The Family Recipe

The Family Recipe, directed and written by Karl Ryan Erikson, is an American comedy-drama set during the ongoings of a family’s very hectic Thanksgiving dinner. Mother Alison is tasked with continuing her family’s tradition, by using her mother’s recipe book to replicate the same glorious spread that the family has had for years. As host and cook, she is overwhelmed by the continuous arrival of guests, as the family has greatly expanded over the years. Meanwhile, the large number of guests are on their own quests, resulting in many plot lines bubbling over as dinner is prepared and eaten.

The film feels a lot like a The Goldbergs movie, with several different generations clashing to create an effective blend of humour, as well as a touching connection between family members. Alison is also very reminiscent of The Goldbergs’ mother figure, Beverly Goldberg, both sharing the same comedic bluntness and almost aggressive adoration for their children and family members. They are also both impressively dedicated- but stressed- cooks!

With such a wide array of family members, the film is comically cluttered with a huge amount of characters who do not merge together well. This adds to the chaos of the film, bringing to life that authentically messy feel of family gatherings that many viewers will relate to. Audiences may find themselves reflecting on their own Thanksgiving celebrations, or similar traditional holidays, and feel seen by the way the film captures the excitement, drama, and perhaps excruciation that these events can entail.

There is a strong emphasis on characters here, creating a feeling similar to that of 90s and early 2000s sitcoms, such as Friends, as viewers are given close insight into characters’ personalities and dynamics. This film creates a feeling of nostalgia through its family-oriented focus, enhanced by corny dad jokes and occasional dark humour that evoke that retro feel. As well as this, the main setting being in a large 1950s-style house gives the place the look of classic 80s movies, such as Beetlejuice and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

The set is necessarily simplistic, allowing the cast to shine. The movement of the narrative relies heavily on performances from inexperienced and young child actors, however, each of their abilities to evoke each role is full of undeniable talent. With minimal music, special effects, or excessive editing, viewers are importantly made to slow down. With such large productions from Marvel and large studios dominating the landscape of cinema, it is refreshing to view a fully formed feature-length film that hits all its comedic and emotional marks, and it’ll be exciting to see the impact this film makes.

With such a small budget and a cast of unprofessional actors, what Karl Ryan Erikson and his crew created here is an impressive piece of entertainment. Audiences who view it with their families will find themselves chuckling along to the classic relatable scenarios, such as finding great difficulty and stress in finding a parking space in a busy supermarket. Overall, The Family Recipe is a successful, nostalgic and touching comedy with an authentic family feel to it which is seen more and more rarely in recent Film and TV.