I Never Sang for My Father

Directed by Gilbert Cates, I Never Sang for My Father details the tumultuous relationship between a widowed college professor (Gene Hackman’s Gene) and his aging father (Melvyn Douglas’ Tom). There’s little doubt, ultimately, that I Never Sang for My Father grows more and more absorbing as it progresses, as filmmaker Cates, working from Robert Anderson’s screenplay, has infused the early part of the proceedings with an occasionally excessive deliberateness that prevents the viewer from wholeheartedly embracing the material or characters – with the movie, even in its less-than-captivating stretches, benefiting substantially from the top-tier work of its two stars. It’s clear, then, that the relatable, truthful bent of Anderson’s script paves the way for a second half that boasts more than a few hypnotic sequences, including an absolutely riveting scene detailing Gene’s tour of two thoroughly grim nursing homes, while Gene and Tom’s climactic (and inevitable) blowout is as gripping and electrifying as one might’ve anticipated (and hoped) – with the end result a predominantly successful stage-play adaptation that packs a fairly potent (and unexpected) punch in its closing minutes.

***1/2 out of ****