Family Life (1949)

★★★★★ · Those who fail to plan, plan to fail. · The Frontier FemiKnowlogist · 2019-07-21

I am rather surprised at the number of naysayers commenting that this film is unrealistic. Yes, perhaps the acting is a bit cheesy and Mousekateerish - but the concept of the film, treating your home as a business and making plans for it to succeed is an age old idea that has been proven over and over again. Personally, when our children were in upper elementary and middle school we did exactly this. We had a family meeting, set up a card file system for chores and activities and adopted the rule that once your cards were completed for the day the remaining time was personal free time. The…

★★★★★ · That Was The Trip They Saved Up For? · JayKay49 · 2011-12-21

Judging from the sun angles between the opening scene and the end I suppose the big trip that the boy was so adament to not scrap turned out to be a two hour trip to Cystal Lake which I presume was over in back of that house you see beyond the garage. How exciting! Does anybody else think that the female narrator at the beginning of this film is the same voice as the female dog Buck brought home in that episode of Married With Childrem?

★★★★★ · Laughable But Good! · JSBejma · 2016-12-17

Almost certainly the quintessential film of mid 20th century mental health film era. Upbeat, no real problems, a dorky son with a big ass, and a mother whose hair looks like it got caught in the wringer. The kids are typical of 1950 - thoughtless and self-centered, but rebuttals from parents for such behaviour would wait a few years to happen. Suddenly, like a stroke of lightning hit them, the kids become ass-licking Disney characters just because mom wrote a list and called a meeting. Not a scream or accusation in the whole meeting? That's a fantasy. Surely there must have been pot-laced…

★★★★ · Gee Mom You're Swell! · Retro Geek · 2008-06-17

Mrs. Miller comes up with a list for good home management. The teenagers most enthusiastically approve and even go so far as to suggest that they'd like to have family meetings every week! It's difficult to imagine today's teenagers willing to sit down together for dinner much less a family meeting. The concept is good but in true Coronet fashion, the presentation is corny with lines like - What's the answer? Is it money or is it magic? Nevertheless, it is quite entertaining to watch. Check out the strange wall decorations for extra amusement!

★★★★ · Some truly nice ideas, but... · jenniferger · 2011-10-30

...what they fail to take into account, as with many Coronet films, is human nature. It's sound advice to make budgets and plan things, but human beings are not automatons, and while this plan is a good, democratic idea, much depends on the personalities of the people in the house. I sometimes watch these films and realize that I have NO clue what a real family in the 40s and 50s was actually like, because all of these films portray an ideal outcome and helpful, cooperative behavior from the whole family, and I know it can't possibly have been like that. the film also features the trademark…

★★★ · Come on, people. · 37view37 · 2009-11-23

OK little film – a couple of overly cynical reviews. The concepts herein are not dissimilar to contemporary family issues. Scheduling: my family has grown by three children due to meth-addicted relatives (can’t get more contemporary than that) who neglected said children. Social workers and counselors all advised that these children desperately needed dependably-scheduled routines from morning to night. That advice bore fruit once we heeded it. Responsibilities: same as above. Little kids ought to learn responsibility – and it’s often never too late to learn such regardless of the age. This…