You are here:

Meet The Family

Name: Meet The Family
Director: Stan Lerner
Released: 2005
Duration: 90 min

No Poster Available

Representation Score

5.7/10

Fair

2005

Director

Stan Lerner

Runtime

90 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Meet The Family stands out by focusing on an African-American family and using the tension of an interracial relationship to drive its narrative. This approach avoids including someone from a minority group without giving them real depth and offers a nuanced look at racial and cultural dynamics through a domestic lens. While the film excels in racial representation, it falls short in other areas. The focus on a heterosexual relationship leaves LGBTQ+ identities unaddressed, and there is no representation of characters with disabilities or specific gender power dynamics.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Meet The Family have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film focuses on a heterosexual relationship between Humphrey and Lacy, with no LGBTQ+ characters or non-straight narratives.

How does Meet The Family portray gender?

Fair

Female characters such as Eve and Lacy are part of a high-conflict domestic situation. The film explores family tensions but does not delve into individual gender roles or ability to act.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Meet The Family?

Excellent

The film centers on an African-American family and uses an interracial engagement to explore racial dynamics. Characters of color navigate social expectations in a meaningful way.

How does Meet The Family represent religion and culture?

Good

The film avoids idealized clichés by showing a dysfunctional, argumentative family unit. It emphasizes realistic human interactions over sentimentalized portrayals.

Does Meet The Family include disability representation?

Minimal

There are no characters with visible or invisible disabilities mentioned in the film.

Present on Screen

The film centers an African-American family, providing a platform for diverse perspectives.
An interracial engagement effectively explores complex racial dynamics.
Avoids unrealistic clichés by portraying a realistic, dysfunctional family unit.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit representation of LGBTQ+ identities or characters.
No evidence of characters with disabilities being included in the story.
Limited insight into specific gender-based power dynamics or ability to act.

Official Synopsis

An African-American family sits down for supper and all hell breaks loose in this independent comedy. Humphrey Rump has told his parents that he's bringing someone special over for Sunday dinner at their place, hoping to introduce them to his fiancée Lacy under calm and quiet circumstances. However, when he arrives, Humphrey discovers that's hardly how the evening is going to play out -- his folks decided to also invite his brother Darnell, sister Eve, their grandparents and a handful of cousins and other distant relations. The Rump Family doesn't get along especially well in large groups, and Humphrey and his girl are mortified by the non-stop arguing, insults and off-color ranting. Meanwhile, most of the family is a bit taken aback to discover that Lacy is pretty, polite...and white.

How are these scores produced? →