About My Father is a 2023 American comedy film directed by Laura Terruso from a screenplay by Sebastian Maniscalco and Austen Earl. The film stars Maniscalco and is loosely based on his life and his relationship with his father, played by Robert De Niro. Leslie Bibb, Anders Holm, David Rasche, and Kim Cattrall co-star in supporting roles.
| About My Father | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Laura Terruso |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Rogier Stoffers |
| Edited by | Scott D. Hanson |
| Music by | Stephanie Economou |
Production company | Depth of Field |
| Distributed by | Lionsgate Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 89 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $18.2 million[1][2] |
The film was released by Lionsgate on May 26, 2023. It grossed $18.2 million and received generally negative reviews from critics.
Plot
Sebastian informs his traditional Italian (Sicilian) American father Salvo about his plan to propose to his American girlfriend, and Salvo insists on joining them for a weekend with her parents. Despite the clash between their two cultures and initial perception of having nothing in common, they eventually become a single, unified family by the end of the summer holiday weekend.[3]
Cast
- Robert De Niro as Salvo Maniscalco
- Sebastian Maniscalco as himself
- Leslie Bibb as Ellie
- Kim Cattrall as Tigger
- David Rasche as Bill
- Anders Holm as Lucky
- Brett Dier as Doug
Production
On April 26, 2018, it was announced that Sebastian Maniscalco was set to star in an untitled film for Lionsgate, inspired by his life, with Austen Earl attached to co-write the screenplay alongside Maniscalco.[4] There were no further developments until May 12, 2021, when it was announced that Laura Terruso was set to direct the film and Robert De Niro was cast in a lead role. De Niro actually met Maniscalco's father, for research on playing him.[5] American Pie's Chris and Paul Weitz were attached to produce the film alongside Andrew Miano for their production company Depth of Field.[6] In September 2021, Leslie Bibb and Kim Cattrall joined the lead cast.[7][8] In November 2021, Brett Dier, Anders Holm, and David Rasche joined the cast.[9]
Principal photography began on September 21, 2021, in Mobile, Alabama, and lasted for one month.[10][11]
Release
The film was released by Lionsgate on May 26, 2023.[3]
About My Father was released for digital platforms on June 16, 2023, followed by a Blu-ray and DVD release on August 1, 2023.[12]
Reception
Box office
About My Father grossed $12.1 million in the United States and Canada, and $6.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide gross of $18.2 million.[2][1]
In the United States and Canada, About My Father was released alongside The Little Mermaid, Kandahar, The Machine, and You Hurt My Feelings, was projected to gross $5–6 million from 2,400 theaters over its four-day Memorial Day opening weekend.[13] The film made $1.5 million on its first day, including $285,000 from Thursday night previews.[14] It went on to debut to $4.3 million (and $5.4 million over the four-day frame), finishing sixth.[15] In its second weekend, the film declined 52% to $2.1 million, finishing in seventh place.[16][17]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 36% of 86 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "About My Father finds star/co-writer Sebastian Maniscalco drawing on his own life for material -- and inadvertently proving that a funny standup routine doesn't necessarily make for an entertaining film."[18] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 39 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.[19] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by PostTrak gave it an overall 80% positive score, with 51% saying they would definitely recommend it.[15]
Matt Zoller Seitz, in a review for RogerEbert.com stated: "De Niro, bless his heart, is the engine that keeps this refurbished jalopy puttering along for 90 minutes. There are a couple of scenes that suggest the stronger, more fascinating movie that might've been".[20] InSession Film's M.N. Miller called Maniscalco's film "A culture clash farce that works because of Maniscalco's style of comedy and De Niro playing to his long-established comic strengths as a cynical curmudgeon set in his ways."[21]
Accolades
At the 44th Golden Raspberry Awards, the film was nominated for Worst Supporting Actress for Kim Cattrall.[22]
