Family Prayers

1993 American film

Family Prayers
Directed by	Scott M. Rosenfeld
Written by	Steven Ginsberg
Produced by	Steven Ginsberg Charmain Jago Mark Levinson Johine Novosel Bonnie Sugar
Starring	Joe Mantegna Anne Archer Paul Reiser Patti LuPone
Cinematography	Jeff Jur
Edited by	Susan Crutcher
Music by	Steve Tyrell
Production company	Earthquake Productions
Distributed by	Arrow Releasing Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment
Release date	March 31, 1993 (1993-03-31)
Running time	108 minutes^[1]
Country	United States
Language	English

Family Prayers is a 1993 American drama film starring Joe Mantegna, Anne Archer, Paul Reiser and Patti LuPone. It was directed by Scott Rosenfeld. It is notable for being the first film role of Brittany Murphy, who had a non-speaking role.^[2]

Plot

Set in 1969 Los Angeles, this movie aims at nostalgia but really is more a depiction of the tragedy of a dysfunctional family. Young Andrew, a 13-year-old male on the brink of manhood, is saddled with a father who is a compulsive gambler and a mother who is immersed in a constant battle with him because of it. Often desperate for money, their dependence on Andrew’s aunt Nan for money is one more cause of tension and anxiety in an already unhappy household. As Andrew cares for himself and his younger sister, the symbol of his coming of age—his approaching bar-mitzvah—comes to symbolize more than just a rite of passage.

Cast

Joe Mantegna as Martin Jacobs
Anne Archer as Rita Jacobs
Tzvi Ratner-Stauber as Andrew Jacobs
Julianne Michelle as Fay Jacobs
Paul Reiser as Dan Linder
Patti LuPone as Aunt Nan
Conchata Ferrell as Mrs. Romeyo
David Marguiles as Uncle Sam
Shiri Appleby as Nina
Allen Garfield as Cantor
Keaton Simons as Mark
Milt Oberman as Al
Gina Hecht as Arlene
James Terry as Mike
John Capodice as Barber #1
Brittany Murphy as Elise

References

^ Leonard Maltin (2 September 2014). Leonard Maltin's 2015 Movie Guide. Penguin Group US. pp. 744–. ISBN 978-0-698-18361-2.
^ "Family Prayers". Rotten Tomatoes.