What makes it different from others?

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

...but I thoroughly enjoyed this movie from beginning to end. The performances of each actor were exemplary...and surprising, considering James Woods' ability to play such a sleazy worm so convincingly (as in "The Onion Field" or "Against All Odds") and Glenn Close's horrifying character in "Fatal Attraction"...these are two outstanding actors, whose roles of a warm and long-married-yet-unfulfilled couple really put extra credibility in each of their bag of tricks. Masterson and Dillon are equally excellent as the working-class, clueless kids who are suddenly thrust into parenthood, seeing adoption as their only sensible option out of the situation. What I found most compelling is Michael and Linda (Woods and Close) are a couple who have it all; long-term experience in a loving marriage, excellent careers (he's a veterinarian, she's a real estate broker), a nice house near the bay, nice cars, etc...but are lacking what they really want; a child of their own. Their obvious envy of their friends' relationships with their children is played beautifully, where you can really feel the deep hurt of the "empty womb" through their expressions (the best of which is Michael's observing a young father and his son at a football game) and their discomfort of being among all the happy parents and their children (the birthday party). I found the anticipation of the arrival of Lucy (Masterson) and the ultimate arrival of the baby were very contagious, again, through the excellence of the cast. The glimpses of the younger couple's lives back in Ohio were very revealing as to their characters...again, superbly done! I also loved the understated mischief of the family dog, which, hilariously, closes the film. A warm movie, extremely enjoyable.

"Immediate Family" is a look at the vicissitudes of adoption. Glenn Close and James Woods play Linda and Michael Spector, a middle-aged couple who have never been able to have children. They meet with a younger, economically strapped couple to discuss adopting from them, but further complications ensue.I will admit that this isn't the ultimate masterpiece, but it's the sort of movie that people should see before they adopt, just to understand the issues. Equally as good as Close and Woods are Mary Stuart Masterson and Kevin Dillon, as the young couple having the baby but having doubts about giving it up. A pretty interesting movie.

I enjoyed this film because the characters showed how some adoptions go very smooth. Close and Woods portray Lucy and Michael, a couple that turn to this young boyfriend and girlfriend(Dillon and Masterson) for help; Masterson is pregnant and she first wants to give the child away.Lucy and Michael want to get closer to the young mother and invite her into the Spector household. Things go well, until Masterson has a change of heart,after the birth, and wants to keep the baby boy.She then realizes,towards the ending,that she has no experience and cannot fulfill motherly duties.Finally, she graciously gives the boy to the Spectors,knowing he will be well taken care of.This movie is sweet and you feel glad for the child, that a loving mother would sacrifice her desires, and offer him a better Future. As with a well known case in History, the "Baby M" scandal was a blemish to adoption agencies and received much notoriety in our Nation.Marybeth Whitehead was the surrogate mother and refused to give up the child. In that drawn out case, the girl even received two confusing names(then- married Whiteheads called her Sarah, while the Stern couple named her Melissa).In the ending of Immediate Family, Close,Woods,and Masterson show how adoptive and biological families can work out differences and still be happy. The Spectors send Lucy pictures and keep her involved with her child.

I happened upon this on television. I remember when it was released in the theaters, but as a single man, it hadn't exactly been my cup of tea.Well, it's wonderful. The portrayal of the two couples is so very well written, so believable, so realistic, so interesting. The acting is simply superb - these actors make these people so sympathetic, so real.How wonderfully written this is. There's nothing formulaic about the way these people speak, the way they smile at each other, the small jokes they make, how they move and interact, the awkwardnesses that arise or dissipate, the unspoken sense of threat. Each character seems quite individual. I can't single out any one actor - they were all just wonderful. I'm nowhere close to this situation - yet I was very moved. One thing I loved was simply showing how these two couples related to each other - and the different ways they express warmth toward one another.The only things I disliked were the excessive use of music - (the fact that I'm not a fan of Van Morrison hurt) it felt like padding. I also thought the ending was somewhat pat. All in all, this is really top notch - it shows what talent can do - even where you've no intrinsic interest in the subject.