User Reviews

First off, I am not a Mayim Bialik fan, as a person. But that has nothing to do with her talent in the writing, directing, producing area of this film. I am glad I didn't know it was so much her when I started to watch it - otherwise I am afraid my prejudices against her would have kept me from viewing a really good movie.

This is about the complexity of a messed up family - and what family isn't totally messed up? And this family has made it an art form.

It has 2 great actors, Dustin Hoffman and the ever surprising Candice Bergen and a further ensemble of younger ones orbiting Hoffman and Bergen.

So, if you can handle some rough family dynamics (normal), give it a go.

Not terrible, simply lacking in good acting performances by all the other (mediocre) actors, who usually only would star in cheap tv series, but now get to act alongside the brilliant Dustin Hoffman, who delivers another stellar performance. Candice Bergen is great as well, but it is such a disappointment to watch all these other cheap tv actors ruin a good story.

A good first effort Ms. Bialik !

A quadruple dose of mental illness!

How do you break the family cycle?

Is it part of our DNA?

The credits posted that the story and characters were fictitious but many will identify with the family estrangement - necessary for self-care , the care and responsibility of our aging parents and conflicts we face with them.

The acting was good and ending seemed encouraging and hopeful.

I love call me Kat. I love Dustin Hoffman. But this is so over the top. No redeeming characters or plot. Not at all realistic. Candace Bergman as the mother is so unlikeable that it ruins the whole story.

I wish that I had. Bad writing, bad directing, bad acting (overacting is more like it.). Such thin character development, I cared about no one. Such bad writing, it gave the actors little to work with (Dustin Hoffman did his best with what he had). In many scenes, it was easier to pretend this was a stage production because of the overacting and camera angles but that isn't fair to stage productions. Saying this was a great effort by Mayim Bialik is really like giving every kid a trophy just for showing up. This story has been told many times over and with much better execution. Not sure how Rotten Tomatoes came up with those "fresh" ratings.

Every scene is captivating for me because the situations acted there are somewhat relatable to my story.

It's only relatable to someone who've experienced such family conflicts. Otherwise, it's just acting and drama to the general viewers.

What I think it could improve on is the BACKSTORY of the conflicts that are not explored enough in either of the three acts. It all started with parents yelling at each other from when children were young, for no apparent reason to viewers. Making it not so llikeable to them.

I love Mayim Bialik. Love her. I also am a big fan of Candice Bergen and Dustin Hoffman. But, this melancholy, cringe worthy film just wasn't for me. I was disappointed because there was so sadness and little resolution. Critics and some on here seem to love "As They Made Us" for just that reason. I am sorry but it didn't do anything for me. I did appreciate the solid acting by a wonderful cast. I think the choppy storytelling style was annoying and made the film even harder to follow. Hoping Mayim finds a more joyful story to tell next time.

Not every person deserves to be a parent - some just don't have what it takes to be one, let alone to be good at it. And it's mostly true what they say that we reflect our parents, their behavior, mannerisms and character almost to the core when it comes to us being all grown up and trying to find ourselves in the world outside of our families. I know my family is not perfect and my parents sure as hell are not perfect either but they did their best to raise me, to bring me up and show me the way to live and I would always be grateful for it, that I turned out just as they made me (plus some extra time on my own of course).

As they made us saw the directorial debut of Mayim Bialik, more commonly known as Amy on The big bang theory and I have to admit she made quite a drama there, and wrote it too. This movie saw her reunite with her sitcom colleague Simon Helberg in the role of estranged son who couldn't put up with bullying and being treated badly by his parents so he decided to cut them off of his life completely. The problem was that his sister couldn't.

I've seen Dianna Agron only in Glee and she showed some potential there but here he went full speed ahead and turned himself into this strong middle aged woman who is torn between her sick father and even sicker mother and her own family of two kids, an ex-husband and a life that she could have had regarding those circumstances. The story is written well enough for us to see through the character and feel her pain, this long lasting misery she carried throughout her whole life but it nevertheless seems superficial and bland at times, as if trying to be a tearjerker even in the moments it's not needed.

Candice Bergen and Dustin Hoffman play second fiddle here and they don't steal the show from the main characters but I wish they would. They've been given characters we are supposed to relate to, as most of the families are messed up just like theirs, but this familiarity fades as the movie progresses and in the end it leaves you guessing and doubting every decision, every line every character makes or speaks which feels unrelatable while being relatable at the same time.

It seems to me like this movie tries really hard to be so many different things: a family drama, an issue of fathers and sons, problems of neglected children and its consequences, trying not to end up like your parents, even a small portion of homophobia is in there too but it ends up being nothing of the above, too shallow to be a character drama and too positive to be a full fledged tragedy. For a person known for her comedic skills Mayim as a serious artist has made a great step forward but I do believe her better days are ahead.

Dianna Agron's acting was so bad that it was hard to believe she shared the screen with the great Hoffman- Hoffman was as usual extraordinary but the movie as a whole package is too ordinary.

However, very hard to watch. Brilliant acting. True to life, extremely heartbreaking. Keeps you there through the entire film. Recommended if you can handle the filming of human pain and what families do to one another.

Hoffman is still one of the finest actors on the planet but it was a chore to get through this dull and depressing dysfunctional family story despite him. Not a film you need to see.

Big congrats to Mayim Bialik for her first time directing and writing a movie!!

As They Made Us has one of those story lines that almost everyone can relate to. It was full of heart and emotion. It makes you cry and smile at the same time. All the cast were amazing and they melt your hearts. If only the story could get a little bit deeper into characters specially the relationship between the son and the mom, it would be awesome.

Nice job Mayim Bialik and I can't wait for your future projects.

Every person in this film is obnoxious, even the children. The story has been done a thousand times before. I honestly don't understand how crap like this gets made. Wait, Dustin Hoffman is in it, that's how. The acting is sub par which perfectly compliments the lousy writing. I rarely don't finish a movie, but in this case, I made an exception. Do yourself a favor and skip this mediocre film.

The tagline of this movie is "If you dont laugh, you'll cry". I guarantee you, I did neither of those things. This film is so mediocre in every way. Dianna Agron and Dustin Hoffman genuinely try with the material they have. But the rest of the acting is subpar. The writing is awful. Just really awkward dialogue. And it's not particularly funny or poignant. There is nothing about the directing or camera work. If anything Mayim lingers too long on certain scenes. It honestly feels like I watched a bad community play. I remember checking the timestamp during the movie to see how much time was left...and I was only 19 min in. 19 MIN!!!!!!!!

I think the concept was good. And Im totally fine with the messaging that sometimes families are complicated. And you have complicated feelings where you still love and respect them but they can also be toxic. But the movie does a very surface level job of exploring that. And the parents (especially Candice's character) seem to just get away with it. You never have a moment where they address their wrong doings. Dianna's character Abby hasnt really learned or grown by the end either.

I was interested in watching the film since its Mayim's directorial debut but I feel like this movie ONLY got made because of Mayim's name and not because of some impeccable talent. This movie is a skip for sure.

Never has a movie turned SO FAST! Still desperate for something new ,during this months long writer's strike,I chose this train wreck of a movie!!!!!!!

Candace Bergan was the very definition of a witch on wheels, and she looked 100 years old! Dustin Hoffman looked 200 years old,at some point these ancient relics need to say NO to a movie role!

I have never heard of the pretty woman who played thier daughter, but she was WAY too young to have been THIER daughter!

Thier daughter would have been in her 50s!

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED SKIP THIS TRAIN WRECK. You will be better entertained by watching Fleas fight!

The writing alone is fantastic, but add on the wonderful ensemble cast and youre a for an emotional exploration of which there are few better in the last few years.

Diana Agron is the central character, and is just wonderful, and deserves accolades for the performance she puts in, its good to see her in a great post-glee role. She has such a presence, and even her voice is as warm and beautiful as she appears.

Simon Hedberg as the estranged brother likewise gets a good opportunity here to show us his post geek potential.

Not sure i need to single Mr Hoffman out at this stage in his career, he puts in what you expect, complete with humour and grace.

Ms Bergen is just great, as the matriach, doing so well with the material that you will probably dislike her character (immensely)

The film feels well paced and recollections and flashbacks to me at least seemed perfectly timed to explain characters reactions to circumstances through the film.

If this is Mayim Bialiks first outing, then i cant wait for the second....

Can't sleep? Well they made a movie just for you. Start this movie and you will be out like a light halfway through. Even thinking about this mess is already making my eyes heavy. Stay away if you want to be entertained.

This film is rife with poorly developed characters and cheezy, cloying script. I tried to watch it longer based on these positive reviews, but I am choking on the cheeziness. Give it a miss.

My Title means I am really going to struggle to come up with anything positive about this Movie.

Seriously this has to be the most Boring film I have ever endured,I gave Dustin Hoffman the benefit of the Doubt going by his pedigree yet even he is scraping the Barrel with this one or maybe he just needed to pay an exorbitant Gas Bill with his pay Cheque,Either way my only advice is Give this a huge wide Berth as you will never get the time back. A BAD MOVIE!!

Just a regular story about life, chapters, transitions, focused on how one Jewish gal apparently leans into her faith to make it through (we are left to assume). Well worth the watch even if you are not Jewish. Also, kudos MB for such a daring, bold move, not only P+D, but also WRITING. Well done. IHS.

Mayim Bialik clearly put so much of her heart into this film. The characters are familiar because it is so easy to connect to them. We all know a Eugene, a Barbara, and maybe we are a Nathan or an Abigail. The story feels true to life as it has touches of humor among the heartache.

The cast has a rich chemistry. Dianna Agron carries so much of the emotional weight of the film, but does so effortlessly. Candice Bergen brings much of the humor and a lot of the tension. Dustin Hoffman is as good as ever. And Simon Helberg showcases his deep talent that is too often overlooked. I was happy to see him play such a complex character, and he does so beautifully.

Give it a watch if you're on the fence. But prepare to think about your family and upbringing once it's over.

A moving, touching, poignant and often funny portrayal of a troubled family dealing with current (and historic) tragedy. The acting is incredible from a stellar cast. The writing and directing (from first-time writer/director Mayim Bialik) is impressive as well. I highly recommend this movie.