Year: 1992
Runtime: 107 mins
Language: English
Director: Ted Kotcheff
A slightly self absorbed yuppie takes in his parents including his senile father, after their home burns down. But his personal and professional life fall apart soon after.
Get a spoiler-free look at Folks! (1992) with a clear plot overview that covers the setting, main characters, and story premise—without revealing key twists or the ending. Perfect for deciding if this film is your next watch.
In a polished suburb where sleek offices and immaculate lawns define success, a driven stockbroker enjoys the trappings of a modern yuppie life. His days are filled with high‑stakes trades, carefully planned weekend getaways, and the reassuring rhythm of a stable family. Yet beneath the polished surface, the demands of ambition and appearance hint at a fragile equilibrium that could shatter with a single misstep.
When his elderly father, a once‑sharp man now softened by dementia, inadvertently reduces his own home to ashes, the protagonist is forced to confront a responsibility he had long set aside. He reaches out to his sister, hoping she might shoulder the burden, but she remains distant, leaving the aging couple with no refuge but his own doorstep. The arrival of his parents—Harry and Mildred—upends the meticulously ordered household, introducing a cascade of unanticipated challenges that test his patience, his ego, and the very foundation of his identity.
The home, once a sanctuary for Jon Aldrich and his wife Audrey, becomes a stage for daily chaos. The senior couple’s unpredictable needs, coupled with the subtle yet relentless erosion of his professional confidence, begin to strain the marriage and threaten the stability of his career. Small mishaps evolve into larger crises, each one exposing cracks in the façade of control he so carefully maintains. The tension between caring for family and preserving personal ambition creates a palpable undercurrent of anxiety, seasoned with darkly comic moments that underscore the absurdity of his predicament.
Set against a backdrop of suburban conformity and corporate pressure, the film balances humor with a sober look at how quickly life can tip into disarray when obligations multiply. As the protagonist navigates this sudden avalanche of responsibility, the audience is drawn into a world where love, duty, and self‑preservation collide, leaving a lingering question: how far will one go to keep the pieces of a life that’s suddenly slipping through his fingers?
Last Updated: November 29, 2025 at 04:43
Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
When a normal life gets turned upside down by the absurd antics of family.If you liked the chaotic, high-stress comedy of Folks!, you'll enjoy these movies where orderly lives are upended by absurd family antics. This list features fast-paced comedies with slapstick humor and relentless misfortune, all leading to a heartfelt resolution.
These stories typically follow a stable protagonist who, out of a sense of duty, takes in eccentric or difficult family members. This act triggers a domino effect of calamities—job loss, financial strain, physical comedy—that rapidly escalates. The narrative is a linear downward spiral of misfortune that ultimately finds a neat, optimistic resolution, affirming family bonds through the chaos.
They are grouped by their shared farcical approach to serious topics like family responsibility, their fast-paced, escalating plot structure, and their blend of high-stress slapstick with an underlying, sincere emotional core.
Stories where one small problem snowballs into a avalanche of hilarious disasters.Fans of Folks! will enjoy these absurdist comedies where a protagonist's life spirals into a cascade of hilarious misfortunes. Discover movies with a light tone, fast pacing, and a narrative built on one calamity leading to the next, all resolved with optimistic endings.
The narrative pattern is one of exponential acceleration: a relatively minor problem quickly balloons into an overwhelming series of bizarre and unfortunate events. The protagonist is often a straight man reacting to an increasingly insane world, and the plot moves rapidly from one set piece of chaos to the next. Despite the heavy themes that may be touched upon, the treatment is consistently frivolous and humorous.
They share a core comedic engine: the absurd escalation of trouble. The similarity lies in the fast pacing, the light tone used to handle potentially dark subjects, and the specific pattern of a linear, downward-comedic spiral.
Don't stop at just watching — explore Folks! in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Folks! is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.
Read a complete plot summary of Folks!, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.
Track the full timeline of Folks! with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.
Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape Folks!. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.
Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Folks!: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.
Discover movies like Folks! that share similar genres, themes, and storytelling elements. Whether you’re drawn to the atmosphere, character arcs, or plot structure, these curated recommendations will help you explore more films you’ll love.
Folks! (1992) Scene-by-Scene Movie Timeline
Folks! (1992) Movie Characters, Themes & Settings
Folks! (1992) Spoiler-Free Summary & Key Flow
Movies Like Folks! – Similar Titles You’ll Enjoy
Dad (1989) Movie Recap & Themes
Accidents Happen (2010) Full Summary & Key Details
People Places Things (2015) Plot Summary & Ending Explained
The Thing About My Folks (2005) Full Movie Breakdown
People Like Us (2012) Spoiler-Packed Plot Recap
Mumford (1999) Ending Explained & Film Insights
Mother (1997) Spoiler-Packed Plot Recap
A Family Affair (2024) Complete Plot Breakdown
Family Idiots (2018) Complete Plot Breakdown
Dear Father (2022) Full Summary & Key Details
Our Folks (1967) Spoiler-Packed Plot Recap
Family Life (1971) Film Overview & Timeline
Family Resemblances (1996) Complete Plot Breakdown
Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma’s Hung You in the Closet and I’m Feeling So Sad (1967) Film Overview & Timeline
Fathers and Sons (1957) Complete Plot Breakdown