Of all the movies that deal with the delicate subject of elder care and Alzheimer's diagnoses, this movie, by far realistically portrayed the struggle within the patient. Thanks to the incomparable skill of Walter Matheau. Everything from the tendency of the patient to wander, mistake people for others, fixate on objects that evoke memory, and the acerbic tone that melts into a questioning almost childlike tone when re-acclimated with reality. That, right there, was why I felt compelled to give the film 2 stars. The rest of the movie isn't worth a mention. I cannot believe that Meg Ryan, Diane Keaton, and Lisa Kudrow could not deliver, together, what is directly in their wheelhouse, individually. Meg Ryan, hey, you're in your 50's. Time to stop trying to cash in on the cute, little blonde, girl next door. The scattered character she's trying to portray deserved better. And since we're at it, Diane Keaton, you're not all that either. I know the character called for self obsessed,driven, seemingly heartless wretch that you delivered, expertly. But, your direction was horrible. Lisa Kudrow couldn't shake the Phoebe curse. And, well, enough said. I know it was supposed to be heart-wrenching. It was supposed to be uplifting and empowering. All it was, unfortunately, was really long. The whole mess of the middle eastern physician and his mother, just complete nonsense. The big reveal of "what happened in the house" wasn't anything new. An alcoholic, early onset Alzheimer's behavior. It wasn't endearing us to Eve. It made me wonder why it took so long to get him placed in an ALF. Poorly dealt with, poorly acted (with the exception of Matheau),and incredibly poorly directed. Ambling, disconnected characters in a very long, disjointed film. That, at the end of the day, was really nothing more than a vanity project at the hands of Keaton.

A completely pointless film. Its a case of where do I start!? Meg Ryan's character appears to sit in the house all day wearing full make up looking like a supermodel yet she's deeply distressed by her fathers illness so she pouts a little bit. Any humour Walter Matthau could have brought to the film was quickly dissipated by the lack of script and screen time for him. After watching this film I still don't understand what it's about, I see Lisa Kudrow, Meg Ryan & Dianne Keating all dressed up with no party to go to. Whatever the writers were trying to convey didn't work and they managed to accomplish FAIL.

I can sit through most movies. Even 'B' movies that make you laugh from their sophomoric acting, plots, etc. offer more than this one. However, I could not finish Hanging Up.So unfortunately even if I wanted to I couldn't spoil this one for you. That's right, I don't know how it ends. I don't know if dear ol' dad bought the farm or instead there was a surprise twist where dad walked into a gruesome scene where the three sisters had strangled each other with their phone cords. But even though I was ready to crawl through the TV and strangle them myself, I recognized that sanity was an eject button away.

The best scene in this Diane Keaton-directed film has drunken dad Walter Matthau showing up at a kid's birthday party bellowing and vulgar, but it doesn't belong in a comedy. It's more like something out of "Shoot The Moon", which Keaton starred in, and would fit much better in a film with a darker tone. "Hanging Up" wobbles around in search of appropriate emotions, but Keaton just can't get a consistent rhythm going. Her performance as the eldest of three unhappy sisters is also wan (she's winging it), however Meg Ryan as the middle sister has some fabulous moments: she hugs a coffee machine, she tries to convince her husband that driving a wrecked truck is going to work for her, she tells off her father but cries because she loves him. This is a performance well worth watching, but the picture definitely needed a director with a tighter grip on the reins. **1/2 from ****