Over 25 years old In the 1960s a young boy's mother played by Andie McDowell is facing death Sooner or later he has to face it too but he goes to leave with his three uncles This is good for focusing on dealing with loss Misfits can also be necessary teachers through something like this All the actors pour their hearts into these roles, even the kid playing Steven is really incredible here just needing an outlet for hope and optimism, the score is very touching as well The ending is tragic but it does help bring this unusual family even more closer Director Diane Keaton handles the human grief element very well showing how family relationships can grow even more letting the healing process begin

John Tuturro was such an upcoming and well-established newcomer to Hollywood he was practically in everything and this is no exception In 1960's Los Angeles he plays father Sid and husband of the Lidz family; he's very into documenting everything that happens to preserve the memories teaching his son everything about the stars, social issues etc. starring next to Andie Macdowell and Michael Richards of 'Seinfeld' fame comes a story about a boy Steven making an unusual bond with his uncles during a difficult pastime his mother Selma has fallen ill and he's worried she's gonna die so he decides to stay with his other relatives until she recovers He stays with Uncle Arthur and Uncle Danny; Danny although is more of the paranoid one thinking everyone's out to get him and gather intel so he may not be the best example to follow Steven does what he thinks is right for him and his mother but at the same time he's learning to become a man people get trapped in their own history until someone shows them the way out, we grow in the most unexpected ways, it's not right to throw memories away the actors pour their hearts into these roles, even the kid playing Steven is really incredible here just needing an outlet for hope and optimism, the score is very touching as well ending is tragic but it does help bring this unusual family even more closer Director Diane Keaton handles the human grief element very well showing how family relationships can grow even more letting the healing process begin

Diane Keaton film was amazing filled with heartfelt characters that will never forget.it's a shame that Hollywood stop making movies as beautiful and artistic as this one. Michael Richards definitely steals the show though.

Unstrung Heroes is an excellent film. It is about Steven Lidz, unhappy with his home life since his mother got sick, goes and lives with his two crazy Uncles. Andie McDowell, Nathan Watt and John Turturro give incredible performances. The screenplay is well written. Diane Keaton did a great job directing this movie and it is her directorial debut. I enjoyed watching this motion picture because of the humor and drama.

Wonderfully sad and funny film by the renowned Diane Keaton about familial love, memories and grief, with two wildly eccentric uncles thrown in. Heartwarming and touching--a great watch.

I watch this movie long time ago, just came across this DVD, very nice.

Keaton's directorial debut is not bad but not great. I think she suffers from the same problem as Tom Hanks..the need to show something to be loved rather than something edgy. The result is passable stuff but not memorable stuff.

There was something simple about this movie that bothered me, perhaps it was the "unstrung" people that this family was surrounded with? Perhaps it was the way the parents raised their children in an unusual way where for that time period it seemed odd that they did not discipline their children and seemed to give them huge freedoms? I think that was what really got me, but despite this I still enjoyed watching the eccentricities of the uncles and their impact on Franz and how he accepted them as a way for him to cope with loss.

I didn't like this movie at first. It made me uncomfortable, in part because I expected something more along the lines of two of my favorite nineties films, "Wide Awake" and "Little Man Tate." Steven/Franz's father was a total jerk, to me, and the mental illness of the uncles didn't seem like it was actually going to be TREATED like illness. I felt very uncomfortable for Franz Lidz, feeling sorry that he had grown up in such an environment. The first half of this movie fooled me, however. Not everything in it was what it seemed. As it got closer and closer to the end, a rich mix of emotion bubbled up through the surface without becoming sticky, sickly, or melodramatic, and the conclusion made me tear up. I began to care about these characters like they were a quirky extension of my own family. The main idea I took from the whole thing is that Franz was a smart kid who could handle the less-than-pleasant side of the world, and seeing as how he wrote the memoir that inspired this nice little movie, it sure seems like he did. It's a shame that this movie is doomed to relative obscurity. It's definitely the kind of quirky-yet-grounded movie that doesn't get made anymore... at least, not this way.

Very sad but entertaining. I liked this film but I felt that some parts were unnecessary Acting:A+ Plot:C+ Entertainment value:A-

I laughed, I cried, what more can you ask from one movie.

"Les liens du souvenir"

I've always felt like this movie just never clicks. There's the wacky slapstick comedy side with the uncles, and the horribly depressing "mom's dying" story. It moves between big broad laughs (like Looney Tunes style comic set pieces), and then extremely sad moments, but finds a hard time showing life in between. What's left is a movie of extremes that left me feeling a little whiplashed.

A sweet film by Diane Keaton.

Touching story. The weirdo uncles were great. Kudos Mrs.? Keaton.

A fantastic movie that a lot of people don't even know about. Great cast with solid performances.

(First and only viewing - 3/1/2010)

(from The Watermark 09/30/95) UNSTRUNG HEROES a/k/a: The first directorial outing of Diane Keaton: MacDowell plays a mother who is stricken ill, and her son decides to go and live with his two strange uncles (Richards and Maury Chaykin) while she convalesces. In the process, the child finds his individuality in spite of his buffoonish father (Turturro). Keaton finds many beautifully touching moments in the sweet story - but to be honest, I fell asleep. It wasn’t solely the movie’s fault, I was tired. So sue me. Funny thing though - I don’t really think I missed anything. What I saw seemed to have a complete story and seemed to be thematically sound. I’m not sure if the director’s cut is as good, but I liked what I saw. Queer Quotient: No “family” to be found anywhere. After all, it’s a nostalgic look back to the 1950’s - you know, when there were no gay people.

Def. a tear jerker. I was about 13 when I saw this, and I only saw the last 45 minutes of it. It was one of those summertime movies that local channels put on since all the daytime shows wrap until fall. i LOVE this movie.

This reminds me a little too much of my own family.