be very funny and entertaining, It also -to me -- points the finger at each and every character and shows their character flaws,

you start out thinking each character might be the "normal"one, only to find yourself asking - is this character a little off?

So , while , to me , it was at times , laugh out loud funny, i never lost the feeling that I was learning a little about people.It also carries a good family feel throughout the whole movie.

The acting and production values are great , There is an emotional aspect to this one also.

It's a movie about a psychotic break- which is a tragic thing --but there are some funny situations that can arise from that. So, there is a "roller-coaster" feel. Ultimately, it is about real life, which ebbs and flows. It made me laugh, I gave it a seven out of ten

Family Weeked, Not Family Comedy

[My_Pet_Mongoose · 7/10 · 23 June 2013]

This was a pretty solid and unexpected comedy. I laughed out loud quite a bit and enjoyed the nicely drawn character interactions. The whole production was several steps above what I was expecting (for a film with not much fanfare).

The cast is excellent top to bottom. Kristin Chenoweth brings her usual spark. Matthew Modine, an actor I've found to be more miss than hit over the years, brings a self-absorbed charm to his part. But it's Olesya Rulin who fully inhabits her character that really propels the movie forward and serves as the heart, soul and brain of the movie. I fell in love with the character as soon as she compiled and presented a neat three-binder of The Plan.

The other characters in the family are a bit too obvious in their stereotypes but the actors manage to elevate the material enough to avoid broad caricatures. The story beats are familiar and expected, but I was charmed enough by the production to not really mind.

The movie does suffer from an odd identity crisis, though. It's rated R--a soft R with slight profanity and sexual discussion (such as anal sex) but no gore, sustained raunchiness or similar content. It's a wonder to think that this rather innocuous movie has the same rating as the Saw or Hangover films. I'm not sure if they were going for a PG-13, missed the mark, and didn't have enough cash to re-cut it or if this was planned as an R movie.

The movie probably would have done better with the larger potential audience of a PG-13 rating, especially given the 16-year old protagonist and the family-based storyline.

Recommended for those who like quirky family comedies with a slight edge to them (Little Miss Sunshine-ish) and for competitive jump-rope enthusiasts (which I did not know was a thing).

Dark comedy turns a kidnapping into a sweet coming-of-age story

[napierslogs · 7/10 · 27 January 2014]

"Family Weekend" is a dark comedy about a 16-year-old girl, Emily (Olesya Rulin), who takes her family into her own hands to turn them into a normal family. But it's not going to be easy; Samantha Smith- Dungy (Kristen Chenoweth) is a workaholic mom, Duncan Dungy (Matthew Modine) is a hippie artist dad, and her brother and sister are maladjusted kids who think they are perfectly well-adjusted.

Emily takes after her mother and plots and schedules the success of her teenage life. One of which is her plan to win a jump rope competition, but her family isn't there to watch her compete because they can't think of anything beyond themselves. At the beginning, the film works because we care for Emily, we feel bad for her, and it's time to whip these idiots into shape.

She talks her brother and sister into taking her side, and they take their parents hostage and hold them captive inside their own house until they learn to think, talk and act like real parents. It sounds juvenile but it doesn't seem so bad in execution because Emily has a plan for how to reach maturity.

Surprising, or rather unsurprisingly, things don't go according to plan and Emily has made drastic changes to a drastic undertaking. I definitely could have used with a few less detours in Emily's strategy as it hurts her credentials as a sympathetic leading character, which is already on shaky ground, what with the whole kidnapping her parents idea and all.

Things then get dramatic which follows Emily losing her sympathy, but the comedy gets back on track with a happy medium between her current family and her ideal family and a resolution which is un-Hollywood but still uplifting. There's also a joke (which I will leave unspoiled as I think it's one of the better ones I have seen) that gives a resolution to her brother's dissatisfied life that is funny, original and meaningful all in one.

All in all, "Family Weekend" works well as a dark comedy indie even with a few dramatic and comedic missteps because the beginning and ending are clever enough to keep it cute and entertaining.

left my spirit

[najwa-sky-limit · 7/10 · 30 June 2013]

it's been a long time since I've watched a comedy with a message, i wouldn't call this a comedy though it's filled with crazy funny moments because there were also dramatic moments which were very touching and brought me closer to the characters as they were not characters that i laugh at but people with stories and lives worthy of exploring, the film is full of lessons about family, love, what's important in life, and how to be true to yourself. the performances were excellent especially of the main character our queen of weirdness olesya rulin who was completely capable of fixating our eyes on her and waiting anxiously for what she's going to do next but there was also a gem shining all over the movie the personification of talent and awesomeness joey king an amazing brilliant actress who will blow your minds and make you fall in love with every crazy thing she does. the movie left me with a big smile on my face

Bound to get there

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 19 June 2014]

It's not the first movie to turn a "hostile" situation into a funny one. But it still is able to remain kind of sweet and almost innocent. Obviously a few factors come into play that other movies were not able to use (the internet) and some other stuff. There are some interesting influences coming from outside the family circle (friends, co-workers and more).

The movie is funny, but has some logic issues. Then again, if you really buy into the movie (with its flaws) you will be able to enjoy a funny movie, that goes a bit dark (the young sister channeling some classic movies), but never loses the viewer with any sort of violence. For all its "dark" moments, it still might feel a bit too neat for some in the end, but it does pull the whole thing off

What should family mean

[calebcunningham41 · 7/10 · 17 July 2013]

And what should family mean? No family is "perfect." We have hard times that can change the coarse of life. Family is love. In it's own twisted way sometimes. Family Weekend shows us that we, as a family, can fall apart really fast and never notice. That we can say things to siblings that can be really hurtful and never give a second thought. The point is to all ways come back no matter what. Because no one is perfect but it's up to us to make a difference in ones life. Family Weekend shows us that sometimes we have to go the extra mile to prove that someone is wrong and that we ether have to "fix" it or "save" it no matter what the costs. We have to accept the card we've been dealt even if that means some screaming and mental pain for a couple days. Because we have to stick it out. Because if we don't...what would family really be? I highly suggest this movie for anyone who has had family problems or is going through them. It's an encouragement in it's own way.

dysfunctional family comedy without the laughs

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 8 August 2016]

Emily Smith-Dungy (Olesya Rulin) is obsessed with jump rope. She wins a competition at school but nobody from her family showed up. Her father Duncan Dungy (Matthew Modine) is a painter who hasn't painted in years. Her mother Samantha (Kristin Chenoweth) is always absent being the breadwinner. Her sister Lucinda (Joey King) is obsessed with movie acting. Her brother Jackson pretends to be gay. The youngest Mickey and grandmother (Shirley Jones) are the other family members. Neighbor Kat (Chloe Bridges) is Emily's sometimes friend and sometimes tormentor. Chris has a crush on her. She has had enough of her parents. She drugs them and ties them up to force them to confront their issues. When Samantha's assistant Rick shows up, Emily hits him over the head and locks him in a cage.

This is another dysfunctional family comedy. The characters are certainly dysfunctional enough. The question is whether there is enough fun and importantly heart. The fun peters out as the broadly strange characteristics fade away. It tries to have heart but the movie is stuck in a house with melodrama. It's a lot quirky without the laughs.

a sweet, if odd movie

[jodyb2-466-672786 · 7/10 · 9 October 2013]

This is a oddity of a sweet family movie. Yes it's rated R for some suggestive language and of course, kidnapping, and mild drug use. 16-year old Emily holds her parents capture at home the weekend of her state jumping finals because she wants them to remember how they used to be a loving family. The moral is clear and she makes her point. I would watch this with a family (kids age 12+). Kristen Chenowith, Matthew Modine co-star, but it's really the kids who shine here, most notably the star, Oleysa Rulin, and actors who portray her siblings: Joey King, Robbie Tucker, and Eddie Hassle It's a sweet and strange movie.

Olesya Rulin steals the show

[klaus-254-632336 · 10/10 · 30 March 2013]

Family Weekend is a a really fun family comedy with heart. The movie features surprisingly good acting all around, but Olesya Rulin steals the show!

The movie centers on a high school speed jumper who's dysfunctional family lets her down, and her desperate attempt to write the ship before it's too late. Kristin Chenoweth and Matthew Modine are fantastically convincing on the dysfunctional side, and Joey King's performance is both skin-crawlingly creep and endearing and truly unexpected from such a young star.

Regarding Rulin's, her performance is spot on, and he portrays both her strong competitive side and vulnerable side flawlessly. She engages and keeps the audience's attention, and though her character is weird and quirky, we all want her to succeed. To quote Kelly Golighty "She reminds me of Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady with a dash of Lucille Ball thrown in for good measure."

Good

[manitobaman81 · 7/10 · 19 August 2014]

Fun tale of a 16-year-old girl who takes her parents hostage after they miss her big jump-roping competition. This film is worthy of all the hopes you have. The only thing that keeps it afloat is the sensitivity of the bilaterally desperately needy relationship between the characters. The characters in this film have a lot of depth and the realism with which they are portrayed by the actors is shocking at times. All of the fancy characters struggle against a system that has perpetuated falsehoods. This is the kind of film that truly proves that a small story can be much more meaningful than a larger one. Some of the dialog could be better.

Strange but funny film with a hilarious performance from Joey King

[estebangonzalez10 · 6/10 · 18 December 2013]

"If a family doesn't stick together, sometimes you have to use a little tape."

Family Weekend is a small indie comedy that didn't receive much attention after its limited release and I can understand why. This isn't a good film and I shouldn't have liked it as much as I did, but to be honest I did laugh during several scenes and it had one of those feel good endings that leave you with a smile on your face. The real reason why I'm giving this film a passing grade is because I really enjoyed the lead performance from Olesya Rulin and the supporting role from the young Joey King who was hilarious. This is the fourth film I've seen her in this year (the others being The Conjuring, Oz: The Great and Powerful, and White House Down) and this was her best role by far. Family Weekend is worth watching even if it's for her performance alone because she was just hysterical. I was going to describe this as a family film, but after seeing that it got an R rating I can understand why because it does take some dark turns. At first I thought this was going to be some sort of remake of House Arrest, and despite borrowing a similar premise, screenwriter Matt Turner kind of gives it its own spin. I do have to say however that some of the characters in this film are extremely unlikable (especially the mother played Kristin Chenoweth) and almost took me out of the film. Director Benjamin Epps could have used a stronger script, but overall his film had its entertaining moments despite being unbalanced and a bit overlong. Family Weekend is a formulaic comedy that does take some unpredictable and dark turns at times, and I actually ended up enjoying this.

Emily (Olesya Rulin) is an uptight 16 year old girl who is passionate about jump-roping and after winning a competition at regionals she is disappointed that no one from her family shows up. When she gets home we meet them while she confronts each one for not going to cheer her. First there is her younger sister, Lucinda (Joey King), who is obsessed with acting and is currently playing the Jodie Foster role from Taxi Driver. Then there is her artistic father, Duncan (Matthew Modine), who is working on a painting and is so self absorbed by it that he had no idea that she was competing. Her brother, Jackson (Eddie Hassell) is also trying to become an artist like his father trying to find his way. Then there is her younger brother Mickey (Robbie Tucker) who is obsessed with animals and is always citing trivial things about them. Finally we are introduced to Emily's mother, Samantha (Kristin Chenoweth), who is an uptight businesswoman. Everyone seems so disconnected from each other and self absorbed, so Emily decides that an intervention needs to take place. She drugs her parents and ties them up in their home like hostages because she feels it's the only way she can get through to them. This is where the insanity ensues as she tries to fix her dysfunctional family.

Dealing with dysfunctional families has sort of become a trend in Hollywood and it isn't unfamiliar territory. We've seen some of these characters before in other films and the film does fall into generic clichés at times. Family Weekend still remains fresh thanks to the performances from the young cast, and it also happens to have some heart. The scenery in this film is gorgeous and the house where most of the story takes place also looks really good, so this is a pretty nice film to look at. It does feel unbalanced at times and the characters are hard to like, but overall we get through some of these unbalanced moments thanks to some comedic relief coming mostly from Joey King. Some of the familiar roles she plays in this film from highly acclaimed movies were the highlight for me. Rulin was also great in this film and I will be looking forward to what she does next. She truly was a freak queen here. The film does try to explore some deep issues during some dramatic turns although only scratching the surface and then continuing to return to the classic comedic elements. I had a good time although I admit I'm on the minority here and I fully understand why.

Between the Lines

[scythertitus · 7/10 · 23 September 2019]

This quirky comedy is generally pleasant and tells a good enough story about a disfunctional and nonconformist family on the brink of collapse. It's funny in places and the pacing is pretty good.

The only real thing that is questionable is who exactly this movie is for. It's a bit to younger skewed to feel like an art house piece, but it's also a bit mature and deals with serious subject matter to be considered a family movie. I think it might actually be for teenagers, but a serious movie of this nature for that audience is hard to wrap your mind around.

Overall this is a fun personal story that I'm sure is someone's favourite movie because it has such a high chance to resonate with a small percentage of people, otherwise it is just alright and then easily forgotten.

Every Family Must watch

[monicaprentiss · 10/10 · 8 August 2013]

I can not believe this doesn't have many stars. My husband and I watched this last night with our four children 16, 14, 12, and 5. We laughed, we cried, we cheered. And when it was over we had a BIG family group hug. We promised each other that we won't forget what makes each other happy, and we all need to support and love each other. Even if we dread the tennis tournaments, or long days at volleyball. Seeing your families faces in the stands cheering for you, it is what family is all about. The acting was great, and that they were on a Lake in Michigan, during the winter....amazing. Each character was so perfect. So diverse, exactly how a family is. We are all different, and have different passions. WATCH, watch, watch.

Time for parents to learn some lessons!

[Reno-Rangan · 6/10 · 4 December 2017]

First thing, it was not your a typical film. Though it lacked the proper story structure. The concept seems silly. Like only for cinematically happenable. Since it is not about so serious, they had to cover all scenes, events within its classification, which were not bad actually. But the thing is, it is an R film with the majority of the cast was children. In reality, most of them were in their 20s, but the story wise, they are teens.

A teenager decides to take hostage of her parents to teach them some lesson for not attending her sporting competition. Her siblings join, and a couple of outsiders too. It was not a well planned event of the weekend, so some unexpected turn takes. But how it all ends, the consequence of such undertaking, all told is the final quarters.

A unique and an entertaining film. Despite lots of fun, there are some serious side too. Like awareness about the family unity. Being there for one another in all circumstances. Some viewers might get emotional too. In one of the scenes with a knife in the mouth, I scared that something bad could happen. Olesya Rulin was good. I hope she does more films in the lead. The film was four years old, so Joey was younger than her recent films I've seen. She's one of the next big star. Watch it if you are bored of regular comedies, yet still it is just an above average.

6.5/10

Fantastic Film

[RealVirtuality · 10/10 · 19 July 2013]

Having watched this twice now, I loved it even more the second time.

The lead actress is extraordinary. The rest of the cast are inspired and committed.

There are some shots that are beautiful, and it also makes some sense of all the crazy.

A unique film, it made me laugh out loud, and it made me cry.

I also loved the score.

The Rope Jumping element was fantastic, and made me appreciate even more how much work she put into the role. Entirely believable.

Also, the sister was hilarious, and somewhat reminiscent of Chloe Moretz first roles.

And as always, Kristin Chenoweth was brilliant. LOVE that woman.

Emotionally, it made me think about families, and about how relevant it was to my own, and many others, upbringing. Because Love.

Loved it, will be looking for more from the writer, director and Olesya Rulin.

Exaggerated characters in an enjoyable dysfunctional family

[pder-87012 · 7/10 · 3 April 2015]

This movie features some strong actors as entertaining over the top characters in a funny yet ultimately touching story line of a high school age daughter who sees that her family has fallen apart, and is willing to do anything to bring it back together. This film has that successful foreign comedy feel about it, but with the benefit of being in English. If you can enjoy some silly in your comedies, you should like this.

Olesya Rulin, previously seen in the Disney High School Musical series of films, does an excellent job portraying an obsessive yet loving over-achiever who decides to take action to save her family.

Teen takes a radical approach to saving her family from self-destructing.

[brandonwiseman · 10/10 · 12 May 2013]

A precocious teen girl attempts to save her family from their individually separated, self-absorbed paths. The plot centers around her jump roping competitions. After she informs everyone, and no one attends her meet, she goes to drastic measures to involve everyone in a share all, confess all roulette of spirited collisions to bring attention to the distance between them. With both wit and playfulness, this film goes in so many directions and covers so many topics of the modern American family. I was smiling at the drama, laughing at the absurdity, and sympathizing with each character as they were pressed to change their hearts and views. I give this two thumbs up with 5 star performances all around. The content is edgy but handled well. Bravo!

Super deep and really brilliant.

[Shopaholic35 · 9/10 · 25 February 2015]

Initially you want to feel sorry for the lead character Emily but then as I kept watching I realised the whole family are just as selfish as each other. They all have their own interests and ignore each other. That being said, as the movie progresses you start to see the deep underlying issues of each character and you truly realise how much of a dysfunctional family they have become. Their issues run far too deep to be fixed in one enlightened moment.

Funnily this movie is so much more than you could have imagined. It's weird and crazy, traumatic and depressing but through it all they get there. So while it started out strange it developed into a really decent movie that I'm glad I watched.

Funny comedy with a great lesson

[emilijagjorgjevska · 10/10 · 11 August 2021]

Thank you for making this movie. I loved the characters and the plot - if only we can save our families on the same way as Emily, it would be magical. And if only we could understand that parenting is not easy and something to jusge for all the time. Big thanks for the lessons t o the crew, you made my week! :)