Arthur Dong: Family Fundamentals (2002)

Critic Reviews

• Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle

  An earnest, heartrending look at the divide between religious fundamentalists and their gay relatives. It's also heavy-handed and devotes too much time to bigoted views.

• V.A. Musetto, New York Post

  Just how these families interact may surprise you.

• Lawrence Van Gelder, New York Times

  As part of Mr. Dong's continuing exploration of homosexuality in America, Family Fundamentals is an earnest study in despair.

• Melissa Anderson, Village Voice

  Compassionately explores the seemingly irreconcilable situation between conservative Christian parents and their estranged gay and lesbian children.

• Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle

  Sensitive though not quite revelatory documentary.

• Tom Sime, Dallas Morning News

  The film is almost eerily calm and refuses to take sides. But that lets its insights penetrate all the deeper.

• Chris Gore, Film Threat

  A timely and incisive film about the untenable conflict between warring American values -- religious fundamentalism versus family love.

• Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

  A moving and important film.

• Paula Nechak, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

  Compassionate, potent documentary.

• Jordan Reed, Boxoffice Magazine

  It's always disappointing when a documentary fails to live up to -- or offer any new insight into -- its chosen topic. Unfortunately, that's precisely what Arthur Dong's Family Fundamentals does.

• Nigam Nuggehalli, culturevulture.net

  Has moments of great poignancy and insight.

• Brent Simon, Entertainment Today

  So many documentaries like this presuppose religious bigotry or zealous nuttiness of its antagonists, but Family Fundamentals displays a rare gift for unflinching impartiality.

• Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

  [Dong] makes a valiant effort to understand everyone's point of view, and he does such a good job of it that Family Fundamentals gets you riled up.

• Ken Fox, TV Guide's Movie Guide

  Dong shows how intolerance has the power to deform families, then tear them apart.

• MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher

  Dong doesn't demonize the conservative Christians he talks to, but he doesn't have to...

• Ernest Hardy, L.A. Weekly

  Dong never pushes for insights beyond the superficial tensions of the dynamic he's dissecting, and the film settles too easily along the contours of expectation.

• Jon Lap, Apollo Guide

  Using his audience as a figurative port-of-call, Dong pulls his even-handed ideological ship to their dock for unloading, before he continues his longer journey still ahead.

• David Noh, Film Journal International

  As in his other searingly intelligent docs, Dong presents the facts in an admirably clear-eyed way.

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