User reviews

This is a good movie. Sure, it won't win any awards, but it's still a lot funnier than many more successful films out now. Some people seem to have a problem with mixing humor and Alzheimers. My own grandfather had this horrid disease and eventually passed away a few years back. Does this make me feel that this movie is less funny? Not for a moment. The reason is that nothing bad ever happens to Dom Ameche's character. He sets up Tom Selleck time and time again for painful slapstick gags, but he always comes out squeaky clean.

I found the writing witty with some good one-liners and great character interaction. On a believeability scale, it rates pretty low, but it is plausable. I saw no plot holes that others have mentioned, but it's easy to see plot holes when you already know the concept of the story, unlike the characters who are in the dark and haven't seen a "trailer" of their lives. The cast is also great, btw.

All in all, this movie is a great distraction, but if you haven't smile or laughed in awhile and you think South Park is immature, you probably won't like this film. If you do see it, just remind yourself that they are not making fun of Alzheimers, they are poking fun at the misadventures one man has trying to take care of his aging parents while trying to retain his own sanity.

Some people have no sense of humor. I laughed until I cried the first time I saw this movie. It is not reality, it is comedy. Real life situations that many of us may face as our loved ones age have been taken to the extreme, so we can laugh. The loss of a testicle is not funny but how it happened and being called one-nut is. I would call it a modern day screw-ball comedy along the lines of "Bringing Up Baby". It should be released on DVD shortly (I will be getting it) just sit back, suspend reality and enjoy--what's not to enjoy about watching Tom Selleck?! I also loved "Blind Date" with Bruce Willis and Kim Bassinger. I recommend this movie to anyone who loves to laugh.

In order for "dark comedy" to work it cannot be mean spirited, and "Folks" has it's share of meanness for certain. It is pure and simple oftentimes painful to watch as poor Tom Selleck is subjected to an outrageous quantity of physical and mental abuse. The film is a very uneasy mix of slapstick, "black comedy", and stupidity. Fortunately, despite the constant shifting back and forth between comedy genres, "Folks" has enough uproarious moments that totally save the movie. It certainly is not in a class with films like "Eating Raoul", Fire Sale', or "War of the Roses", but it is worth seeing especially for those who appreciate the above mentioned movies. I would classify "Folks" as more of a near miss because of it's questionable use of what the writer must have considered "black comedy."

I don't BUY many movies, once you've seen them, then what? But this is one that I bought! This one I palm off on house guests that are bored with playing pinochle. And I have watched it over and over as other members of the family watch it, and I enjoy it just as much as the first time! Don Ameche did a wonderful job on this one, Selleck also, and both pulled the comedy off just right. Yes, I believe that a guy like Selleck could have that much bad luck in the movie! (We are asked to believe much more than that sometimes!) And I think Amache was hilarious with his Alzheimer's schtick! And I did have a grandfather that suffered with it, so climb off me on that point. It's like watching somebody take a pratfall... and who hasn't smiled at one of those?

Forget Leonard Maltin's comments. I can't remember when I laughed so hard. Sure, it's slapstick. There are plenty of cheap jokes and visual cheap shots. But there's just enough irony (McDonalds/McDonnel's) to make things interesting. An hour and a half of pure escapism and belly laughs.

Poor Tom Selleck's character provides the viewer with an endless string of laughs (and groans). His relationship with his parents is one that almost everyone can identify with in a loving, but humorous way. Throughout the movie there are funny events that I can see coming but am helpless to warn Selleck about. Also, there are several twists and turns that delight the viewer. All in all, a great comedy.

This is a satirical look at a behind-the-scenes view of Tom Selleck playing a had-it-all stockbroker who loses it all. It has a black satire view of Alzheimer's but political correctness aside - it is one of the funniest movies of Selleck's that I have seen!!! I loved Don Ameche and Anne Jackson who were perfect as his parents and they deliver some of the best one-liners I can remember. If you liked the quirkiness of "HAROLD & MAUDE" or "the HOSPITAL" with George C. Scott or "WHERE'S PAPA?" with George Segal - this movie is just for you!!! I just wish it would be released on DVD as my VHS copy is getting a lot of play from being loaned to others who have never seen it.

When I watched Folks! for the first time I could not stop laughing. It was hilarious! I highly recommend you watch it. You will not regret it!

I love this movie. It is a non stop laufgh. I first saw this movie when I was at someones house and have rented it many time. I now own it and still laufgh every time I see it. A great movie for anyone looking for a good comedy.

This was one of Don Ameche's last films and he gives a great performance. This man was truly one of Hollywood's "greats" and I am so happy that he was finally recognized with that Oscar for Cocoon after such a long spell of being forgotten. I had a lot of guilty laughs watching this film. Some people might say that it is in poor taste because his character suffers from Alzhiemers (in the film they call it senile dementia). Just leave your brain at the beginning of the film and have a good time. Tom Selleck obviously went through a lot of pain making this film (ha ha). You should have a few guilty laughs at this as well. Wendy Crewson is wonderful as his understanding wife. This film may be the intellectual equivalent of a MacDonald's cheeseburger, but just watch it and have a good laugh!

Funniest movie I've ever watched love it I've watched it every time I can find it my whole family likes it I don't know why people have got so many low ratings they need to loosen up and just laugh and quit trying to be so sophisticated.

This is a black, slapstick, offbeat comedy that may not be for everyone.

It's not your usual Tom Selleck as in Quigley Down Under or Runaway.

This film really shows his versatility as an actor.

Don Ameche shows that he still has what it takes. It's the first time I've seen him since Trading Places and he's still going strong.

At first I thought Tom's mother was being played by Miriam Margoyles of Black Adder and Ed and His Dead Mother.

This film is heart-warming with a happy ending.

Definitely a family fun film for the right family.

It turns out to be a black comedy but audiences watch child abuse, shootings, murders, rapes and all kinds of killing Carnage in films and end up loving it. Sure Alzheimer's is a serious disease but stop with the oh I'm offended by the writers and producers for their lack of sensitivity for Alzheimer's. Take the film for what it's worth and have a laugh or two and get over it.

It turns out to be a black comedy but audiences watch shootings,murders, rapes and all kinds of killing Carnage in films and end up loving it. Sure Alzheimer's is a serious disease but stop with the oh I'm offended by the writers and producers for their lack of sensitivity for Alzheimer's. Take the film for what it's worth and have a laugh or two and get over it.

It turns out to be a black comedy but audiences watch shootings,murders, rapes and all kinds of killing Carnage in films and end up loving it. Sure Alzheimer's is a serious disease but stop with the oh I'm offended by the writers and producers for their lack of sensitivity for Alzheimer's. Take the film for what it's worth and have a laugh or two and get over it.

At first I thought, poor guy, what else can possibly go wrong in your life, then it got worse. And they did it in a style that made me laugh. But, the more times I watched it, the more I saw the true meaning of a loving relationship, and the child's responsibility to take care of the parents. This movie is timeless and should be a classic, mostly for the children that find themselves faced with a parent that loses touch, but can still play and laugh and be loved. When your the child in this position, anything to make you look at the situation in a smiling light is very important. It needs to be shown again and again and again. I always need a good laugh.

Very strange and somewhat demented black comedy that really plays more like a Road-Runner/Wile E. Coyote cartoon than a live action motion picture. Tom Selleck takes in his elderly parents (Don Ameche and Anne Jackson) after his father accidentally burns down their home. Immediately everything comes apart for Selleck as he and his sexy wife (Wendy Crewson) start to have marital problems, then he is investigated for possible insider trading by FBI man Michael Murphy, then his crazed sister (Christine Ebersole) and her unruly kids move in after they are evicted and the hits keep coming when Ebersole starts to fool around with Selleck's door man (Robert Pastorelli). Things are going from bad to worse fast and then Jackson pleads with Selleck to kill her and Ameche (no kidding). Selleck's financial woes and the fact that Ameche is suffering the early stages of Alzheimer's Disease are the reasons for Jackson's request. Selleck naturally is torn with what to do, while Ebersole thinks it is a great idea (she obviously has a heart of gold, haha). Soon Selleck tries and tries to have his parents knocked off so he can collect their insurance, but their safety is never really in danger. Instead he is the one who might end up dead trying to come through. I must admit that I like this film a little more than I dislike it. It is a bargain-basement effort and the ideas are no better than those that a junior high student would come up with. With that said, the cast is first-rate and actually make the story come to life with quirky situations and surprisingly hilarious dialogue. There is a darkness to this picture though as there are questions raised about Alzheimer's Disease (a disease that is so tough on everyone who has seen it firsthand) and the rights of elderly people who do not want to lose one another to death. I guess the main problem with me here is tone as I laughed, but did not always feel good laughing at these characters. Ameche is a revelation (as he always seemed to be) and the other primary players are talented performers. Overall I got stuck in the middle with "Folks!", but this is still a picture that deserves a little more credit than it has received. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

I was going through had had time and my mom pop this movie in on VHS and we laughed we would watch it every year till it didn't play anymore.

I have watched this movie at least a dozen times and it always makes me laugh. My young grandsons asked to watch the plane scene repeatedly and were cracking up the whole time. His mom's "I'll just wash it out in the sink" line is genius. Not to be taken seriously, except for Tom's love of his parents, it is a perfect comedy of errors that never lets up. It is by far one the funniest movies I have ever seen, and I've seen many in my years. Those who don't appreciate it and want to constantly look for flaws and faults, are idiots and would not be welcome at my house, or in my life. Pour yourself a nice glass of wine and enjoy the ride!

when i want to have a good time, i go out and bowl, when i want to rest, i'll sleep in my bed, when i need to taste something good, i'll eat a steak. folks cannot fit into this. i love it.

Twenty-two years before screenwriter Robert Klane wrote "Folks!", he wrote the screenplay for "Where's Poppa?", another movie that dealt with a grown man dealing with a senile parent. Since "Where's Poppa?" was successful at the box office and became a cult classic, maybe Klane thought the same basic idea would work again. Maybe it could have, but it didn't. While there are a small number of moments that will make you smirk a little, otherwise the movie is desperately unfunny. What made "Where's Poppa?" work was that *all* the characters were insane, so it was easy to laugh at their troubles. But in "Folks!", Tom Selleck is normal-minded, so when we get to see him abused in various ways, we feel sorry for him instead of laughing at his troubles. Also, a lot of the attempts at humor are quite mean-spirited and harsh, enough that even insane characters would have a tough time making them work. A critical and financial bomb, you'll wonder how this movie wrangled a DVD release years later.