This is My Father MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +2 Content: -2

Kieran Johnson (James Caan), a high school history teacher in Chicago, is frustrated after his students fail to do an assignment on their ancestors. But their lack of interest, along with learning of his mothers stroke, sparks a personal desire to discover his own past. So he travels to Ireland to learn more about his mother and the father he never knew. He finds a woman who tells him the story of his mother, Fiona (Moya Farrelly), and her romance with his father, Kieran ODay (Aidan Quinn). Going back in time to 1939, the film chronicles Fiona and Kierans blossoming romance and the roadblocks to true love. Many of the townspeople are opposed to Kieran and Fionas relationship due to their difference in age and status in the community. This opposition begins a chain of events that threaten to tear the lovers apart. As Johnson learns more about his past, the story returns periodically to the present day and culminates in a reflective moment at his fathers grave in Ireland. While MY FATHER has a bit of a dull feel to it, it does tug at viewers emotions and should perform moderately well at the box office.

Much of the film takes place in an early 20th century Irish village where nearly everyone in the town attends church. Several of the characters show a deep reverence for the church and for God. However, the film seems to make light of the church on several occasions. Two scenes include sermons with statements meant to make fun of the church's position against sin. One notable scene involves a priest listening to a confession. When the priest asks the parishioner about his sin, the implication is that the priest has some homosexual tendencies. One graphic sex scene has motions but no nudity. These elements, along with several obscenities and regular profanities, seriously damage the acceptability of THIS IS MY FATHER.

Preview Reviewer: John Adair
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics, 550 Madison Ave., 8th floor, NY, NY 10022