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 "Informative, intriguing, observant, often touching...gives a human face to what's often discussed in purely abstract terms."
-- Frank Swietek, ONE GUY'S OPINION
 "It's always disappointing when a documentary fails to live up to -- or offer any new insight into -- its chosen topic. Unfortunately, that's precisely what Arthur Dong's Family Fundamentals does."
-- Jordan Reed, BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE
"As in his other searingly intelligent docs, Dong presents the facts in an admirably clear-eyed way."
-- David Noh, FILM JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL
"A moving and important film."
-- Moira MacDonald, SEATTLE TIMES
"Dong doesn’t demonize the conservative Christians he talks to, but he doesn’t have to..."
-- MaryAnn Johanson, FLICK FILOSOPHER
"Mature, graceful documentary on conservative Christian parents with homosexual children."
-- Phil Hall, FILM THREAT
"Dong shows how intolerance has the power to deform families, then tear them apart."
-- Ken Fox, TV GUIDE'S MOVIE GUIDE
"An incendiary, deeply thought-provoking look at one of the most peculiar (and peculiarly venomous) bigotries in our increasingly frightening theocracy"
-- Walter Chaw, FILM FREAK CENTRAL
"[Dong] makes a valiant effort to understand everyone's point of view, and he does such a good job of it that Family Fundamentals gets you riled up."
-- Jeffrey M. Anderson, SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER
Click to read the article.
-- Rachel Gordon, CULTUREDOSE.NET
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"So many documentaries like this presuppose religious bigotry or zealous nuttiness of its antagonists, but Family Fundamentals displays a rare gift for unflinching impartiality."
-- Brent Simon, ENTERTAINMENT TODAY
"Has moments of great poignancy and insight."
-- Nigam Nuggehalli, CULTUREVULTURE.NET
"Compassionate, potent documentary."
-- Paula Nechak, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
"Using his audience as a figurative port-of-call, Dong pulls his even-handed ideological ship to their dock for unloading, before he continues his longer journey still ahead."
-- Jon Lap, APOLLO GUIDE
"Dong never pushes for insights beyond the superficial tensions of the dynamic he’s dissecting, and the film settles too easily along the contours of expectation."
-- Ernest Hardy, L.A. WEEKLY
"A timely and incisive film about the untenable conflict between warring American values -- religious fundamentalism versus family love."
-- Chris Gore, FILM THREAT
"The problem with this film is that it lacks focus. I sympathize with the plight of these families, but the movie doesn't do a very good job conveying the issue at hand."
-- Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone, THEMOVIECHICKS.COM
"The documentary does little, apart from raising the topic, to further stoke the conversation."
-- Marjorie Baumgarten, AUSTIN CHRONICLE
Click to read the article.
-- Robert Roten, LARAMIE MOVIE SCOPE
Click to read the article.
-- REEL.COM
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FRESH 71%
Avg. Rating: 6.6/10 |
"The film is almost eerily calm and refuses to take sides. But that lets its insights penetrate all the deeper."
-- Tom Sime, DALLAS MORNING NEWS
"Just how these families interact may surprise you."
-- V.A. Musetto, NEW YORK POST
"An earnest, heartrending look at the divide between religious fundamentalists and their gay relatives. It's also heavy-handed and devotes too much time to bigoted views."
-- Carla Meyer, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
"Without heavy-handedness, Dong provides perspective with his intelligent grasp of human foibles and contradictions."
-- Loren King, BOSTON GLOBE
"Sensitive though not quite revelatory documentary."
-- Eric Harrison, HOUSTON CHRONICLE
"As part of Mr. Dong's continuing exploration of homosexuality in America, Family Fundamentals is an earnest study in despair."
-- Lawrence Van Gelder, NEW YORK TIMES
"Compassionately explores the seemingly irreconcilable situation between conservative Christian parents and their estranged gay and lesbian children."
-- Melissa Anderson, VILLAGE VOICE
-- Click to read the article.
-- Fred Camper, CHICAGO READER
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* Who are the Approved Tomatometer Critics?
* Mouse over a tomato icon for a publication's original rating. Original rating not available for every publication.
* In fairness to critics whose last name begins with a letter at the end of the alphabet, certain pages are sorted in reverse order, z-a.
* Certain "Family Fundamentals" article data provided by the Movie Review Query Engine.
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