Daddy and Them
{{short description|2001 film by Billy Bob Thornton}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2022}}{{Infobox film
| name = Daddy and Them
| image = Daddy and Them.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = Billy Bob Thornton
| producer = Larry Meistrich
| writer = Billy Bob Thornton
| narrator =
| starring = {{plainlist|
- John Prine
- Billy Bob Thornton
- Laura Dern
- Andy Griffith
- Ben Affleck
- Kelly Preston
- Diane Ladd
- Brenda Blethyn
- Tuesday Knight
- Jamie Lee Curtis
- Walton Goggins, Jr
- Jim Varney
}}
| music = Larry Paxton
Marty Stuart
Kristin Wilkinson
| cinematography = Barry Markowitz
| editing = Sally Menke
| studio =
| distributor = Miramax Films
| released = {{Film date|2001|06|06}}
| runtime = 101 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget = $4 million
| gross =
}}
Daddy and Them is a 2001 American comedy-drama film written, directed by, and starring Billy Bob Thornton. It also stars John Prine, Laura Dern, Andy Griffith, Ben Affleck, Kelly Preston, Diane Ladd, Brenda Blethyn, Tuesday Knight, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Jim Varney in his final film role.
Daddy and Them was filmed in 1998 in the wake of Thornton’s success with Sling Blade and was originally planned as a theatrical release. The release was ultimately delayed by Miramax, who found the film not "commercial" enough. The film debuted at the Newport International Film Festival on June 6, 2001. Miramax eventually aired the film on Showtime in January 2003{{Cite web |last=Goodridge |first=Mike |date=2002-06-17 |title=Showtime gets US premiere of Miramax production Daddy And Them |url=https://www.screendaily.com/showtime-gets-us-premiere-of-miramax-production-daddy-and-them/409641.article |access-date=2022-10-27 |website=Screen Daily |language=en}} and released it on DVD on January 13, 2004.{{Cite web |last=Millheiser |first=Matthew |date=January 21, 2004 |title=Daddy and Them |url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/9144/daddy-them/ |access-date=2022-10-27 |website=DVD Talk}}
Plot
Ruby and Claude Montgomery are a very insecure and jealous couple who must reunite with extended family in Arkansas. When Claude's uncle, Hazel, is arrested for attempted murder, the couple travels with Ruby's older sister Rose, with whom Claude had a previous relationship, and Ruby and Rose's mother Jewel, who continuously talks about Rose and Claude's past relationship, which irritates Ruby.
Cast
{{Cast listing|
- Billy Bob Thornton as Claude Montgomery
- Brenda Blethyn as Julia Montgomery
- Laura Dern as Ruby Montgomery
- Andy Griffith as OT Montgomery
- Kelly Preston as Rose
- Jamie Lee Curtis as Elaine Bowen
- Ben Affleck as Lawrence Bowen
- Diane Ladd as Jewel
- Sandra Seacat as Elbe Montgomery
- John Prine as Alvin Montgomery
- Jim Varney as Hazel Montgomery
- Tuesday Knight as Billy Montgomery
- Walton Goggins as Tommy Christian
- Tamara Glynn as Tamara "Tammy" the Paramedic
- Jefferey Bailey as J.C. Montgomery
- Daniel Steven DiVito as Max
}}
Production
The film was shot in Arkansas from August to October 1998.{{Cite web |last=Susman |first=Gary |date=April 18, 2002 |title=Will these stars' movies ever be released? |url=https://ew.com/article/2002/04/18/will-these-stars-movies-ever-be-released/ |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=EW.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Daddy and Them - past updates |url=https://www.jpshrine.org/news/dadnthem1.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020805053802/https://www.jpshrine.org/news/dadnthem1.html |archive-date=August 5, 2002 |access-date=October 29, 2022 |website=jpshrine.org}} Filming locations included various sites around Little Rock, including Pinnacle Mountain State Park and the interior of the Arkansas State Capitol.{{Cite web |title=Daddy and Them |url=https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/daddy-and-them-movie-7814/ |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=Encyclopedia of Arkansas |language=en-US}}
The song from the same-titled album "In Spite of Ourselves" used during the closing credits was performed by John Prine and Iris DeMent.{{Cite web |last=Bonin |first=Liane |date=November 10, 1999 |title=Singer John Prine tries acting with Billy Bob Thornton |url=https://ew.com/article/1999/11/10/singer-john-prine-tries-acting-billy-bob-thornton/ |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=EW.com |language=en}}
Release
Daddy and Them initially had a theatrical release date planned for sometime in late 1999 or early 2000.{{Cite news |last=Caro |first=Mark |date=June 18, 2000 |title=Star Blecch |work=Chicago Tribune |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2000-06-18-0006180307-story.html |url-status=dead |access-date=2022-10-28 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20221027013851/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2000-06-18-0006180307-story.html |archive-date=October 27, 2022}} The release date was pushed back as Miramax Films wanted All the Pretty Horses, a studio film Thornton was directing at the time, to debut first. It continued to sit on the shelf long after Horses premiered in late 2000. Thornton has commented that friction with Miramax Films during the production of Horses played a role in the shelving of Daddy and Them.{{Cite news |last=Germain |first=David |date=January 18, 2002 |title=Actor Thornton proves his worth at box office |pages=C7 |work=The Associated Press |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-KVJAAAAIBAJ&sjid=sw0NAAAAIBAJ&pg=1481%2C805776 |access-date=October 29, 2022 |via=Bangor Daily News}}{{Cite news |last=Labrecque |first=Jeff |date=2014-04-15 |title=Billy Bob Thornton talks 'Fargo,' and why he'll never direct again |work=EW.com |url=https://ew.com/article/2014/04/15/fargo-billy-bob-thornton/ |access-date=October 28, 2022}}
The film had its world premiere at the Newport International Film Festival on June 6, 2001.{{Cite web |last= |date=2001-06-20 |title=FESTIVALS: Our Town; Newport Enjoys Fest, While Small Films Find a Home |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2001/06/festivals-our-town-newport-enjoys-fest-while-small-films-find-a-home-80913/ |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=IndieWire |language=en}}
Reception
Daddy and Them holds an 86% rating based on 7 reviews on the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes.{{Cite web |title=Daddy and Them |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/daddy_and_them/ |website=Rotten Tomatoes}}
Eddie Cockrell of Variety wrote, "Beneath its deadpan and often absurdist exterior, Daddy and Them feels like a very personal piece of work about how family really does come first, warts and all."{{Cite web |last=Cockrell |first=Eddie |date=2001-08-29 |title=Daddy and Them |url=https://variety.com/2001/film/reviews/daddy-and-them-1200469312/ |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=Variety |language=en-US}} Brad Slager of Film Threat was more critical, writing, ”Plotless and pedantic, Daddy and Them is supposed to be a lighthearted look at family dysfunction in the Deep South, but the characters are not enjoyable enough to care about."{{Cite web |date=2004-02-29 |title=Daddy and Them (DVD) |url=https://filmthreat.com/uncategorized/daddy-and-them-dvd/ |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=Film Threat |language=en-US}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.miramax.com/movie/daddy-and-them/ Official site]
- {{IMDb title|0166158}}
- [https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr3010155013/ Daddy and Them] at Box Office Mojo
{{Billy Bob Thornton}}
Category:Films directed by Billy Bob Thornton
Category:Films about dysfunctional families
Category:2001 independent films
Category:Films shot in Arkansas
Category:Films set in Arkansas
Category:Films set in Little Rock, Arkansas
Category:2001 comedy-drama films
Category:American comedy-drama films
Category:2000s English-language films