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The Family Way main poster

The Family Way

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6.7/10 • 29

1966-12-181h 55m

ComedyDramaRomance

A girl, a boy, a tender, funny, terrible wedding night.

Young newlyweds Arthur and Jenny Fitton want nothing more than to get their marriage started on the right foot. But before they can depart for their honeymoon in Spain, they have to spend their first night together at the home of Arthur's parents. The couple are prevented from having any intimacy, but it only gets worse. They find out that their trip to Spain is canceled, which sets the tone for a rocky few weeks.

Directors
Roy Boulting, John Boulting
Writters
Bill Naughton
Editors
Bill Naughton, Ernest Hosler

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Hayley Mills

    Hayley Mills

    Jenny Piper

  2. Hywel Bennett

    Hywel Bennett

    Arthur Fitton

  3. John Mills

    John Mills

    Ezra Fitton

  4. Marjorie Rhodes

    Marjorie Rhodes

    Lucy Fitton

  5. Avril Angers

    Avril Angers

    Liz Piper

  6. John Comer

    John Comer

    Leslie Piper

  7. Wilfred Pickles

    Wilfred Pickles

    Uncle Fred

  8. Murray Head

    Murray Head

    Geoffrey Fitton

  9. Liz Fraser

    Liz Fraser

    Molly Thompson

Reviews2

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Peter McGinn Avatar

Peter McGinn

Aug 2, 2021

8/10

The Family Way seems to have had a splashy release for a couple of reasons. It involved a topic rarely dealt with: an unconsummated new marriage, and the debut of Harley Mills in an adult role. I know when I was in the throes of puberty I would have been gobsmacked if I had been allowed to see the naked back of Hayley Mills, whom I had boyishly fancied in her Disney movies. It is a pretty good movie in its own right, not rude or crude in its depiction of what would be treated as a sex comedy nowadays but which received a half-serious treatment back then. It takes its time to develop the characters and the main plot. I read a couple of reviews that suggested that John Mills stole every scene he was in, but I didn’t see it that way. He was good, but I thought Hayley owned nearly every scene she was in. She may have been seen as playing herself or the same type as in her older films, but she was serious when she needed to be, and her character’s innocence and sweetness felt real to me and was the secret ingredient to make you care about their problem. The only negatives for me involved the brothers. The temporarily impotent young husband had a breakthrough of sorts due to violent feelings that had built up in him. Back then that was no doubt acceptable, but to modern sensibilities having that violence “solve” his problem felt a little worrisome. I also thought the groom’s brother was granted a few too many liberties as he flirted and more or less dated the bride while new hubby was working, but I suppose in a movie without a real villain, tension needs to be built up in other ways. But I found the movie well worth watching all the way through because of Hayley Mills’ sunny but also layered performance, as well as for the sensitive way it handled its rare subject matter of a virginal wife and what it can do to young love if it is not resolved in time.

Media

  • The Family Way poster
  • The Family Way poster
  • The Family Way poster
  • The Family Way poster
  • The Family Way poster
  • The Family Way poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
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