THAT OLD FEELING

The problem is not merely that THAT OLD FEELING depicts broken marriages. It makes a mockery of marriage and responsible parenthood, then manipulates the audience into cheering for marital unfaithfulness. Its comic treatment of love relationships leaves God out of the picture and offers no peace to the people seeking fulfillment through infidelity, second marriages and renewed romances.

There are a few positive moral characteristics. Molly initially tries to persuade her parents to return to their spouses, and a tabloid photographer gives up valuable photo opportunities because of his affection for her. A piano player also observes that successful marriages take work. But those moments cannot overcome the film’s central message.

The practical answer is simple: skip THAT OLD FEELING.

Lilly Leonard and Dan DeMauro, divorced parents who cannot be together without creating a scene, reunite at the wedding of their daughter, Molly, to a senator. Their mutual hatred quickly proves more complicated than it first appears.

As tensions rise around the wedding, Molly tries to manage the damage involving her parents, their spouses and her new marriage. She hires Joey, a tabloid photographer, to help track down her mother, and the family’s romantic entanglements grow increasingly tangled.

Two stars means THAT OLD FEELING has some basic competence but little lasting merit. The acting ranges from adequate to good, with Bette Midler, Dennis Farina and the supporting cast carrying the romantic-comedy framework.

The larger weakness is the film’s handling of its relationships and moral material. Its comic spin cannot disguise a distressing story about marital betrayal, irresponsible parenting and people chasing fulfillment apart from God. The film’s few words of wisdom are weakened by the circumstances in which they are delivered.

THAT OLD FEELING treats marriage as something to mock rather than honor. It exalts romantic desire, even when that desire violates marriage vows, and distorts responsible parenthood by having parents encourage their daughter to abandon her husband and embrace their own position on infidelity. Molly begins as a young woman with a strong moral stand, but the film ultimately moves her away from it.

The movie does include small signs of moral restraint. Molly initially waits until her wedding night to have sex and tries to reunite her parents with their spouses. Joey also gives up chances to take valuable photographs of Lilly because of his affection for Molly. A piano player says that successful marriages require work, but the point loses force because he speaks to Lilly and Dan while they are pretending to be married.

The film’s deepest departure from a biblical view is its exclusion of God. It presents infidelity as a path toward romantic fulfillment rather than treating marriage as a covenant under God’s authority. Jesus says, “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matthew 19:6).

THAT OLD FEELING has some adequate-to-good acting, but its central message celebrates marital unfaithfulness and rejects God’s design for marriage. Bless your family by choosing something else. SKIP IT. See more family-friendly picks.