A Family Thing
1996 · 109 min · Director: Richard Pearce
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
Earl Pilcher, Jr., runs an equipment rental outfit in Arkansas, lives with his wife and kids and parents, and rarely takes off his gimme cap. His mother dies, leaving a letter explaining he's not her natural son, but the son of a Black woman who died in childbirth. Plus, he has a half-brother Ray, in Chicago, she wants him to visit. Earl makes the trip, initially receiving a cold welcome from Ray and Ray's son, Virgil. His birth mother's sister, Aunt T., an aged and blind matriarch, takes Earl in tow and insists that the family open up to him.
Emotional fingerprint
A Family Thing (1996) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Empathy 30%, Hope 25%, Sadness 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
- Empathy30%
- Hope25%
- Sadness20%
- Satisfaction15%
- Love10%
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Empathy, Hope, Sadness. Genres: Comedy, Drama. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Empathy, Hope and Sadness. Its IMDb rating of 7.1/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 70/100.
How did it make you feel?
Votes are saved to the fingerprint once you’re signed in.
Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Empathy
- Sadness
- Hope
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Sadness
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion: Empathy
Dominant emotion: Hope
Dominant emotion: Humor
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Empathy | Sadness | Hope |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 3′ | Sadness | 45 % | 35 % | 42 % | 2 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 8′ | Sadness | 55 % | 43 % | 48 % | 6 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 14′ | Tension | 60 % | 46 % | 44 % | 14 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 19′ | Empathy | 50 % | 40 % | 30 % | 20 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 25′ | Hope | 48 % | 36 % | 23 % | 20 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 30′ | Tension | 54 % | 39 % | 23 % | 16 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 35′ | Tension | 49 % | 36 % | 18 % | 19 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 41′ | Humor | 45 % | 36 % | 14 % | 29 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 46′ | Hope | 53 % | 45 % | 21 % | 36 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 52′ | Empathy | 60 % | 48 % | 29 % | 30 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 57′ | Tension | 64 % | 40 % | 26 % | 15 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 63′ | Tension | 63 % | 39 % | 25 % | 15 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 68′ | Empathy | 60 % | 51 % | 34 % | 31 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 74′ | Empathy | 58 % | 56 % | 36 % | 35 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 79′ | Empathy | 56 % | 53 % | 28 % | 38 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 84′ | Hope | 61 % | 58 % | 25 % | 50 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 90′ | Empathy | 70 % | 68 % | 43 % | 40 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 95′ | Sadness | 80 % | 77 % | 65 % | 29 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 101′ | Empathy | 79 % | 76 % | 59 % | 48 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 106′ | Hope | 70 % | 67 % | 40 % | 63 % |
Rags to riches
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Kadri — your film companion
AIAsk anything about A Family Thing. From the film’s own dialogue and FeelDB data, at your spoiler level.
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.
Cast
Woman at Hospital
Club Manager
Truckjacker
Kindra
Danielle
Young Aunt T.
Tommy
Virgil's Friend
Details
- Directed by
- Richard Pearce
- Written by
- Billy Bob Thornton, Tom Epperson
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 1996
- Runtime
- 109 min
- Country
- United States
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Empathy
- Data updated
Where to watch
Free
Rent
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