Staying Together

There's no question of the sincere intent of this mawkish little film. Certainly, it means well and aspires to a universal message, but given its simplistic characterizations, this story of a small-town family undergoing radical change is more akin to a TV sitcom and might better be titled "Not So Happy Days for My Three Sons." The McDermotts--father Jake (Jim Haynie, COUNTRY), mother Eileen (Melinda Dillon, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS), and their three sons operate a fried chicken business that the boys expect to one day inherit. Brian (Tim Quill), the oldest of the boys, is having an affair with a mayoral candidate (Stockard Channing); too-good-to-be-true middle brother Kit...