Writer-star Paul Reiser plays a very “Mad About You”-type New York married man whose even-keel life takes a hit when his mother abruptly leaves his father, Sam (Peter Falk), after 47 years of marriage. Much kvetching and bonding between the men ensues. Reiser claims to have written the role of Sam with Falk in mind, but it’s hardly a
generous part. Sam is a cantankerous grouch whose only redeemable qualities, in the movie’s eyes, are his moves in a contrived bar fight and his habit of passing gas. Reiser, meanwhile, watches his co-star less with the conflicted, skeptical eye of a son than with that of a doting fan. There are a few nice moments here and there, yet not nearly enough of the film finds the proper balance between slapstick and sap.
