Directed by Laura Terruso from a screenplay by comedian Sebastian Maniscalco and Austen Earl, About My Father has a fun, trope-y premise that somehow doesn’t land, and a fantastic cast can’t save it. It’s hard to come by a really good comedy these days, and though About My Father has its moments, its humor and story never reach the heights they were perhaps aiming for. At times sweet and occasionally funny, the film leaves a lot to be desired despite a stellar cast, and is an exercise in wasted potential.
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Sebastian (Maniscalco) was raised by his working class immigrant parents. He always saw his father, Salvo (Robert De Niro), as his hero growing up. As an adult, Sebastian and his father don’t always see eye to eye, but there’s still love there. When Sebastian decides he’s ready to propose to his longtime girlfriend, Ellie (Leslie Bibb), he asks Salvo for his grandmother’s ring. An invitation for Sebastian and Salvo to visit Ellie’s family for the Fourth of July weekend brings them all together in an unexpected way, and Sebastian will do whatever it takes to get Ellie’s parents (Kim Cattrall and David Rasche) to like Salvo so that he can get their blessing to propose. Naturally, things get worse before they get better.

Sebastian Maniscalco and Robert De Niro in About My Father

About My Father is also relatively quiet. There is very little use of a score, which makes everything seem less interesting, especially since the comedic timing is pretty hit or miss. There are moments that will be chuckle-worthy one minute and cringe-worthy the next. To that end, the film never really knows where it stands in terms of comedy. It’s not as raunchy or as over the top as Meet the Parents or Wedding Crashers, and even its sense of wholesome comedy also falls short, often landing with a thud that echoes loudly.

The film tiptoes between wanting to be a family comedy and including commentary that never quite adds up. It attempts to compare Sebastian’s immigrant family with that of Ellie’s more affluent family, and it doesn’t work. It mines the socioeconomic divide for laughs, but it misses the mark in saying anything worthwhile about it. What it does do well is show how Sebastian, who comes from a working class family, attempts to fit into an upper class family while feeling embarrassed about how his father raised him. Perhaps, unintentionally, About My Father establishes how the closer one gets to affluence and power the farther away they can get from their roots.

Kim Cattrall, Leslie Bibb, and David Rasche in About My Father

It’s a shame the film is so lackluster, though, because Robert De Niro and Sebastian Maniscalco have a great rapport, but a weak script doesn’t help them at all. This isn’t to say the comedy doesn’t have some laugh-out-loud humor, but they are few and far between; it isn’t worth sitting through, and it honestly becomes quite tedious after a while. One of the worst things a film can be is boring, and About My Father has many dull moments that are tiresome. On the whole, there’s definitely something here, but it feels like there is a large part of the film that’s missing, a spark that never comes alive.

The film’s cast is great and, though the actors typically have great comedic timing, the dialogue falls flat and renders the humor inert. About My Father has a heart at its center, but it never really gets there in terms of having a compelling story and humor to elevate its scenes. Even the editing in certain places is questionable, and there could have been more work done to seamlessly move from one moment to the next. While De Niro and Maniscalco have the occasionally funny line or two, it’s simply not enough to keep this comedy afloat.

About My Father is now playing in theaters. The film is 98 minutes long and is rated PG-13 for suggestive material, language and partial nudity.