Daddy & Them

Billy Bob Thornton wrote, directed and stars in this charming but edgy good-ol'-boy comedy about a dysfunctional small-town family in Arkansas. Thornton's script is well-observed and creative and his quirky cast features folksinger-songwriter John Prine, TV-pitchman Jim Varney in his final big-screen appearance, venerable Andy Griffith, mother-and-daughter duo Diane Ladd and Laura Dern, matinee-idol Ben Affleck and British character actress Brenda Blethyn.