This movie plays like a throwback to 1960s era TV sitcoms, with nothing from the cheesy "special effects" to the "family" dynamics of three septuagenarian bachelors living under one roof likely to raise an eyebrow if some of the original MY THREE SONS viewers "flashed forward" to watch THE GOLDEN BOYS. From its opening grumbling about the quality of the grub the oldster trio is capable of making for each other (and their naive assumption that one wife will be enough to go around) to the final little jig Captain Jerry (Rip Torn) secretly dances to celebrate getting his way, the plot turns are as predictable as the Pittsburgh Pirates finishing the baseball season with more losses than wins. Which is not to say that watching THE GOLDEN BOYS is worse than water-boarding.
On the contrary, Bruce Dern, Rip Torn, and David Carradine generate a certain chemistry, while lesser player Charles Durning is spot on in his role as death warmed over. Furthermore, Mariel Hemingway lends a poignant touch to her role as a prospective wife ordered from the want ads. The fact that she gave Carradine one of his final thrills before he died in real life during post-production is brought out on this movie's DVD extra, titled FROM ZEN MASTER TO SHIPMASTER: THE LIFE AND CAREER OF DAV!D CARRADINE (which is a somewhat cheesy, exploitative title, since this featurette clocks in at 40 minutes plus in its awkward effort to combine the traditional "making of" function with a tribute to its fallen star). At any rate, the late actor states Hemingway provided him his first opportunity to kiss a "man-sized woman," though I was not sure if he meant just on film, or overall.
On the contrary, Bruce Dern, Rip Torn, and David Carradine generate a certain chemistry, while lesser player Charles Durning is spot on in his role as death warmed over. Furthermore, Mariel Hemingway lends a poignant touch to her role as a prospective wife ordered from the want ads. The fact that she gave Carradine one of his final thrills before he died in real life during post-production is brought out on this movie's DVD extra, titled FROM ZEN MASTER TO SHIPMASTER: THE LIFE AND CAREER OF DAV!D CARRADINE (which is a somewhat cheesy, exploitative title, since this featurette clocks in at 40 minutes plus in its awkward effort to combine the traditional "making of" function with a tribute to its fallen star). At any rate, the late actor states Hemingway provided him his first opportunity to kiss a "man-sized woman," though I was not sure if he meant just on film, or overall.