Holy Lands

Sthers mistakenly thinks the more unconventional she makes the characters, the more we'll like them. What actually happens instead is just the opposite.

There's so little to these characters beyond a few superficial traits that when serious things happen-and boy, do they happen-it is impossible to be moved the way Sthers intends for us to be.

There's a sliver of a plot about Harry raising pigs and his family feeling sad, but all is lost within a cacophony of bum notes and fake emotion. Howlingly bad.

[A] stodgy, ungainly and strangely reactionary family drama...

Pretty much a chore from start to finish.

...whenever Caan and Hollander are on-screen, they show a great chemistry, ideal for the philosophical ruminations of the script...

Caan and Hollander's chemistry cannot redeem this flawed foray into family love and trigger testing.

Holy Lands is an interesting film about a family with a lot of disfunction. There were parts that were funny, but overall it wasn't what I hoped it would be.

A sprawling familial saga that works best when it remains squarely focused on James Caan and his character.

There is humor in the banter between Harry and Moshe, and between Harry and just about everyone else. His caustic wit is always ready.