A Family Thing

OscarÂ(r) winner* Robert Duvall stars with the legendary James Earl Jones in this powerful yet tender film from director Richard Pearce (Leap of Faith) and co-writers Billy Bob Thornton (Academy AwardÂ(r) winner** for Sling Blade) and Tom Epperson. "Fresh and thought-provoking" (Rex Reed), this touching story is steeped in life-affirming insights and down-to-earth sincerity. Duvall is Earl Pilcher, Jr., an Arkansas man who is about to discover the surprise of his life: the family he never knew he had. When he learns that he has an African-American half-brother living in Chicago, Earl heads north on a journey that will take him closer to home than he ever could have imagined. It won't be easy, though, since his brother (Jones) wants nothing to do with him. But with the help of their remarkable Aunt T (Irma P. Hall) and her simple wisdom, the men work through their long-held grudges and prejudices, gaining a greater understanding of each other andthemselves. *1983: Actor, Tender Mercies **1996: Writing (Screenplay based on Material Previously Produced or Published), Sling Blade

This film features the wonderfully understated duet of Robert Duvall and James Earl Jones, two old pros who know just how to stay out of each other's way while offering superb support. Duvall plays Earl Pilcher, an aging Southerner whose mother dies, leaving him a letter with a startling secret: in fact, she was not his mother, though she raised him--but his father is really his father. His real mother was a black servant whom his father forced himself upon, and she died in childbirth. Even more shocking, he has a black brother in Chicago, Ray (Jones). Stunned to his soul, Earl heads for Chicago, where he finds that Ray not only knows his secret but wants nothing to do with him. Slowly, however, in this marvelously drawn script by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson, the two brothers find common ground. The theme--about discovering a family bond where none existed before--works better than the story-telling, which is a shade predictable. Watch for a great supporting performance by actress Irma Hall, who plays the aunt of both men. --Marshall Fine