Michael Douglas and Kirk Douglas co-star for the first time in their long and respected careers in It Runs in the Family, a movie that wouldn't be nearly as decent if not for the historic duo.It Runs in the Family is about three generations of men (the third generation is most notably Cameron Douglas, the son of Michael) that do not really get along with one another; the two elders (the respective Douglas's) were not very good fathers. Nevertheless, they are all forced to sort out their differences when the grandfather's wife dies. Suddenly, they all have to help each other to get through various struggles, while encountering some humorous situations as well.

Aside from a death here and there, the movie is fairly lighthearted and relatively family-safe (though not completely). Kirk Douglas, who doesn't talk nearly as clearly as he used to (a side effect of the stroke he suffered a few years ago?), is the most entertaining to watch out of all of the generations; he pokes fun at his age quite a bit. Michael Douglas turns in a fairly consistent performance as well, and Cameron Douglas's storyline (a blossoming relationship) is pretty interesting. All in all, It Runs in the Family has more than enough stuff going on.

The only real problem with the film is that it is somewhat muted. There are some funny parts, especially when Michael and Kirk are playing off of each other, but the movie is never funny enough or dramatic enough to overpower in whichever genre it is trying to tackle.

It never is bad, but it is never overwhelmingly good, either, and had the movie not starred three generations of Douglas's, there really would be no reason to watch this movie. That being said, it does star three generations of Douglas's, and thus is worth seeing. This is probably the one and only time that Michael and Kirk will be in the same movie, and it is decent enough to warrant some attention.

Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.