Before You Know It

The tribulations of a New York small-time theatrical family whose long-buried secrets are revealed with seriocomic results are at the center of this debut from filmmakers Hannah Pearl Utt and Jen Tullock, who also star. Siblings Rachel (Utt) and Jackie Gurner (Tullock) have effectively subordinated their own needs to serve their father Mel (Mandy Patinkin), an egomaniacal actor who has spent half a century mounting plays he writes for himself in a tiny theatre in the basement of their brownstone. Rachel acts as stage manager, while Jackie—who is also a single mom to 12-year-old Dodge (Oona Yaffe)—treads the stage with Mel. After Mel suffers a fatal heart attack while simulating one in rehearsal, his will is read and the daughters discover that their house has a co-owner, a woman they eventually discover is their mother Sherrell (Judith Light)—a longtime star of a TV soap opera—who Mel told them was dead. Sherrell welcomes the duo back into her life and the rest of the film revolves around the relationship that the trio and Dodge build. While there are some nice moments in Before You Know It, they are sporadic and fleeting, and the abrupt shifts between dramedy and broad farce are often jarring. And the performances are equally at odds, with Light and Tullock playing to the rafters while others are relatively restrained. Still, this fitfully amusing film should be considered a strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)