It's certainly a theme that's been used often. It's a very open-ended concept which could be taken in many directions, so I wouldn't mind it being re-used as long as it's done well. A movie based on this idea could be wonderful, or it could be awful. (I don't find the Jewish thing that unlikely. I know several non- or semi-observant Jews who literally are not sure of the Jewish doctrines on things like the afterlife.)
The problem for me is not the overall theme, but the characters, and their relationships to one another. They are definitely over the top, to the point where it's hard to like or identify with any of them. They are meant to be comically mischievous, teasing the other family members and playing friendly tricks on them; but in fact, the relentless teasing and tricks are so mean-spirited, inappropriate, humiliating and cruel. Most of the family interactions made me cringe. The entire Altman family are dreadful; they have no boundaries, no respect for each other's privacy, and no sympathy for each other's pain. Occasional breaks from the mutual hazing to talk about how much they all mean to one another come across almost as sarcasm.
The scenes I could most relate to are the two occasions when someone calls them on their insanity. First, when Annie blows up after listening to their malicious bickering for too long (I half expected her to change her mind about having a baby with someone who grew up in such an environment). Second, when Linda stopped an Altman from broadcasting to a houseful of mourners the sound of his brother having sex with his wife, and asked the question that kept running through my mind in every scene involving multiple Altmans: "What's wrong with you?!"
The standard, comically dysfunctional family needs some redeeming quality that can help the viewer like and understand them. The writers didn't give the Altmans enough admirable human qualities to make up for their supposedly hilarious nastiness.
Tell me the truth. Are we still in the game?
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