I have just had the most infuriating experience while attempting to watch a screener disc of the film Family Flaw from Ariztical Entertainment. As I made the sincerest of efforts to try and watch and finish viewing the entire movie, I grew more and more maddened by what I was seeing. Was it the movie that so rattled me? No. It was the disc itself. The DVD was so riddled with errors that it locked up almost every five seconds. There were moments when it would play for a minute or two without locking up, and that’s what allowed me to keep watching it until 1 hour and 10 minutes when the disc so froze up that I pulled it out of my machine and stomped on it (but dang if it didn’t break, though I’m looking forward to using it as a frisbee instead). I have no idea how the final 20 minutes of the film went, and I don’t care.

But let me tell you about what I did see in those first 70 minutes:

I viewed an Italian film that would be wonderfully suited for reruns on the Lifetime channel. The cliché-riddled story tells of two estranged brothers who are brought together by the death of their mother. In her will, she stipulates that the two must drive her body to their hometown of Casa Bianca to learn a secret, sealed in an envelope only to be read once they conclude their journey. You see, the older brother, Francesco, is a homosexual; the younger, Nicola, an uptight businessman who does not approve of such a lifestyle. Along the way, mom hoped the two would reconcile. At 70 minutes, it was apparent that would happen; but it was also apparent you wouldn’t like either of these two men with another 20 minutes to go. Francesco is a flippant, self-centered, free spirit who will do whatever he wants, no matter the hurt he may cause to others. Nicola is an over-disciplined, hypochondriac, with a “heart of granite”; he never met a rule he didn’t like.

I know what the big secret is, thanks to the trailer attached to the front of the movie, but I don’t know to whom it specifically relates. Regardless, I don’t care. I think I might have cared a bit more if the disc weren’t so riddled with errors; but it is so c’est la vie. My only true compliment for the movie is that being set in Italy, the cinematography and the locations are gorgeous.

The movie doesn’t provide anything new with regard to the story, the acting, or the tale of familial reconciliation. When the picture wasn't locking up, it looked reasonably decent with some nice color and details. The dubbed audio was Dolby 2.0, and it was good enough for this dialogue-intensive film. Outside of the aforementioned trailer, nothing else was included on this screener. Don’t buy the disc, and don’t stop and watch it if you see it on Lifetime one day. Family Flaw? Ha! “DVD Flaw” is more appropriate!