Boss’ Son Movie Review

This early Bobby Roth film is an autobiographical account of why he isn't taking over his father's job as boss of a carpet mill. Despite the extremely personal primary source material, Roth manages to achieve just enough emotional distance, to the great advantage of his film. Working on a tiny budget of $500,000, Roth assembled an impressive cast of veterans, all of whom outshine Asher Brauner as the protagonist. As young Bobby, Brauner is too cold and detached for us to care about his inner conflicts regarding his own class and that of his co-workers. The balance problems aren't fatal, but they do weaken a potentially dynamite study of the American class system. Roth's compassionate script and direction, plus Henry G. Sanders’ poignant performance, make this a memorable, if incompletely realized, effort. Roth's future movies include 1984's Heart-breakers and 1992's Keeper of the City, both starring Peter Coyote.

1978 97m/C Rita Moreno, James Darren, Asher Brauner, Rudy Solari, Henry Sanders, Richie Havens, Piper Laurie, Elena Verdugo; D: Bobby Roth; W: Bobby Roth; C: Alfonso Beato. VHS