Immediate Family

Immediate Family is a heartwarming tale about four people who's lives are interwoven by one thing: a baby. Glenn Close stars as a frazzled woman who desperately wants to have a baby with her husband. When it becomes apparent that it can't happen, the couple looks into adoption. Through this, they meet up with a young, unmarried couple who are expecting their first child and want to give it to a nice family. The whole movie revolves around whether are not the young couple will actually go through with the adoption. Glenn Close is absolutely convincing as the very eager, very frightened "mother-to-be". For anyone who's ever loved a child, this is a must see.

I happened upon this on television. I remember when it was released in the theaters, but as a single man, it hadn't exactly been my cup of tea.

Well, it's wonderful. The portrayal of the two couples is so very well written, so believable, so realistic, so interesting. The acting is simply superb - these actors make these people so sympathetic, so real.

How wonderfully written this is. There's nothing formulaic about the way these people speak, the way they smile at each other, the small jokes they make, how they move and interact, the awkwardnesses that arise or dissipate, the unspoken sense of threat. Each character seems quite individual.

I can't single out any one actor - they were all just wonderful. I'm nowhere close to this situation - yet I was very moved. One thing I loved was simply showing how these two couples related to each other - and the different ways they express warmth toward one another.

The only things I disliked were the excessive use of music - (the fact that I'm not a fan of Van Morrison hurt) it felt like padding. I also thought the ending was somewhat pat.

All in all, this is really top notch - it shows what talent can do - even where you've no intrinsic interest in the subject.

Linda and Michael (Glenn Close and James Woods) are Linda and Michael who have been unable to have a biological child.

An adoption agency matches them with a pregnant teen (Mary Stuart Masterson) who agrees to sign away custody. Once the baby is born, she decides to keep the baby and raise the child with her boyfriend (Matt Dillon).

I do not mean in any way to make light of the plot of this film as family friends went through it, and it's devastating.

However, I was conned into seeing a preview screening of this where we had to fill out opinion cards. No one in my group gave it a good review. Glenn Close is always good. I thought James Wood was awful as was some of the dialogue and situations.

I have no idea what was changed in the final film, except I know the ending we saw was added to. It still made back a little bit over the third of its budget.

This film is worth watching for Masterson's performance alone. This drama tells the story of a couple in their late thirties/very early forties who decide to adopt a child after unsuccessful attempts of having their own. The portrayal of the adoption process and its typically attendant series of frustrations appear quite realistic. Unfortunately, another reviewer for IMDb has already given the ending away. However, when Mary Stuart Masterson's character enters the couple's life, it is very touching, and you almost wish the couple would adopt her as well as her baby (I did, anyway). Watching Masterson's character walking around the baby room that the couple decorated is worth watching the entire film, as is the ending. Kevin Dillon delivers a very nice performance, as do, as always, Glenn Close and James Woods. Bring Kleenex.

"Immediate Family" is a look at the vicissitudes of adoption. Glenn Close and James Woods play Linda and Michael Spector, a middle-aged couple who have never been able to have children. They meet with a younger, economically strapped couple to discuss adopting from them, but further complications ensue.

I will admit that this isn't the ultimate masterpiece, but it's the sort of movie that people should see before they adopt, just to understand the issues. Equally as good as Close and Woods are Mary Stuart Masterson and Kevin Dillon, as the young couple having the baby but having doubts about giving it up. A pretty interesting movie.