Sadly Over-hyped

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

The acting in this movie is really good.

Twenty-two years before screenwriter Robert Klane wrote "Folks!", he wrote the screenplay for "Where's Poppa?", another movie that dealt with a grown man dealing with a senile parent. Since "Where's Poppa?" was successful at the box office and became a cult classic, maybe Klane thought the same basic idea would work again. Maybe it could have, but it didn't. While there are a small number of moments that will make you smirk a little, otherwise the movie is desperately unfunny. What made "Where's Poppa?" work was that *all* the characters were insane, so it was easy to laugh at their troubles. But in "Folks!", Tom Selleck is normal-minded, so when we get to see him abused in various ways, we feel sorry for him instead of laughing at his troubles. Also, a lot of the attempts at humor are quite mean-spirited and harsh, enough that even insane characters would have a tough time making them work. A critical and financial bomb, you'll wonder how this movie wrangled a DVD release years later.

Very strange and somewhat demented black comedy that really plays more like a Road-Runner/Wile E. Coyote cartoon than a live action motion picture. Tom Selleck takes in his elderly parents (Don Ameche and Anne Jackson) after his father accidentally burns down their home. Immediately everything comes apart for Selleck as he and his sexy wife (Wendy Crewson) start to have marital problems, then he is investigated for possible insider trading by FBI man Michael Murphy, then his crazed sister (Christine Ebersole) and her unruly kids move in after they are evicted and the hits keep coming when Ebersole starts to fool around with Selleck's door man (Robert Pastorelli). Things are going from bad to worse fast and then Jackson pleads with Selleck to kill her and Ameche (no kidding). Selleck's financial woes and the fact that Ameche is suffering the early stages of Alzheimer's Disease are the reasons for Jackson's request. Selleck naturally is torn with what to do, while Ebersole thinks it is a great idea (she obviously has a heart of gold, haha). Soon Selleck tries and tries to have his parents knocked off so he can collect their insurance, but their safety is never really in danger. Instead he is the one who might end up dead trying to come through. I must admit that I like this film a little more than I dislike it. It is a bargain-basement effort and the ideas are no better than those that a junior high student would come up with. With that said, the cast is first-rate and actually make the story come to life with quirky situations and surprisingly hilarious dialogue. There is a darkness to this picture though as there are questions raised about Alzheimer's Disease (a disease that is so tough on everyone who has seen it firsthand) and the rights of elderly people who do not want to lose one another to death. I guess the main problem with me here is tone as I laughed, but did not always feel good laughing at these characters. Ameche is a revelation (as he always seemed to be) and the other primary players are talented performers. Overall I got stuck in the middle with "Folks!", but this is still a picture that deserves a little more credit than it has received. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

I don't BUY many movies, once you've seen them, then what? But this is one that I bought! This one I palm off on house guests that are bored with playing pinochle. And I have watched it over and over as other members of the family watch it, and I enjoy it just as much as the first time! Don Ameche did a wonderful job on this one, Selleck also, and both pulled the comedy off just right. Yes, I believe that a guy like Selleck could have that much bad luck in the movie! (We are asked to believe much more than that sometimes!) And I think Amache was hilarious with his Alzheimer's schtick! And I did have a grandfather that suffered with it, so climb off me on that point. It's like watching somebody take a pratfall... and who hasn't smiled at one of those?

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.