Folks! (1992)

A slightly self absorbed yuppie takes in his parents including his senile father, after their home burns down. But his personal and professional life fall apart soon after.

Director:

Ted Kotcheff

Writer:

Robert Klane

Stars:

Tom Selleck, Don Ameche, Anne Jackson

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Selleck	...	Jon Aldrich
Don Ameche	...	Harry Aldrich
Anne Jackson	...	Mildred Aldrich
Christine Ebersole	...	Arlene Aldrich
Wendy Crewson	...	Audrey Aldrich
Michael Murphy	...	Ed
Robert Pastorelli	...	Fred
Kevin Chevalia	...	Kevin (as Kevin Timothy Chevalia)
Maggie Murphy	...	Maggie (as Margaret Murphy)
Joseph Wayne Miller	...	Jerry (as Joseph Miller)
T.J. Parish	...	Steve
J. Patrick McCormack	...	Howard (as John McCormack)
Peter Burns	...	Another Trader
Jon Favreau	...	Chicago Taxi Driver
Jackye Roberts	...	Gail

Storyline

Jon has it all, great job, beautiful wife and kids, and a dream house. But when his father, who is a little senile, burns his house trailer down while his mother is in the hospital, Jon brings his parents to live with him. Soon his wife goes home to mother, he's fired for suspicion of insider trading, his sister and her unruly kids get booted out by her boyfriend, and moves in, he's about to be evicted, and his assets are frozen. How could things get any worse?

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Plot Keywords:

hospital | 1990s | family relationships | absent mindedness | retirement home | 

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Taglines:

Jon Aldrich is about to come face to face with the most terrifying force known to man... His parents.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language and sensuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tom Selleck was nominated for Worst Actor at the Golden Raspberry Awards in 1993 for this film but lost out on the Razzie to Sylvester Stallone for Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992).

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Goofs

John calls Ed a "backstabbing pig" when he finds out that the FBI has closed down the place where he works. However, it looks like "pig" replaced "prick" in post production to gain a PG-13 rating.

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Quotes

Harry: [about his Cadillac] This baby can go! I told your mother how much it cost and she shit a cat! If only she knew how much it really set me back.

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Connections

References Rain Man (1988)

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Soundtracks

Gravel Road
Performed by Magic Slim and the Teardrops

User Reviews

This a great movie for people who aren't made of stone.

This is a good movie. Sure, it won't win any awards, but it's still a lot funnier than many more successful films out now. Some people seem to have a problem with mixing humor and Alzheimers. My own grandfather had this horrid disease and eventually passed away a few years back. Does this make me feel that this movie is less funny? Not for a moment. The reason is that nothing bad ever happens to Dom Ameche's character. He sets up Tom Selleck time and time again for painful slapstick gags, but he always comes out squeaky clean.

I found the writing witty with some good one-liners and great character interaction. On a believeability scale, it rates pretty low, but it is plausable. I saw no plot holes that others have mentioned, but it's easy to see plot holes when you already know the concept of the story, unlike the characters who are in the dark and haven't seen a "trailer" of their lives. The cast is also great, btw.

All in all, this movie is a great distraction, but if you haven't smile or laughed in awhile and you think South Park is immature, you probably won't like this film. If you do see it, just remind yourself that they are not making fun of Alzheimers, they are poking fun at the misadventures one man has trying to take care of his aging parents while trying to retain his own sanity.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 May 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Folks

Filming Locations:

Boca Raton, Florida, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,177,518, 3 May 1992

Gross USA:

$6,132,924

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,132,924

Company Credits

Production Co:

Penta Pictures, Pentamerica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1