"Folks!" is a dreadful comedy about, of all things, Alzheimer's disease. And, just in case this isn't offensive enough, there's attempted suicide, matricide and patricide in the film's final third.
It's probably true that a comedy can get away with anything if it's funny enough - but while "Folks!" has a few amusing bits in its first half, it quickly runs downhill, so its forays into black comedy become less and less acceptable.
Tom Selleck, minus his trademark mustache, stars as a successful Wall Street stockbroker with a rich, beautiful wife and two charming children. He is a most neglectful son, however. His parents have long since retired to Florida and they've never even met his family!
But when his mother (Anne Jackson) goes into the hospital for an operation, Selleck flies down to help and discovers his father (Don Ameche) has been suffering from severe dementia for several years.
Meanwhile, the FBI (led by Michael Murphy) has sprung a sting operation on the company he works for and has frozen Selleck's bank accounts. And when his father accidentally burns down their mobile home, Selleck finds himself playing host to his parents back in Manhattan.
Mostly, this is a variation on the old theme of the lead character having a very bad day. The main running gag has Selleck trying to rescue his father from potential danger only to be severely injured himself. He also has an unbearable sister, played unbearably by Christine Ebersole, who eventually moves in with them. And ultimately, after Selleck has a breakdown, Mom talks him into killing both of them - each attempt failing comically, of course.
"Folks!" has the germ of an interesting idea, about children finding they must care for their parents, and the combination of comedy and tragedy this can bring into your life. But it's so flat in its direction (by Ted Kotcheff, "Weekend at Bernie's") and script (by Robert Klane, "Where's Poppa?") that even this cast can't save it.
"Folks!" is rated a hard PG-13 for comic violence, sex, nudity, profanity and vulgarity.