Getting Even With Dad (1994)

	Directed by: Howard Deutch	COUNTRY USA GENRE Comedy NORWEGIAN TITLE Getting Even with Dad RUNNING TIME 104 minutes
	Produced by: Katie Jacobs
	Written by: Tom S. Parker Jim Jennewein

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Timmy Gleason	Macaulay Culkin	½
Ray Gleason	Ted Danson
Detective Theresa Walsh	Glenne Headly
Bobby	Saul Rubinek	-
Carl	Gailard Sartain	-
Lt. Romayko	Hector Elizondo	-

Review

Getting Even With Dad tries to bite off a lot more than it can chew – serious drama, sentimental tearjerker, silly comedy – all hinged on Macaulay Culkin's in all honesty limited acting talent. Had the filmmakers chosen either path, for instance a clear-cut drama, this could have been really interesting, perhaps even poignant – something in the vein of last year's American Heart – seeing as there is potential in the relation between the criminal father and the neglected son longing for affection. Getting Even With Dad is a good example of how the script itself doesn't necessarily decide how well a film works. Because the main reason for this failure is an ill-fated angle, along with the fact that Culkin, Ted Danson and director Howard Deutch lack the ability to make up for its deficit.