The Stranger

Opening with an unbearably long piece of voiceover exposition, Family Law is about three generations of Jewish Argentinian lawyers. (Well, the baby isn't a lawyer yet, but just you wait.) The meandering plot is about Perelman Jr. (Daniel Hendler, cute) winning a lawsuit and a Pilates-instructor wife (hot!), discovering fatherhood (awww...), and learning that the old man might be an unethical hack, but everybody loves him (sniff!). Especially his secretary. This day-and-date release is sentimental and tedious, and probably not even worth watching on cable. For a much better movie about South American Jews and awkward family relations, rent Whisky, a incredibly wonderful, understated movie from 2004 that never received a proper theatrical release in the U.S. As I only recently found out, Juan Pablo Rebella, one of the writer-directors of Whisky, committed suicide in July. He shot himself in the head after downing a half bottle of whiskey. The least you could do is see his film. Anyway, I apologize for getting so far off track. Family Law sucks. By Annie Wagner