A Family Thing (film)

A Family Thing is a 1996 film starring Robert Duvall, James Earl Jones and Irma P. Hall. It was written by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson and directed by Richard Pearce.

Plot

The film is a drama about a Scotch-Irish American Southerner (Duvall) named Earl Pilcher, whose late mother makes a shocking revelation in a letter left for him to read, after her death. She reveals that Earl's biological mother was an African American maid named Willa Mae, who was raped by Earl's (white) father and died while giving birth to Earl. His adoptive mother's dying wish is that he go to Chicago to meet his half-brother, Ray Murdoch (Jones). Ray blames Earl's father for his own mother's death and does not want to speak to Earl, whose very presence reminds Ray of the past. But his loving Aunt T. (Hall) welcomes Earl and insists the family accept him.

Earl initially takes it badly, and, as a result, he packs up his clothes and takes off for the big city. He meets Ray at city hall (where he is a police officer) and Ray, although he really wants nothing to do with Earl, agrees to meet him for lunch at a diner. There Ray reveals that he knew he had a half white brother all along and hates Earl's father (and Earl too by association) because he feels that he is what killed his mother. He says in so many words that he doesn't want or need a brother, and they go their separate ways. But when Earl leaves and drives off in his truck he encounters four black street toughs who rear end his truck. When Earl gets out to survey the (minimal) damage, he, being a trusting Southern "good ol' boy", leaves his keys in the ignition, and the toughs beat him up and steal his truck. He walks around in a daze and ends up in a hospital. The hospital staff finds Ray's information in Earl's pocket and calls Ray. He comes reluctantly, and the doctor tells him that Earl may have a concussion and needs to take it easy for a couple of days; no traveling is allowed. She also tells him that the hospital is full, so he will have to take Earl home to recuperate.

At Ray's home, Earl meets Aunt T (Hall), a kind and generous elderly woman who is blind. Aunt T. is Ray's aunt, and thus, Earl's aunt. Earl also meets Ray's son, Virgil (Beach), who doesn't appreciate a white southerner sleeping in his bed. At first, Earl's stay at the Murdock residence is rocky, and leads to Earl leaving, where he gets drunk at a Chicago bar, tossed out for bothering a black family, and decides to sleep under a bridge. The next day, Ray, on Aunt T.'s wishes, manages to find Earl, and settle their differences. As Virgils divorced wife (played by Regina Taylor), and their two daughters, visit, Earl learns that Virgil had a promising career in professional football that was shattered by an injury. Ever since, his lost chance to become what he couldn't has hurt his family, because he would rather dwell in the past than accept his fate.

Ray and Earl bond together more as each finds similarities between them. Both served in the military (Earl as a firefighter in the United States Navy, and Ray in the U.S. Marines) during the Korean War, where they received life-long scars. Ray reveals he once threw a rock at Earl that could have killed him when they were both very young, because of Ray's hatred towards Earl's father. Later on, in a bar, Earl takes Virgil aside and explains to him that by remorsing his loss of a great football career, he isn't devoting himself to his ex-wife and children.

Once Earl is ready to go home, and the police unexpectedly find his truck operational (it was shot up in a bank robbery), Aunt T. had Earl and Ray sit down, where she tells Earl about his mother. According to Aunt T., Earl's father impregnated Earl and Ray's mother, who gave birth to Earl, but died soon after. Earl's white "mother" (whose death at the beginning of the film led Earl to seek out his brother Ray), was a great friend of Earl's mother, and promised to raise Earl. Aunt T. gives Earl a picture of his biological mother, which he keeps close by. Earl accepts his new family with pride, and he and Ray return to their hometown to find their mother's grave. As they share a drink in her tombstone, Earl decides to take Ray to his southern family and tell them the story, ending the movie by joking with Ray that when Earl's white nephew finds out he is part black, he will likely shoot the both of them.

Cast

• Robert Duvall as Earl Pilcher, Jr.
• James Earl Jones as Ray Murdock
• Irma P. Hall as Aunt T.
• Michael Beach as Virgil Murdock

External links

• A Family Thing at the Internet Movie Database
• A Family Thing at AllRovi