Movies about dysfunctional families are basically a dime a dozen in Hollywood. You’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all, right? But the 2003 movie It Runs in the Family is a weirdly specific beast that feels more like a home movie with a multi-million dollar budget than a standard studio dramedy. It isn't just a story about the Grombergs, a high-powered, high-stress New York clan. It’s a literal time capsule of the Douglas dynasty.
Kirk Douglas. Michael Douglas. Cameron Douglas. Even Diana Douglas, Kirk’s real-life ex-wife and Michael’s mother, shows up to play the matriarch.
Honestly, watching it feels a bit like eavesdropping on a private therapy session that happens to have great lighting and a script by Jesse Wigutow. It’s rare to see three generations of Oscar-winning (well, mostly) royalty sharing the frame, and that meta-layer is the only reason people are still talking about this film two decades later. If you strip away the famous names, it's a quiet, somewhat messy exploration of how we inherit our parents' mistakes whether we want to or not.
The Douglas Dynasty: Real Life Bleeding Into Fiction
When Michael Douglas decided to produce It Runs in the Family, he wasn't just looking for a gig. He was looking for a way to work with his father, Kirk, before time ran out. Kirk was already in his 80s and still dealing with the aftermath of a massive stroke he’d suffered in 1996. You can see it in his performance. His speech is labored, his movements are stiff, but that legendary fire—that "Spartacus" intensity—is still flickering behind his eyes.
It’s meta. It’s deeply meta.
In the film, Michael plays Alex Gromberg, a man caught in the "sandwich generation" squeeze. He’s trying to be a better father than Mitchell (Kirk) was to him, while his own son Asher (Cameron) is busy failing out of school and getting into legal trouble.
Does that sound familiar? It should.
Cameron Douglas’s real-life struggles with addiction and the law were tabloid fodder for years. Seeing him on screen playing a version of a screw-up son while his actual father and grandfather look on with genuine, unscripted disappointment is heavy stuff. It’s uncomfortable. It’s also the most honest part of the whole movie. You aren't just watching actors; you’re watching a family attempt to process their own history through a lens.
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Fred Schepisi, the director, had the unenviable task of wrangling these massive personalities. He leans into the New York setting, using the city as a cold, bustling backdrop for a family that can’t seem to find a quiet room to just talk.
Why It Runs in the Family Failed at the Box Office
Let’s be real: the movie didn't exactly set the world on fire. It earned about $17 million against a much larger footprint of expectations. Why?
Part of it was the marketing. People didn't know if they were getting a "funny" Michael Douglas movie like The War of the Roses or a serious drama. It landed somewhere in the middle. The "dramedy" tag is often a kiss of death for search algorithms and theater seats because it feels indecisive.
There's also the "nepotism" factor, though that word wasn't the buzzword back then like it is now. Some critics felt the movie was a vanity project. They weren't entirely wrong. But that’s also what makes it a fascinating artifact. Most vanity projects try to make the stars look perfect. It Runs in the Family does the opposite. It makes the Douglases look petty, resentful, and tired.
Mitchell Gromberg is a difficult man. He’s stubborn. He’s a bit of a jerk. Kirk Douglas plays him with a level of vulnerability that he rarely allowed himself in his prime. He’s a lion in winter, and the film doesn't shy away from the physical reality of aging.
A Breakdown of the Gromberg (Douglas) Dynamics
- The Patriarch (Mitchell/Kirk): The source of all the ambition and most of the trauma. He’s the shadow everyone else is trying to outrun.
- The Mediator (Alex/Michael): The guy trying to keep the peace while realizing he’s becoming exactly what he hated.
- The Rebel (Asher/Cameron): The one who feels the weight of the legacy and decides to drop it entirely.
- The Anchor (Evelyn/Diana Douglas): The real-life history between Diana and Kirk adds a layer of tenderness to their scenes that you simply cannot fake with a casting director.
The Complicated Legacy of Cameron Douglas
You can’t talk about It Runs in the Family without talking about Cameron. At the time, this was supposed to be his big breakout. He’s got the look. He’s got the name. But his performance is haunted by the reality of what was happening off-camera.
Years later, Cameron wrote a memoir called Long Way Home. In it, he talks about the pressure of being a Douglas. He talks about the drugs. When you go back and watch the film now, knowing he would later spend seven years in federal prison, his scenes take on a tragic weight. There’s a moment where he’s arguing with Michael, and you can see the veins popping in Michael’s neck. That isn't just "acting." That is a father terrified for his son.
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It’s one of the few times a Hollywood movie has felt like a documentary by accident.
Technical Craft and the New York Vibe
The film is visually "fine." It’s not trying to be Succession. It doesn't have the shaky-cam energy or the sharp, cynical bite of modern prestige TV. It feels very much like a 2003 production—lots of warm browns, cozy apartments, and a soundtrack that tells you exactly how to feel.
But there’s a certain craft in the screenplay. It handles three distinct generations without losing the thread, which is harder than it looks. Most movies would focus on the "famous" duo, but the film gives significant time to the younger generation and the legal career of Alex. It tries to show that the "family business" (in this case, law and success) is a trap.
The dialogue is snappy. It’s New York intellectualism. It’s people who use big words to avoid talking about their feelings.
Is It Actually a Good Movie?
If you're looking for a tight plot with a massive payoff, you’ll probably be disappointed. The pacing is a bit shaggy. It meanders. It spends a lot of time on subplots that don't go anywhere.
However, if you’re a student of film history or a fan of the Douglases, it’s essential viewing. It’s a psychological profile.
It’s also surprisingly funny in a dark way. The bickering between Kirk and Michael feels lived-in. There’s a rhythm to their arguments that you only get with people who have been fighting for forty years. They interrupt each other. They know which buttons to push. It’s a masterclass in chemistry, even if the movie around them is just "okay."
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What We Can Learn From the Grombergs
The film's central thesis is that you can’t choose your family, but you can choose how much of their "stuff" you carry.
Mitchell is obsessed with his legacy. Alex is obsessed with his father's approval. Asher is obsessed with escaping both of them. It’s a cycle. The movie doesn't offer a clean "happily ever after" because real families don't work like that. They just reach a point of temporary truce.
Key Takeaways for Viewers
- Look for the subtext. Watch the scenes between Kirk and Michael and ignore the dialogue. Look at the body language. It’s a father and son reconciling in real-time.
- Context is everything. Read up on Cameron Douglas's life before watching. It changes every scene he is in.
- Appreciate the rarity. This kind of multi-generational casting almost never happens because it's a nightmare for insurance and egos. Enjoy it for the anomaly it is.
Where to Find the Film Today
Finding It Runs in the Family on streaming can be a bit of a scavenger hunt. It pops up on platforms like Tubi or Pluto TV occasionally, or you can rent it on the usual suspects like Amazon or Apple. It hasn't received a massive 4K restoration, and it likely won't. It’s a "catalogue title" that survives on the strength of its cast.
If you're going to watch it, do yourself a favor: watch a clip of Kirk Douglas in The Champion or The Bad and the Beautiful first. See the man at his peak. Then watch him in this. It puts the film’s themes of mortality and legacy into sharp relief.
The Douglas family gave us a lot of cinema. This was their way of saying goodbye to an era. It’s flawed, it’s a bit messy, and it’s deeply human. Just like a real family.
Moving Forward: How to Engage with This Film
- Watch for the "Seder" scene. It is arguably the heart of the movie and showcases the natural friction of a large family gathering better than almost any other sequence.
- Compare it to Michael Douglas’s other work. See how his "anxious everyman" persona in this film differs from his high-power roles in Wall Street or Basic Instinct.
- Research the production history. Knowing that this was a passion project Michael spent years trying to get off the ground adds a layer of respect for the finished product.
The film serves as a reminder that even for the most famous people on earth, the hardest job is usually just being a son or a father. Stop looking for a perfect plot and start looking for the moments of genuine connection. That's where the value is.