The Family Way (1966)

How sad is this?

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

It's been forgotten that "The Family Way" caused a near-scandal when it was made in 1966, partly because of its unusually frank subject (impotence and possible homosexuality), but also because of the nude scene in which Hayley's behind is exposed. We think of the Sixties as being swinging, anything-goes, but 50-some years ago bottom nudity was rare outside of the Continent. Profanity such as "hell" and "damn" were forbidden on TV. This movie narrowly escaped receiving a "Condemned" rating from the Catholic Film Board, which sound humorous now but at the time was a serious matter, as it would make it a sin for a Catholic to see it and it would be one step away from being considered pornography. Many theatres would not have shown a "Condemned" film. The Boultings, who were noted for social commentary in their films, argued that the nudity was essential to the story (isn't it always) since it showed the cramped and substandard state of housing that was a reality for many British people: no proper bathroom, an outhouse in the back yard. The film board relented and gave it the next lowest rating: "Morally Objectionable in Part for All". Times change, and not only would the story be featured in any TV sitcom today, but TCM showed the movie in its entirety, unblurred naked behind and all, on morning television. And the year after the release of "The Family Way" the Catholic Film Board voted as its best film of the year "Bonnie and Clyde". Things do change!

THE FAMILY WAY is a Boulting Brothers comedy-drama in which Hywel Bennett and Hayley Mills team up for the first of three times during their careers (the other two efforts were the horror picture TWISTED NERVE and the psycho-thriller ENDLESS NIGHT). This is a much more sedate affair about a couple of young newlyweds finding it difficult to consummate their marriage after being forced to move in with the husband's family.The thing that this film kept reminding me of was LAST OF THE SUMMER WINE. The Yorkshire setting and the broad accents, not to mention the costumes and look of the film, and the presence of Kathy Staff as the nosy neighbour, make the similarities difficult to ignore. And like LAST OF THE SUMMER WINE, this is largely a character-focused comedy in which various conflicts between personalities come to the fore and play out throughout the running time.I found John Mills a little incongruous cast as a Yorkshireman although he gives the usual professional performance. Bennett has the meatiest role as the conflicted youngster while Mills just has to act lovely, which she does very well, although she does show a bit more mettle towards the end. THE FAMILY WAY is no classic but fans of the actors and era should enjoy it regardless.

I saw this movie as a young college student not long after it first came out. Hayley Mills was one of my favorite actresses at the time. Pretty well all girls of my era idolized, envied, and wanted to be just like her. She's a lovely lady still, beautiful accented voice, and wonderful actress. It was a thrill of a lifetime when I saw her on the London stage in 1975 in A Touch of Spring; she's even lovelier in person than on screen. Hayley's perfect here, sort of bubbly, sweet, wide eyed, and eager in the role of the young bride, Jenny. By the way, just as a point of interest for those who might not know, she married (though later divorced) this film's much older director, Ray Boulting, who was 33 years her senior.This movie tells the story of the marital difficulties of two young newlyweds, Arthur and his virginal bride Jenny, who live with Arthur's working class parents (presumably having no choice for financial reasons). The flat's thin walls prove a problem; Arthur becomes impotent and the couple is unable to consummate the marriage. Their affairs, or lack thereof, become the topic of conversation among interfering family members and the gossip of the neighborhood which, as you might predict, does not prove an asset to Arthur's situation. This unusual (for that era) and touching theme is sensitively portrayed. Times may have changed but believe it or not, I think it's a subject that's still relevant even in the modern Viagra era. Lots of sexual dysfunction issues of one sort or another for modern couples today.Apparently there were other significant family relationship stories in this picture, especially mother / father / son interactions, but frankly, after all these years, I don't recall any of the details. I would love to watch this film again now, especially as some reviewers seem to indicate that the movie actually revolves more around these issues than the question of Arthur's performance. One commented that the impotency was merely a sub-plot. Naturally the main focus in a movie is invariably the juicy sexual aspect, and I confess that's what I focused on myself when I saw it years ago.Hayley's real life father, John Mills, plays her father-in-law (Arthur's dad) so it was interesting seeing father and daughter on screen together. They also star together in the much earlier 1959 film Tiger Bay. He's brilliant of course in all his roles, especially the village idiot in Ryan's Daughter.The film generated a great fuss about it being Hayley's first grown up part, accustomed as we all were to her starring childhood roles in Pollyanna, The Parent Trap etc. Too much has been made of the infamous bathtub scene and the revealing glimpse (actually brief, tastefully done, and not terribly risqué) of Hayley's derriere. This is a marvelous, highly under rated, currently virtually unknown film of British working class family life...a kitchen sink movie, they seem to be calling it. Even after thirty years, it has left a good impression on me and I recommend it.

Fear not, I am not going to reveal what I consider to be one of the best lines in all cinema, as spoken by John Mills in this English classic. I agree completely with jw-8's comments on this. Now everybody knows Rhett Butler's "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." That is not actually the last line in Gone With The Wind, and I am not going to risk being blacklisted for telling you the actual last line in The Family Way either. Just take it from me, if you get a chance to see this movie, give it a look. I see that it is billed here as a comedy, I think it would be much better labelled "drama".