User Reviews

I watched the trailer, found it interesting and went to the cinema with my family. We were literally the only one who went to this movie this day in my town and I really don't understand why.

The movie has some great actors of course with Robert De Niro but also with Sebastian Manisalco (fun fact: his character in the movie has the same name as he has in real life). The story is just such a nice family story. If you watch it you just feel great as soon as the credits begin to roll because the combination of comedy and emotions was pretty nice solved.

I think that many people don't watch this movie because it's a smaller movie and not the biggest blockbuster but oftentimes the small things are just better.

As a fan of both Sebastian Maniscalco and Robert De Niro, we finally got the duo we didn't know we needed. The chemistry between them as father and son was spot on and convincing. They were actually hilarious together. The story wasn't anything revolutionary that hasn't been done before, and it is predictable, but it was still a fun, turn-your-brain-off entertaining watch, especially with the excellent all-around casting ensemble that created a perfect balance of characters for both families. The humor was hit and miss, and mostly cheesy, but there were still some funny scenes where the cast elevated the humor. It certainly could've used more comedy and antics, as most of the funny parts are all in the trailer. Nevertheless, it's still a fun one-time watch, even if only to see De Niro and Maniscalco goof it up a little like a bunch of sappy meatballs.

Refreshing. It was a nice, feel good movie that stresses the importance of family. My husband and I are big Sebastian Maniscalco fans and could not wait to go see this movie. It's funny and cute with a nice theme involving his immigrant father and the embarrassing things he does. As an immigrant myself with an immigrant mother, this hit home. It reminds us that our hard working parents taught us by example of how to be hard workers and put family first. It was an enjoyable movie and we laughed and cried. Recommended if you're looking for a light comedy with a family themed message. It does have some coarse language so keep that in mind.

An example of glad I have the regal subscription yet I sill enjoyed a fair amount. Sebastian Maniscalco is pretty good as actor/co writer and Robert De Niro is still legendary even at his age! About My Father is a decent goofy romance that is focused on a trip to see family of the girlfriend Leslie Bibb's character and potential proposal which is charming, has great moments, and more entertaining than I expected. Pretty solid I understand the ratings, I'm sure Sebastian is a much better stand up comedian. I loved the most all the spiritual vibes of Doug and every time Robert De Niro talked to him that was delightful!

About My Father (2023) : Movie Review -

Laura Terruso somehow manages to merge an odd pairing of Sebastian Maniscalco and Robert De Niro as a son and a father, while most of the time they look like brothers, in his comedy "About My Father". Unlike the title suggests, the film isn't just about a father and a son, but the whole family, which is never mentioned until the climax. You might find the same formula of a father/guardian going to his soon-to-be in-laws' house in at least a dozen films, and you might also get to see references from the black & white era, but the overall gesture of the script is quite familiar with the modern pulse. There is fun, there is a little drama, there are comic gags, there is humour that's a bit adult, and then there are simple emotions far from intellectual and heavy thoughts. So, it's a fun weekend flick for the family, but there isn't anything more to it.

It was a pleasant shock to me to know that About My Father is loosely based on Sebastian Maniscalco's life and his relationship with his father. Maybe that's why he is named Sebestian in the film too. So, Sebestian finds the love of his life in a completely opposite girl, Ellie (Leslie Bibb), and wants to propose to her. On a casual call, her parents invite her and Seb for a weekend holiday. Sebestian cannot leave his father alone, so Ellie asks him to take him along. Sebestian's father, Salvo (Robert De Niro), a typical working-class man, content with whatever he has for him and for his son, joins Seb for a holiday. There they meet Ellie's parents, Bill (David Rasche) and Tigger (Kim Cattrall), and her siblings, Lucky (Anders Holm) and Doug (Brett Dier). Ashamed of his father's doings, Seb isn't comfortable, but will he find his without his father?

Set over a short period of time, the film revolves around the idea of two cultures' initial perception of having nothing in common becoming unified. More than the culture, it's about lifestyle and their point of view to look at their closed ones. About My Father is fun to watch, for sure. Those gags we missed in today's comedy can be found here. In about 90 minutes, you hardly get a moment to take a nap, and that's how engaging its screenplay is. More than the screenplay, it's the humour that has saved the day for them. You will witness a few cheap, below-the-belt jokes, but that is totally fine because they don't really go that vulgar. It's all words that don't have any limits. But that's alright because we are in 2023, and adult comedies have been freaking hellish since the 70s with Monty Python and many others. About My Father is still very much a clean, family film for the blind followers of Western and urban cultures.

Robert De Niro fans are in for a treat, as it's been a while since we have seen the star in such a whacky role. Is he funny? No no, he is the funniest of them all. Sebastian Maniscalco did look a little odd as a son of Niro, and one of the dialogues also mentions them as brothers. That was awkward, but funny too. Maniscalco is fine, and it wasn't a new thing to see him hitting it in every corner of the ground. The fashion diva Kim Cattrall has a stylish role and does it with finesse. I won't dare 'cut her short,' no way. From her very first scene, Leslie Bibb gives off those funky and carefree vibes that you love in female characters. It's not at all acidic, as one might expect. Virtuous Brett Dier is a hilarious person to know, while Anders Holm passes the screen without any turbulence. Big size David Rasche plays a big guy with sense, and you're gonna love him.

Produced by Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz, Andrew Miano, and Judi Marme, About My Father is a lavish affair despite a moderate budget. The technical team has done a good job, from editing to cinematography. The dialogue title deserves a special mention here, as he is the one responsible for the non-stop, continuous gags. The writing could have been better, as almost everything seems predictable here. No excitement, just the wait for the next scene to take place, just as you have assumed or visualised already. That's the only problem with this Laura Terruso's directorial. Laura did not try to mould traditional methods. Terruso just followed a simple root, old-school filmmaking, and mainstream path to deliver a time-paas popcorn flick. But yes, it has its heart in the right place, and that too, without any hard speeches. Not all sweet nuts have to be tough externally. So overall, a decent comedy that has emotions and teaches all the right things about your father, your parents, and the whole family. It's better if you can watch it with them.

RATING - 6/10*

I was very much looking forward to seeing this movie but it turned out to be such a disappointment. I am a huge De Niro fan and I love Sebastian Maniscalco, but this was not what I was geared up for. It was very contrived and Maniscalco's physical comedic style didn't work in the film. There were only a few chuckles in the theater, not one person broke out into a fit of laughter. It was a very similar storyline of Meet the Fockers- which was soooooo much better. I honestly can't understand why De Niro would even sign up for this role. Maniscalco should stay with stand-up and leave the acting to the real actors.

I will preface my comments by saying that I'm a huge fan of Sebastian Maniscalco. I think he's a brilliant comedian and I admire his devotion to his family.

Ever since I discovered him several years ago, seeing him in concert has been on my bucket list. I was thrilled to finally have my wish come true last year, when he performed in Toronto. It coincided with my 65th birthday and it was the perfect gift for this newly-minted senior!

Now to About My Father. Sorry to say that it missed the mark in so many ways. First, Sebastian is way too old for the role. I had a hard time processing a 49-year-old man who had never married so eager to impress his in-laws. Not at all believable. The role would have been more suited to a much younger man in his 20s or 30s.

Leslie Bibb, who played Sebastian's fiance was way too perky, to the point of being annoying. I just wanted to slap her.

There were some mildly humorous parts, but not nearly enough. I get that this film was an homage to Sebastian's father, but I quickly tired of the sappy sentimentality. The voice-over narrative throughout was distracting and boring.

The only saving grace was DiNiro's performance. He was perfectly cast as an Italian-American dad. He did have some good lines which made me giggle, but again these were few and far between.

I admire Sebastian for attempting a feature film, but I think he should stick to stand-up or TV. I do wish him all the best in wherever his career takes him.

This is a difficult movie to review, because, by all intents and purposes, it isn't good. Less a coherent narrative and more a random collection of scenes, "About My Father" is a so-called comedy that seemingly spares no expense to get a laugh. From carefully constructed comedic set pieces to jokey monologues and silly slapstick - all with the intent of making the audience laugh - "About My Father" has all the right ingredients to be the next laugh out loud hit of the summer. But is the film actually funny? Yes and no.

It bears repeating that "About My Father" isn't a good film, but you knew that already; no one can watch the trailer for this movie and legitimately think that it's going to be good (except for my mother, my father, and my grandmother, who all watched and trailer and were excited to see this movie). However, if you go in with the right mindset - preferably the mindset one gets from indulging in certain alcoholic beverages - I believe you can have a good time with this.

Look, is this movie a theatrical experience? Of course not. This is, without a doubt, a direct to DVD movie that someone, somewhere, greased the right hands to get released in theatres. That said, if you find yourself in a situation where you're forced to see this movie on a silver screen near you, I don't think you'll have a terrible time. There's nothing original in this movie, and it is by no means clever. In fact, "instantly" and "forgettable" are two perfect words to summarize this movie. But I can't deny that I was smiling and chuckling from beginning to end.

There's crude, somewhat naughty humor here; there's ridiculous facial expressions and comedic reactions to the goings on of the movie; all of it is wrapped around a story you've seen done, and done better, a billion times before - but that's not to say that there isn't entertainment value here. This is a silly, ridiculous movie, but it's one that offers some fun if you're willing to turn off your brain, forget about the plot, and focus on the gags. And while for me personally nothing ever made me belly laugh, I found myself chuckling constantly; it's also relevant to say that I saw this in a packed theatre, and everyone was laughing from beginning to end, so take that how you will.

"About My Father" is, once again, a bad movie, but I don't think you'll hate it, because I didn't hate it, and I fully expected to. In fact, I was dreading to see this movie, but once it started I was pleasantly surprised to realize that I was having a good time (and yes, the alcohol may have helped). So, if you're on the fence about this movie and wondering whether or not you should see it, I would recommend that you should, but definitely wait for it to release on DVD or on streaming; this is by no means a theatre experience. But, if you're at home, with some brews, and have literally nothing else to do, you could find a worse way to spend an afternoon.

I'm embarrassed for everyone involved in this mess... I actually sat through half of it...looked at the guy next to me and said "I'm getting my money back", he followed me (a man with his 2 sons, all strangers to me) we all got our money back! So let this be a positive lesson, if Hollywood puts out a poor product you do not have to pay for it! I don't like Robert De Niro as a person, but I've always enjoyed his work. De Niro has surrounded himself with way too many yes people or they are just letting him hang himself because they don't like him. As for the rest of the cast, I truly hope this mess doesn't harm their careers and Sebastian stick to stand up!

It shouldn't surprise me by now, but it still does. 1 and 2 star ratings by people who seem to be completely enraged, have sleepless nights and their lives are basically destroyed by a perfectly fine movie they happen to not like. This is just a nice little story. It's not intended to be an Oscar winning movie in any respect. But the acting is good. There are a lot of smiles and a few laughs. De Niro is in the autumn of his life and these are just movies that are fun to do I assume. Just like the Meeting the Parents, or Analyze this was back in the day. I may have given it 7 or 8 stars for being a nice watch, but I gave it 9 to help it getting to higher average.

Normally I would think this movie was trash if not for a couple of elements that stood out to prevent this. On Average I'm not a fan of narrations, but I could feel the one coming from Sebastian Maniscalco was personal. Not all that familiar with the man's comedy, but I would not be surprised if the whole movie was some sort of adaption of his stand up.

It can't possibly hurt to have Robert DeNiro playing his father. I got the impression form his performance that he like playing the character and he likes being funny. He's definitely giving some effort and not phoning this in, unlike Kim Cattrall. Don't mean to nick pick but I just got the feeling she could have been better.

Then again, the movie was not about her. Sebastian Maniscalco and Robert DeNiro had some good chemistry in the movie that worked to make their scenes together matter, which allowed an otherwise dull movie hit the mark.

Not bad at all.

ABOUT MY FATHER is so bad. The story is recycled and every joke is tragically unfunny. It doesn't know if it wants to be a knockoff of "Meet the Fockers" or Jo Koy's "Easter Sunday."

I wonder why Robert De Niro keeps agreeing to do these types movies in the twilight of his career. Maybe because he doesn't have to flex his acting muscles to play the disgruntled dad in a standup comic's passion project.

De Niro, who gave us classics like Deer Hunter, Cape Fear, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Godfather...that thespian should not be giving us these snooze fests.

At least we'll forgot he was ever in this awful movie in a few months when we see him in Killers of the Flower Moon.

I might be biased as a fan of both Sebastian Maniscalco and Robert de Niro but I'll try my best. I liked the film's jokes, most land while also incorporating Maniscalco's stand-up material. This movie was light-hearted and fun. It was well cast, some scenes are genuinely hysterical, and I thought the supporting characters were really good.

But this film was overwhelmingly cheesy. The voiceover sometimes interrupts serious moments and becomes really obnoxious. There's a lot of unnecessary fluff in the middle to end section; the weird pacing and quick conclusion kind of ruins a lot.

The whole movie overall was fun and lighthearted, and the jokes land most of the time. Some stuff was so outrageous but it honestly works because at least my theatre laughed. It was cool to see how Sebastian's acting actually improved throughout the film, and Robert de Niro was delightful as always. But honestly it's more worth it to just watch Meet the Fockers as it does the whole "meeting in-laws" thing in a much funnier way. I'm glad he made this movie, and I know everyone is saying this, but I'd hope to see Sebastian Maniscalco just stick to stand-up in the future.

IN A NUTSHELL: When Sebastian tells his old-school Italian immigrant father, Salvo, that he is going to propose to his all-American girlfriend, Salvo has trouble fitting into the family.

The comedy was directed by Laura Terruso. Writing credits go to Austen Earl and the popular comedian himself: Sebastian Maniscalco.

THINGS I LIKED: Academy Award-winner Robert De Niro and comic Sebastian Maniscalco make the perfect father/son combo in this movie and had great chemistry together. I loved the pair in this movie.

Robert De Niro was awesome and funny, as expected. He's one of those rare actors that can do drama and comedy equally well. We even get to hear him speak Italian.

I've always enjoyed Sebastian Maniscalco's stand-up comedy shows and physical-comedy schtick, so I'm thrilled to see him in a movie. I hope we get more. It was interesting to see him give his character his own name, probably because he revealed that he got his writing inspiration from his real-life Italian father, whom he often talks about in his stand-up bits.

Other cast members include Leslie Bigg, Kim Cattrall, David Rasche, Anders Holm, and Brett Dier. While their characters are extremely stereotyped, I thought they all did a great job with their roles.

With all of Hollywood's remakes and superhero sequels, it's nice to see a script about something new and lighthearted.

TONS of visual humor, especially in the beginning as funny images and narration provide a helpful background story.

We get to see a little bit of Sicily, Italy in video clips and photos. I've been to Italy several times but never Sicily...yet!

Lots of entertaining flashbacks.

If you're a fan of Queer Eye, you'll get a kick out of Jonathan Van Ness' cameo.

I loved the cologne walk-through that the father and son did together a few times as they were getting dressed to go out.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: The story has been done many times over, but I still thought it was cute.

Some of the conversations, reactions, and situations are absolutely ridiculous and unrealistic.

It's hard to feel sorry for a rich, beautiful girl when she throws her tantrum.

Some viewers may not like the narrative style of the film; however, I thought it matched Sebastian's stand-up content and made the storytelling more charming and funny.

The plot is definitely formulaic and predictable.

Animal lovers: beware!

The humor is cliched and doesn't always stick the landing.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: We see a naked rear end of a ma Crude onversations about male anatomical body parts People smoke cigars and drink a lot of champagne.

!

Obviously a plot inspired by and written for/by second-generation Italian immigrant comedian Sebastian Maniscalco.

So one could have assumed more sincerity and rooted jokes and culture-clash in this somehow very plain comedy (My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) being a good example of what could have been achieved).

But most importantly, Robert De Niro is not the right actor for the part: the father is supposed to be a first generation immigrant from Italy having lived most of his Chicago and yet De Niro "Junior", a FOURTH!() generation New Yorker, does not even try (probably for the best) the Italian/Sicilian accent (and please, more has to be done to help the audience agree with the time-lapse than a change in the septuagenarian's haircut/long hair wig.

Quite possibly the most boring movie. The jokes won't even make you have a smug smile on you're face. The whole time you're just waiting for it to pick up or be funny, it never gets to that point.

Very cliche movie, you could guess what the movie was about with seeing just the first scene. One of those movies where the writers think something Inappropriate means it's automatically funny. Which they're just stupid. De Niro could do better with better movies. I will say the granola character is a good writing choice but that's it. Everything else is just meh to be honest. But hey if you like light hearted movies that don't make you have to think or invest emotion into, then you might like it.

Nice to see a light hearted comedy even if the storyline is easy to figure out and has been played out many times. Way better than all the horror movies forced upon us in the last few years. It wasn't a great movie and it wasn't too bad...just mediocre. I probably would not have watched it if not for Robert De Niro and Kim Cattrall. I really didn't like the actor who played De Niro's son, Sebastian Maniscalco. He really didn't suit the part and destroyed the movie. De Niro and son lived in Chicago and he sounded like a street thug from New York City. Just a terrible mismatch and a really bad actor.

Hard to believe Sibby and his family are from Chicago. They are the same family type as mine and everyone I grew up with in Italian Boston. Even most parts of NYC have produced comical, loving and influential Italian families. This movie hit the mark in spades! A very funny, very accurate depiction of working-class Italian families with a nice touch of emotional fortitude. The accent, phrasing, manurisms, symbolism...it's all there and accurate. Bobby D does an outstanding job playing the very character he actually is...an Italian father. They kept it PG-13 to which I say BRAVO! The challenge of making a great PG comedy today is insane, yet they pulled it of nicely. Thank you my paisans for making me laugh while bringing back nice memories. The best!

This movie doesn't break any new ground and I can see why people call it a cheap knockoff of Meet the Dockers because Robert De Niro is in both but that's a disservice to this movie.

The premise is simple, a hard working/frugal immigrant and his son are going to meet his super rich fiancee's family at their house. Already a good setup for shenanigans and they deliver on it.

I saw some reviews bashing Di Niro's performance and I'm just not getting that vibe. This won't go on his highlight reel but he is funny and does what he needs too.

Sebastian Maniscalco is funny as always and does a great job. The lead actress plays her part well and so does everyone in the family.

Again nothing new here but it's a refreshing comedy in 2023 and one that I would recommend to catch at home. Not worth a theater visit but definitely worth a watch.

Pfff, I really had to sit out this one...

The bad: from the getgo we get to see terrible actors being NOT funny ALL the time. And they are desperately trying to be funny. What a waste of effort.

This is another perfect example of a FORMULA comedy, which is predictable from start till finish.

Incredibly tedious and annoying to watch. I mean how mor(nic do these writers in Hollywood think we are? This is obviously a cheap rip off of the terrific "Meet the parents" (2000), which was the ONE and ONLY funny edition of this franchise that needs to stop NOW.

Not any good then? I started watching it for Robert De Niro. He is only one acting well, but he cant save this movie by himself. Such a shame he has to star in such a lousy movie...

LIKE:

The Pace To An Extent -The movie is entertaining and cuts right into the fat of fun that they have planned for the movie.

-The humor helps keep things always moving, seldom waiting for story or anything else to do the lifting and just continuing to get more De Niro in as much time as possible.

-It works and for those with attentions garnered towards this type of comedy... the pace is a big benefit for you and just keeping things feeling like a family holiday weekend.

-For those that just want to get out of the movie... well the pace again works very well because it's short at about 80 minutes and gets to the end very quickly .

Handles the Material Well -The material for this movie is going to be a subject of interest given it is based on stereotypes and some racial/generational tendencies.

-The material is surprisingly handled well, not too in your face for most things, funny, and using sarcasm and gentler jokes for the most part.

-I found myself laughing at a very well timed joke, that hits the moment of the story and the buildup to maximize laughs across the board.

-That type of humor is clever, smart, and well laid out and that is something I love vs. Throwing jokes like darts and hoping the stick.

-For a sensitive topic like this, I think this style works very well, and helps put the pepper in so to speak, but without going too far down the insulting pathway the way that other movies do. I respect the approach at that balance.

Cute At Times -The movie has these moments that are heartwarming, fun and full of moral lessons that we should all learn.

-While many of these moments are often wrapped ina comedy heavy line or dialogue, the fact the scene evolves into something more meaningful works for me.

-There are insecurities that are addressed that shows some character development and other times some moments that are really trying to iron out the rift between social classes.

-These moments are the rocks of cute to anchor on before more comedy starts and for the most part, it's not bad in terms of the balance.

A Little More Story Than I thought -The movie trailers painted this as a weaker story, one that looked to be bare bones and nothing more.

-Well, it was a little heavier than that, but not by much, that some characters got a little something with the investment.

-The insecurities of the main character are the primary story source, while his fiancé has a few moments that suggest she too had some story elements worth investing in.

-These are kind of it, as the rest, well... the rest doesn't do much for this reviewer and thus, it's not as heavily balanced as I wanted.

Funny At Times -I can't say I was laughing the hardest or the most often in this movie, but there are times that I really did enjoy the humor and had myself laughing -A well shot view of him eating hot dogs and looking sick, another well-timed quip that is delivered with the full bravado, and dare I say, just a lot of great shots that worked so well for me.

-And there is some aggressive humor that comes in for those that like that style, but again well-timed and well planned to make sure that it was done.

-As such, the humor is at times very fun, but it's scarce compared to other comedies.

DISLIKES:

Too Fast -The movie feels very quick paced and moving so fast that the setup is just not what it could be in my opinion.

-We don't get time to set up most jokes, there felt moments that were cut away in editing, and to get the movie down to the 80 minute run time a lot of the things in this genre felt pulled away.

-Is it awful? No, again it's fun and gets you out of the theater faster, but I can't help but feel the movie took some shortcuts that we didn't need to take, leading to quite a very incomplete feeling movie due to the fast pace.

Story is Predictable and Forgettable -Pretty much not much to say on this. The movie's plot feels very much pulled from a component of Wedding Crashers, but twisted to be about family status.

-It's not the worst, but there was so many things that other movies have done better that I feel this movie missed the mark on.

-The tension, the collection, even the rivalry were all copies of something, and very piece meal, scraps sewn together with foreshadowing to guide you where you were going.

-And with the other movies that we have available, I don't really think there is much about this movie that is unique to say this is the must see moment.

-Throw in most of the character moments are lost to jokes and dropped or hastily finished and you get this messy finish that just feels lackluster compared to other projects.

-It's again not horrible, it's just other movies have done things better and this immigrant status focus is the real focus of the group.

Not Really Memorable Antics -And this here is something that is tough for me in a movie like this, what is memorable.

-I can't say much to avoid spoilers, but this film has a few moments that are a bit forced when they appear to stand out and otherwise a carbon copy of most of the moments.

-We have some family dynamics, some sports moments, and a few fun holiday traditions that work, but again sort of fade in had it not been for the dialogue for the way they filmed things.

-Some dark humor probably seals itself in your mind as it did for me, but even these were okay in scale compared to other films and I can't say that they accomplished much in my eyes.

-Is this bad? In a sense, no, but in a sense disappointment given the potential they were building up and the potential of the acting that they had to make it come to life.

Sometimes Tries Too Hard To Be funny -I found this to be the case with a lot of the rich family, in that it was using satire and direction to really be humorous.

-About My Father really pushes way to much at times and without it being relatable loses some of the punch in the long run for my personal tastes.

-The family seemed just complete simpletons and snobs that were so much a farce and caricature of the things they were pointing at that I felt bored and blunted by their chronic idiot statements.

-The brother's direction was a tool, and not a funny or even an engaging one, just a jerk who had these very off the wall and forced lines that did little.

-Doug, the other brother, was okay, but his weirdness and randomness felt a bit more insulting and focuses too much on this paradigm with little character reprieve to see something more happen.

-Only the main characters really did anything to make me laugh and it seemed to come naturally vs. The overly theatrical nature most of this movie did.

The VERDICT About My Father is a movie that is, overall okay in my book. It's not a movie that is very memorable is the main problem, but for those not burnt out on comedies or looking for something that is relatively mild outside a few points... this movie is for you. It's cute, fast, relatively respectful and overall an okay dive into this awkward family dynamic. However, it works well with the material at times and can be funny for these very fluctuating moments or for those that just love forced humor to an extent. In terms of other comedies though, the movie fails to impress in terms of complete story, character growth, memorable actions, or a means of why this movie is the legend the ads try to build up. It's an okay time, and a group outing, more maybe a run with your family might net the theater, but... this reviewer believes this one belongs on home viewing to maximize your bang for buck.

My scores are:

Comedy: 6.0-6.5 Movie Overall: 5.0.