We saw "Mighty Fine" and at the risk of sounding cliché ? we laughed, we cried. Writer/director Debbie Goodstein touched on societal problems such as racism, sexism, the recession and outsourcing and the impact they have in impeding a family´s ability to heal and break dysfunctional habits. Yet Ms. Goodstein focused primarily on parental emotional abuse, keeping the plot from being overly ambitious. We loved the casting, the use of photos and super 8 family films, the narration, the music and the '70s costumes. Chazz Palminteri was amazing and we loved that the ending wasn't a typical Hollywood ending. Rainey Qualle, Andie Mac Dowell's daughter definitely exceeded our expectations in her debut. One of the most heartfelt scenes was her interaction with her dad (Palminteri) after he humiliated her in front of the new friends she was forced to make after he abruptly uprooted the family. We ranged in age from 13 to 65 and the film appealed to all ages.

Mighty Fine is a great inner look into the mind and heart of a man who struggles to keep his family in a lifestyle he believes they deserve, the cost of all that he gives and his struggles with mental illness in the process. Some very strong scenes between the eldest daughter and the father, Joe Fine. The acting is flawless and incredibly emotional - I had the pleasure of watching this during a screening and I found myself catching my breath at times. This is a great partial period piece and drama, tied together in the later 60s/70s. An open door into the the life of one man in that time, that reflects many of the stresses of men in that era with their expectations and what those cost. Make sure you go see this while it's in theaters!

Mighty Fine is driven by Chazz Palminteri?s powerful performance as Joe Fine, the loving but troubled father who can?t control his inner demons. Chazz fills the screen with a combination of vitality and menace as he drags his family literally kicking and screaming in his single-minded pursuit of his dream. Andie McDowell pulls off a new type of role for her, as Stella, a Holocaust survivor ?rescued? by Joe but later uprooted from Brooklyn to New Orleans, along with the couple?s two teenage daughters. The kids give affecting performances too, especially Jodelle Ferland as Natalie, the aspiring poet through whose eyes the story unfolds. Director Debbie Goodstein is sure-handed in her feature film debut, bringing her own script to believable life. You?ll laugh and tremble with Stella and the girls as they careen along with Joe toward a shattering day of reckoning.

I found the story line to be very deep and moving and while it left me wanting more it also touched me deeply in a reminder of how real families aren't always so Disneyesque.... The Performance of Chaz Palminteri shows just how wonderfully cast he was for this role and how he has many levels to his acting abilities... The daughters were simply amazing and I can see long careers for both... The Artwork brought me back to my own childhood in the 70's and the art director did an amazing job recreating the scenes from that time period. Overall I would recommend this movie for those that want a deep thinking film and not just action and adventure this summer.

This is a must see movie! Moving! Thought provoking! A cautionary tale in theses trying times. Chazz Palminteri's performance is genius. You'll be thinking about it for days...