SYNOPSIS
Suburban supermom Eileen Cleary (Academy Award® nominee Kathleen Turner) is the ultimate Catholic, and when she’s nominated for the coveted Catholic Woman of the Year Award at her local parish, it looks like she’s about to get the plaque to prove it. Only one final test remains—introducing her family to the church board for the seal of approval.
Now, she must finally face the truth about her nonconformist family—a truth she has been glossing over for years. Her gay daughter, Shannon (Emily Deschanel), is about to marry her life partner. Her unhappily married son Frank Jr. (Jason Ritter) is having an affair with the local manicurist. And Eileen’s own marriage to a recovered alcoholic is pulling at the seams….
This heartfelt dysfunctional family comedy boasts a memorable performance from Academy Award® nominee Turner as the conflicted and comical matriarch, alongside a bright ensemble cast including Richard Chamberlain and Michael McGrady. Newcomer director Anne Renton keeps the pacing taut and crafts an honest, modern family tale, and writers Claire V. Riley and Paula Goldberg infuse just the right amount of seriousness and levity into their script, reminding us that family is never truly perfect.
DIRECTORS STATEMENT
The Perfect Family. These words consistently evoke a snicker when I am asked the title of my film in conversation, which I really love. The truth is we can probably all relate to the imperfections, struggles and triumphs that define our “not so perfect” perfect families. The story I have chosen to tell is a messy slice of life comedy-drama about ordinary people struggling to connect. We have the opportunity to take a dive into their lives, laugh and cry with them and hold compassion for the tightly held external façade unraveling right before our main character’s eyes. Sometimes we may even see ourselves in one of them.
I wanted a film with strong emotions, solid characters and a relatable story. Kathleen Turner embraced the role of the protagonist, Eileen Cleary with great depth and an exquisite attention to detail. It was a dream to work with her. We were equally fortunate with the rest of the incredibly talented cast that came on board the project. The filmmaking journey can be a deeply personal one for the director and actors and luckily on this film it proved to also be an extremely collaborative effort. I am grateful to all the actors, crew and supporters who saw this film to the end. My producers held such a supportive space and played an integral part in the creation of this film. It could not have happened without them. In a sense everyone involved in the film became “the little family that could” together, proving yet again there are many definitions of family.
My hope is that The Perfect Family encourages us to glance at our own imperfections and judgments for a moment and acknowledge differences among us as a phenomenon to embrace rather than to reject. This is often easier said than done particularly when someone individuates and begins expressing a truth that doesn’t vibe so much with the family unit or with the views and beliefs of the more global community.
Many of us have been there. I sure have. It’s scary, enlightening, unraveling and empowering. Unfortunately, often all at the same time! As a famous philosopher succinctly said “To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must cultivate our personal life; and to cultivate our personal life, we must first set our hearts right.”
-Anne Renton
Director, THE PERFECT FAMILY
MUSIC
“Perfect Day”
Written by Steven Stern & Ted Greenberg
Published by Seven Mile Lane Music & Hatton Road Music
Performed by Steven Stern & Ted Greenberg
Courtesy of Selectracks
“I Know You’re Mine”
Written by Justin Tapp
Published by Seven Mile Lane Music
Courtesy of Selectracks
“You’re Mine” Written by Dan Book, Alexei Misoul & Scott Stallone
Published by Seven Mile Lane Music & Hatton Road Music
“Colors”
Performed by: April Smith and the Great Picture Show
Written by: April Lynn Smith, Label: Little Roscoe
Publisher: Little Roscoe administered Domino Publishing Company of America, Inc.
Album: Songs For A Sinking Ship
“Big Bird in a Small Cage”
Performed by Patrick Watson
Written and Composed by Patrick Watson, Mikhail Stein, Robbie Kuster and Simon Angell
Published by Intrigue Music, LLC and Secret City Publishing
Licensed courtesy of Secret City Records
“Gravity”
Written by Dave Thomas Junior
Published by Copyright Control administered by Archangel Media Worldwide LLC
Performed by U4L Featuring Aaron Thomas
Courtesy of Selectracks
“La Tronica”
Written by Stuart Hart, Evan Miller & Scott Paddock
Published by Seven Mile Lane Music
Performed by Stuart Hart and The Inner Voice
Courtesy of Selectracks
“Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major”
Written by Johann Pachelbel Arranged by Andrew Kaiser
“Twenty Four Seven”
Written by Dino Jag La Vista
Published by House of Wow Performed by Dino Jag
Courtesy of Selectracks/Mother West,
Courtesy of Dave Thomas Junior, by arrangement with Nettwerk Music Group
“Gone Away”
Written by Lucy Schwartz and Kia Colton
Courtesy of Fortunate Fool Records by arrangment with Nettwerk Music Group
“Mozart Quintet in Eb”
Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Published by Thomas J Valentino Inc. Arranged by Marcel G. Frank
Courtesy of Selectracks/Valentino
“Someone Else’s Life”
Written and performed by Joshua Radin
Published by Joshua Radin at Glass Bead Music /BMI
Courtesy of Columbia Records, By arrangement with Sony Music Licensing
“All Right” Writer: Andrew Kaiser Publisher: Blue Soup Records
Score Composed and Produced by ANDREW KAISER