Home Fries

Can you imagine a story line, no matter how bizarre, in which the hero accidentally kills his father, then ends up marrying his father’s former mistress and fathering his brother? Here’s the catch: despite the mind-bogglingly odd circumstances, the hero and the former mistress have to be wholesome, likable people that even a conservative Baptist audience can feel good about rooting for!

If you have a hard time imagining this scenario, rent “Home Fries” on video and prepare to laugh out loud a lot!

I don’t want to spoil the many surprises that had me and my wife laughing ‘til our sides split, but I would compare the feel of the movie to “Gross Pointe Blank”, except it’s much lighter and contains very little violence. The film gets its PG-13 rating from several foul words (including the Lord’s name in vain once or twice), mainly coming from the film’s “villains”. The film’s protagonists are very likable people, caught in situations out of their control and doing their best to make things work out.

Sally (Drew Barrymore) acknowledges that her past affair with Mr. Lever was wrong and shameful. She has an alcoholic father and shows respect and love for him despite his problem. Dorian (Luke Wilson) has a family full of psychotic weirdos (which might seem implausible unless you’ve lived very long in a Texas small town!) but manages to show respect and love for his mother and brother to the end.

I liked this film. It’s very funny, and somehow manages to be lighthearted and dark at the same time. There is no sex. Once Dorian assists Sally in a Lamaze class and they get close, but nothing happens. I would highly recommend this film so older teens and adults who wouldn’t be offended by a (relatively) small amount of swearing and cartoon-like violence (no blood).