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A Family Thing (1996)

Directed by Richard Pearce · Cinematography by Fred Murphy

PG-13109 min139 frames

ComedyDrama

With family, everything is relative.

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Stills, screencaps & shots from A Family Thing

16 of 139 frames — the full set is searchable by lighting, lens, shot size, color and mood with a free account.

A Family Thing (1996) movie still: medium — An outdoor gathering of people in formal attire sit on folding chairs. A row of mourners sits in the…A Family Thing (1996) movie still: medium — A busy hospital corridor features cream-colored brick walls and rows of recessed ceiling lights. A…A Family Thing (1996) movie still: wide — A 1970s kitchen area features a vintage stove and various pantry jars on shelves. A man sits in an…A Family Thing (1996) movie still: wide — A rural asphalt road cuts through a green landscape with trees and power lines. A small airplane flies low…A Family Thing (1996) movie still: fullbody — An urban street beneath a large iron and concrete elevated train track. Several men gather around a…A Family Thing (1996) movie still: medium — A rustic shack interior features worn wooden walls and a blurred shelf with jars. A young boy stands…A Family Thing (1996) movie still: medium — A dark booth at a nightclub with a glowing neon sign in the background. Three people sit at a table…A Family Thing (1996) movie still: wide — A city skyline rises behind a river with a large bridge structure. A lone person stands on a small…A Family Thing (1996) movie still: establishing — A two-story white farmhouse sits surrounded by dark trees at late blue hour. Several windows on…A Family Thing (1996) movie still: medium — A dimly lit bedroom at night with a table lamp on the right side. A couple rests in a large dark-framed…A Family Thing (1996) movie still: medium — A rustic retail counter features pegboard walls decorated with mounted wildlife and framed items. Three…A Family Thing (1996) movie still: closeup — A dark interior room contains a shelf with canisters and a small oil lamp. A person sits in the…A Family Thing (1996) movie still: medium — A dark concrete underpass provides a backdrop for a car parked at night. A person in a green jacket…A Family Thing (1996) movie still: medium — An interior hallway in a house with patterned wallpaper and plain painted walls. A mature man and a…A Family Thing (1996) movie still: closeup — A dimly lit bedroom features an elderly woman lying on a crochet-covered pillow. A second person is…A Family Thing (1996) movie still: wide — An urban road stretches forward under an elevated train track with various cars traveling. A light-colored…
A Family Thing (1996) — © United Artists, Butcher's Run Films

What is A Family Thing about?

Earl Pilcher Jr. runs an equipment rental outfit in Arkansas, lives with his wife and kids and parents, and rarely takes off his gimme cap. His mother dies, leaving a letter explaining he's not her natural son, but the son of a Black woman who died in childbirth; plus, he has a half brother Ray, in Chicago, she wants him to visit. Earl makes the trip, initially receiving a cold welcome from Ray and Ray's son, Virgil. His birth mother's sister, Aunt T., an aged and blind matriarch, takes Earl in tow and insists that the family open up to him.

Where can you watch A Family Thing?

US availability for A Family Thing (1996). Data by JustWatch, listings on TMDB. Availability changes — check the provider for current listings.

Who stars in A Family Thing?

Who made A Family Thing?

What does the cinematography of A Family Thing look like?

Sampled across 139 frames, the coverage of A Family Thing leans on medium shots (62% of the sample) and wide compositions (19%). Cinematographer Fred Murphy keeps 65% of it in soft, naturalistic light. This is largely a daylight film — 67% of the frames play in daylight. Anamorphic glass shapes the frame. Focus stays shallow in 62% of the frames, isolating subjects from their surroundings. The production design places the film in the 1990s.

What is the color palette of A Family Thing?

The dominant colors across the sampled frames of A Family Thing (1996) are #30302e, #d4d1c8, #50504c, #0d0d0e, #928a77, #cfc7b1 — measured from the per-frame color data FrameThrower extracts for every film.

  • #30302e
  • #d4d1c8
  • #50504c
  • #0d0d0e
  • #928a77
  • #cfc7b1

See the full A Family Thing colour palette — every hex with its share, plus warmth, saturation and luminance.

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