Raising Flagg (2006)
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23% of critics liked it
(13 reviews) -
42% of users liked it
(36,080 ratings)
An elderly community handyman and notorious curmudgeon effectively isolates himself from his friends and neighbors by suing his lifelong best friend over a minor transgression in director Neal Miller's character-driven comedy drama. Flagg Purdy (Alan Arkin) is a cantankerous old coot who prides… More An elderly community handyman and notorious curmudgeon effectively isolates himself from his friends and neighbors by suing his lifelong best friend over a minor transgression in director Neal Miller's character-driven comedy drama. Flagg Purdy (Alan Arkin) is a cantankerous old coot who prides himself on principle. Despite Flagg's gruff exterior, his longtime wife, Ada (Barbara Dana), still cherishes her husband, and knows that his heart has always been in the right place. The pair's six grown children know too that their father has always meant well, even in times when his questionable parenting skills may have fallen a little on the heavy-handed side. One day, while playing his weekly game of checkers with friend and neighbor Gus Falk (Austin Pendleton), Flagg angrily accuses his nonplussed opponent of cheating. Though Gus is initially able to laugh off the accusation, the conflict soon escalates when Flagg storms into Gus' general store complaining that his friend's sheep have been relieving themselves a little too close to the well that supplies the Purdys' drinking water. When Gus retorts by pointing out that it is his well, and that the sheep are also his, the enraged Flagg responds by suing his neighbor. Though a surprise witness nets Flagg an unexpected win in the courtroom, the resulting effect that his litigious actions have on the family's already tenuous community relations soon leave his family in the lurch. Subsequently retiring to his "deathbed" and requesting the presence of his children before he bids the cruel and uncaring world a final farewell, Flagg is forced to consider that he may be more like his stubborn father than he would care to admit as, one by one, his offspring fail to bring their father back from the "brink." ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Directed By
- Neal Miller
- Written By
- Neal Miller, Nancy Miller, Dorothy Velasco
- Genres
- Drama, Comedy
PG-13,
- In Theaters
- Sep 28, 2007 Wide
- Studio
- Cinema Libre
Critic Reviews
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Stephen Farber, Hollywood Reporter
Most of the confrontations play out tepidly and predictably.
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Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
Too bad the offscreen intrigue doesn't make up for what flags in Flagg.
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Andy Klein, Los Angeles CityBeat
Dana is really the heart of the movie, giving a subtle, low-key performance.
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Sean Means, Salt Lake Tribune
Miller's affection for the Purdys... and their rustic way of life can't compensate for the script's clunky pacing and occasional moralizing.
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Meg Jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Crusty characters, a bluegrass soundtrack and a dysfunctional family that could exist only in the minds of Hollywood screenwriters make this film more precious than real -- or funny.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
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Cast
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Alan Arkin
as Flagg Purdy
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Austin Pendleton
as Gus Falk
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Clifton James
as Ed McIvor
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Barbara Dana
as Ada Purdy
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Glenne Headly
as Ann Marie Purdy
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Sherilyn Lawson
as Paula (Ann Marie's Radio Client)
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Robert Blanche
as Matt Durwood
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Stephanie Fleming
as Jenny Purdy
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Stephanie Nicole Lemelin
as Jenny Purdy
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Melisa Kind
as Lupe Rodriguez
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Richard Kind
as Bill Reed
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Anna Stone
as Bonnie Salmi
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Wrick Jones
as John Salmi
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Joanna Johnson
as Gwen Cooper
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George Fosgate
as Foster Cooper
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Heather Lea Garrick
as Friend at Courthouse
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Dawn Maxey
as Linette Purdy
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Robert Martin Robinson
as Gus' Lawyer
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Jan Hoag
as Judge Walker
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Janet Penner
as Jury Forman
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Lauren Holly
as Rachel Purdy
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Ernie Garrett
as Al Smith
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Betty Moyer
as Cathy Smith
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Julian Lamb
as Matt Durwood Jr.
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Josh Thorpe
as Doug (Supermarket Punk)
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Chris R. Wright
as Paul (Supermarket Punk)
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Daniel Quinn
as Travis Purdy
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Lyssa Browne
as Tammy Purdy
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Jordan Fry
as Porter Purdy
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Benjamin Lewis
as Travis Purdy Jr.
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Abby Lewis
as Jamie Porter
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Rebecca Nachison
as Melinda (Casserole Lady)
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Matthew Arkin
as Eldon Purdy
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Vana O'Brien
as Edith Purdy
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Cheryl Grant
as Anne Marie's Friend Andrea
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Sylvia Welch
as Anne Marie's Friend Sarah
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Anne Oxenhandler
as Friend at Grange Dance
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Lealon Gordon
as Gus' Stock Boy Andy
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Joey Lebard
as Male Stand-In
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Nissa Winters
as Female Stand-In
