First Family

Director: Buck Henry Buck Henry

Overview

Gilda Radner, Bob Newhart, and Madeline Kahn star in this comedy. The farce sends up an idiotic First Family in the persona of a bumbling president (Newhart), his semi-alcoholic wife (Kahn), and his oversexed daughter (Radner). Satirizing the artificial, formal speech of real-life First Families in television interviews, director Buck Henry carries this mode of speech into their private lives as well. The trio travel to an African country where the First Daughter is kidnapped and white Americans are traded as slaves in exchange for some special animal dung that is able to accelerate plant growth.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/19/2013
UPC:	0883316736999
Original Release:	1980
Rating:	R
Source:	Warner Archives
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Language:	English
Time:	1:40:00
Sales rank:	39,065

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Bob Newhart	President Manfred Link
Gilda Radner	Gloria Link
Fred Willard	Presidential Assistant Feebleman
Richard Benjamin	Press Secretary Bunthome
Bob Dishy	Vice President Shockley
Madeline Kahn	Mrs. Link
Julius Harris	Ambassador Longo
Harvey Korman	Ambassador Spender
Maurice Sherbanee	Arab Delegate
Austin Pendleton	Alexander Grade
Dudley Knight	Secretary of Defense Springfield
Lou Felder	Secretary of State Reigie
Buck Henry	Fr. Sandstone
John Hancock	President Mazai Kalundra
Susan Forristal	Actor
Lyman Ward	Actor
Rip Torn	Gen. Dumpston

Technical Credits

Buck Henry	Director
Daniel Melnick	Producer
Tex Rudloff	Sound/Sound Designer
Jerry Jost	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

It's staggering to think that a man who wrote such wonderful comedies as The Graduate and What's Up Doc? could also come up with the atrocity that is First Family, but indeed Buck Henry did do such a thing. It would be tempting to blame the mess on the director, but since that is also Henry, nothing is really gained by that tactic. Family is not totally without laughs, but it does come perilously close. For the most part, the jokes are simply not funny, and even the few that are, are not helped by Henry's lackluster, pointless direction. Of course, it is possible -- not advisable, but possible -- to make a comedy that is low on laughs but which is still effective because the story itself is well put-together, its characters are engaging or at least amiable, and there's a sense of cheeriness and lightheartedness that makes one willing to settle for a few smiles rather than a barrel of guffaws. But Family is lacking in all these areas as well, ultimately being an unfocused, irritating mess of a movie. That it manages this despite the presence of an absolutely first rate cast seems incredible, but it's true. Such incredible talents as Bob Newhart, Gilda Radner and Austin Pendleton have nothing to show for their efforts; only Madeline Kahn somehow manages to rise - ever so slightly -- above the material.