Daddy and Them

Daddy and Them is a 2001 American comedy-drama film written, directed by, and starring Billy Bob Thornton. It also stars John Prine, Laura Dern, Andy Griffith, Ben Affleck, Kelly Preston, Diane Ladd, Brenda Blethyn, Tuesday Knight, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Jim Varney in his final film role.

Daddy and Them
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Billy Bob Thornton
Written by	Billy Bob Thornton
Produced by	Larry Meistrich
Starring	John Prine Billy Bob Thornton Laura Dern Andy Griffith Ben Affleck Kelly Preston Diane Ladd Brenda Blethyn Tuesday Knight Jamie Lee Curtis Walton Goggins, Jr Jim Varney
Cinematography	Barry Markowitz
Edited by	Sally Menke
Music by	Larry Paxton Marty Stuart Kristin Wilkinson
Distributed by	Miramax Films
Release date	June 6, 2001 (2001-06-06)
Running time	101 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$4 million

Daddy and Them was filmed in 1998 in the wake of Thornton’s success with Sling Blade and was originally planned as a theatrical release. The release was ultimately delayed by Miramax, who found the film not "commercial" enough. The film debuted at the Newport International Film Festival on June 6, 2001. Miramax eventually aired the film on Showtime in January 2003^[1] and released it on DVD on January 13, 2004.^[2]

Plot

Ruby and Claude Montgomery are a very insecure and jealous couple who must reunite with extended family in Arkansas. When Claude's uncle, Hazel, is arrested for attempted murder, the couple travels with Ruby's older sister Rose, with whom Claude had a previous relationship, and Ruby and Rose's mother Jewel, who continuously talks about Rose and Claude's past relationship, which irritates Ruby.

Cast

• Billy Bob Thornton as Claude Montgomery
• Brenda Blethyn as Julia Montgomery
• Laura Dern as Ruby Montgomery
• Andy Griffith as OT Montgomery
• Kelly Preston as Rose
• Jamie Lee Curtis as Elaine Bowen
• Ben Affleck as Lawrence Bowen
• Diane Ladd as Jewel
• Sandra Seacat as Elbe Montgomery
• John Prine as Alvin Montgomery
• Jim Varney as Hazel Montgomery
• Tuesday Knight as Billy Montgomery
• Walton Goggins as Tommy Christian
• Tamara Glynn as Tamara "Tammy" the Paramedic
• Jefferey Bailey as J.C. Montgomery
• Daniel Steven DiVito as Max

Production

The film was shot in Arkansas from August to October 1998.^[3][4] Filming locations included various sites around Little Rock, including Pinnacle Mountain State Park and the interior of the Arkansas State Capitol.^[5]

The song from the same-titled album "In Spite of Ourselves" used during the closing credits was performed by John Prine and Iris DeMent.^[4][6]

Release

Daddy and Them initially had a theatrical release date planned for sometime in late 1999 or early 2000.^[7] The release date was pushed back as Miramax Films wanted All the Pretty Horses, a studio film Thornton was directing at the time, to debut first.^[3] It continued to sit on the shelf long after Horses premiered in late 2000. Thornton has commented that friction with Miramax Films during the production of Horses played a role in the shelving of Daddy and Them.^[8][9]

The film had its world premiere at the Newport International Film Festival on June 6, 2001.^[10]

Reception

Daddy and Them holds an 86% rating based on 7 reviews on the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes.^[11]

Eddie Cockrell of Variety wrote, "Beneath its deadpan and often absurdist exterior, Daddy and Them feels like a very personal piece of work about how family really does come first, warts and all."^[12] Brad Slager of Film Threat was more critical, writing, ”Plotless and pedantic, Daddy and Them is supposed to be a lighthearted look at family dysfunction in the Deep South, but the characters are not enjoyable enough to care about."^[13]