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Love and Family

Amos Lassen | Little Rock, Arkansas | 11/26/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Father Knows: A Sentimental Journey"

Love and Family

Amos Lassen

I have always liked the way Toby Ross approaches the films that he makes even though many critics see him differently. I remember Ross from the time he directed porn and there was always something about his movies that attracted me but I am not sure exactly what it is.
"Father Knows" is a bittersweet comedy-drama which deals with family as it looks at love and estrangement over a fifteen year period. Brad seems to be part of a simple American family but we soon learn that this is not necessarily so. He tells the story as he writes his memoirs which focus on the person who is the love of his life, Ira. He tells about their break up and of Ira's stormy relationship with his parents. Ira and his father is a central character in the film but if I explain that I risk ruining the film watching experience for you.
The basic premise of "Father Knows" is that love is something that takes years of patience and does not just happen. The movie hits close to home as it deals with issues that all of us face. The theme of learning to deal with family is wonderfully interpreted. The other issues of the film are just as tastefully handled--romance and city living. There is also some male nudity and soft-core sex but it is romance that this movie is about.
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FATHER KNOWS

MovieCollector | Edmonton, Alberta Canada | 12/30/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"POIGNANT..HAS SEVERAL HEART TUGGING MOMENTS....in short a story line concerning the relationship of a father with his son and friends. Tender moments throughout the film of a son his father, family life and long term friends that we have had or yet to have. Some chuckles also...Father KnowsWorth looking at if you are not over critical of some of the acting.."

This "Father Knows" not the Best, but a worthy effort some w

Bob Lind | Phoenix, AZ United States | 11/22/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"In writing his memoirs (a bit premature for a 35 year old, but get used to plot points that don't make sense), Brad thinks back on his long time infatuation with Ira Clarke, whom he has knows since his teens. In flashbacks starting at Ira's 18th birthday, when he comes out to his parents (and, later, Brad and Ira have a "sleepover" that is a bit noisy), we experience Brad's pain at Ira's "I-like-you-but-I'm-not-ready-to-settle-down-yet" brush-off, his jealousy when the Clarkes take in a cute male exchange student from Dubai, and how he develops a lifelong friendship with Ira'a father, initially just to keep tabs on what is happening in Ira's life, until Ira leaves his family behind and moves away.

"Father Knows" (2007) is directed by legendary gay porn producer Toby Ross, which gives you a clue that plot, acting and production values take a back seat to making sure there are lots of hot guys on the screen ... and there are. It's essentially a softcore film with a minimal plot, occasional cartoonish dialogue and overacting (If you look closely, there are a couple of scenes where it looks like even the actors are trying to suppress laughter!) If you accept that premise, it is better than most of its genre. Falcon Studios star Cort Donovan (as Brad) is essentially the lead actor, though not the focus of the film until later. Newcomer Luke Aulwurm is somewhat manic as Ira, but Efrain Gonzalez, Jr. (as the exchange student) steals whatever scenes he is in, and is cconvincing as a coniving flirt. The parents are horribly miscast, with the mother (with a Jewish accent that seems to come and go) looking a good 20 years older than the father, while he looks to be a youngish 35 or so, which doesn't work well with a son who is supposed to be only 18 but is played by an actor probably a decade older. Then there's the fact that the father seems to age a good 20 years or more in a single week, toward the end of the film.

Suspend any ability to disbelieve, and the film is actually alternately amusing and somewhat bittersweet, worth a look. Great cast interviews on the DVD! Not rated, would be a heavy R for brief nudity and simulated gay sex. Give it three stars out of five."