The Myth of Fingerprints

Bart Freundlich's debut film investigates the idea that despite minor differences, the fingerprints of close kin are essentially the same. Certainly his movie, despite the odd whorl and flourish and an outstanding cast, holds true to the inbred traits of its genre. It's Thanksgiving, and a revelatory family reunion bodes for callow Warren (Noah Wyle), as he bids his psychiatrist adieu and heads for the old New England homestead for the first time in years. There he's joined by bitchy sister Mia (Julianne Moore), older brother Jake (Michael Vartan), and precocious kid sister Leigh (Laurel Holloman). Greeted by eccentric if not pathological dad Hal (Roy Scheider) and stalwart mom Lena (Blythe Danner), Warren finds his holiday stumbling through self-consciously skewed dialogue, half-baked memories, and contrived, quirky behavior before reaching a final confrontation that's barely up to the Oprah level. Freundlich shows ambition and some talent; perhaps next time he should tell a story that doesn't have so many other fingerprints all over it. At the Nickelodeon, the Kendall Square, and the West Newton, and in the suburbs.

-- Peter Keough