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The Talent Given Us

Play trailer Poster for The Talent Given Us 2004 1h 38m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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58% Tomatometer 50 Reviews 46% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Filmmaker Andrew Wagner cast his own mother, father and sisters to portray themselves in this film, which is partially based on their own experiences. Elderly New Yorkers Judy and Allen Wagner wish they were closer to their son, Andrew, who is currently trying to make his mark in Hollywood. The couple drag their adult daughters, Maggie and Emily, along with them on an odyssey across the United States to reunite with Andrew. Along the way, the family's regrets and secrets begin to surface.
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The Talent Given Us

The Talent Given Us

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Critics Consensus

The Talent Given Us is an odd hybrid of reality and fiction, but works due to its engaging characters.

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Critics Reviews

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Damon Smith Time Out Oct 13, 2005
Faux documentary, home movie or unexpurgated family therapy? The Talent Given Us, a funny, surprising ride with a mercurial New York clan, is all three. Go to Full Review Christopher Kelly Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com Oct 13, 2005
B+
[A] one-of-a-kind movie that sends the family road-trip genre happily spinning into these self-obsessed, overanalytical times; it's National Lampoon's Vacation as re-imagined by Dr. Phil. Go to Full Review Shauna Lyon The New Yorker Oct 13, 2005
The notion that there is no escape from one's family is elevated-and ameliorated-by the inkling that the Wagners' story is, in fact, real. Go to Full Review Felix Vasquez Jr. Cinema Crazed Apr 29, 2009
It's a self-indulgent, utterly painful film that attempts to explore all sorts of genres, but it fails. Go to Full Review Doris Toumarkine Film Journal International Mar 1, 2007
The ranting, whining, kvetching, self-involved family begins to outstay its welcome [...] so that time spent with them can feel like entrapment at a raucous bar mitzvah reception. Go to Full Review Film Threat Dec 6, 2005
4/5
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Audience Reviews

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Apr 23, 2011 An engaging, often hilarious family portrait that seamlessly blends reality and fiction. See more Sep 17, 2009 Filmed like a documentary, but some decently-scripted performances are on display... if you can get past a lot of whining. See more Jun 5, 2009 India from friend Andrew See more Sep 1, 2008 These characters explode off the screen. There's a very blurry line between what's real and what's not and I enjoyed that. RIYL: Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm. See more Aug 24, 2008 From my perspective, to become interested in the movie, you have to be interested in the characters... There was really nothing about the characters I wanted to become interested in... See more Aug 11, 2008 Indie feature continually walks the line between poignant character study and obnoxious dysfunctional family comedy - with very mixed results. The performances by the non-actor cast bring a raw honesty of fully-realized characters that you see in very few other films. On the other hand, these characters - as real as they me be - are so annoying, their 90 minute road trip feels like hours of screeching and inane banter. Some of the twists in the loose plot and the broad characterization of the one of the sisters feels very contrived, and it's never really all that funny - but it's still almost worth watching for the naturalistic performances. The generic upbeat score seems out of place and ruins several scenes. See more Read all reviews
The Talent Given Us

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Cast & Crew

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Andrew Wagner

Director

Judy Wagner

Judy

Allen Wagner

Allen

Emily Wagner

Emily

Maggie Wagner

Maggie

Judy Dixon

Bumby

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The Talent Given Us

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Movie Info

Synopsis Filmmaker Andrew Wagner cast his own mother, father and sisters to portray themselves in this film, which is partially based on their own experiences. Elderly New Yorkers Judy and Allen Wagner wish they were closer to their son, Andrew, who is currently trying to make his mark in Hollywood. The couple drag their adult daughters, Maggie and Emily, along with them on an odyssey across the United States to reunite with Andrew. Along the way, the family's regrets and secrets begin to surface.
Director
Andrew Wagner
Producer
Andrew Wagner
Screenwriter
Andrew Wagner
Distributor
Daddy W. Productions
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 17, 2004, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 14, 2014
Runtime
1h 38m
Sound Mix
Stereo
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