# About My Father
**About My Father** is a 2023 American comedy film directed by Laura Terruso and written by Austen Earl and [Sebastian Maniscalco](https://www.edgepedia.org/sebastian-maniscalco), in which a stand-up comedian loosely plays a version of himself introducing his old-school Italian immigrant father to his fiancée's wealthy family over a Fourth of July weekend. It stars Sebastian Maniscalco as Sebastian, Robert De Niro as his father Salvo, Leslie Bibb as Ellie, and [Kim Cattrall](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-cattrall), Anders Holm, Brett Dier, and [David Rasche](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-rasche) as Ellie's family.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/about_my_father_2023) • [2](https://www.aboutmyfather.movie/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | Wide theatrical release May 26, 2023; streaming June 16, 2023[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/about_my_father_2023) |
| Director / writers | Laura Terruso; Austen Earl and Sebastian Maniscalco[2](https://www.aboutmyfather.movie/) |
| Cast | Sebastian Maniscalco, Robert De Niro, Leslie Bibb, Kim Cattrall, Anders Holm, Brett Dier, David Rasche[2](https://www.aboutmyfather.movie/) |
| Rating / runtime | PG-13 (suggestive material, language, partial nudity); 1 hour 29 minutes[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/about_my_father_2023) |
| Box office | $12.1 million gross in the United States[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/about_my_father_2023) |
| Critical reception | 36% Tomatometer from 86 reviews; 81% Popcornmeter from 500+ verified ratings; Metascore 39 from 19 reviews[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/about_my_father_2023) • [3](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/about-my-father/?ftag=MCD-06-10aaa0e) |
| Basis | Loosely based on Maniscalco's relationship with his real father, Salvo, a Sicilian immigrant and veteran Chicago hairdresser[4](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-05-24/comedian-sebastian-maniscalco-says-he-got-a-masterclass-in-acting-from-robert-deniro-in-about-my-father) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
At the urging of his fiancée Ellie (Bibb), Sebastian (Maniscalco) takes Salvo (De Niro), the immigrant hairdresser who raised him, along for a weekend gathering hosted by her family, who are immensely wealthy and wildly odd. The weekend develops into a culture clash, leaving Sebastian and Salvo to discover that the great thing about family is everything about family.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/about_my_father_2023) The gathering takes place at Ellie's family's annual Fourth of July celebration in Virginia, where her parents are played by Kim Cattrall and David Rasche.[5](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/about-my-father)
## Origins
The film grew out of Maniscalco's stand-up material about his own family. According to an Academy interview, it is based on his relationship with his Sicilian immigrant father, a relationship he had mined for years of standup before turning it into his first screenplay and first leading film role.[6](https://newsletter-dev.oscars.org/features/about-my-father-laura-terruso-interview) In a Los Angeles Times interview, Maniscalco said he wanted to make a movie for and about his father; the real Salvo Maniscalco visited the set in Alabama and demonstrated hair-dyeing technique for De Niro in a scene recreating the first salon he ever had.[4](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-05-24/comedian-sebastian-maniscalco-says-he-got-a-masterclass-in-acting-from-robert-deniro-in-about-my-father) Maniscalco had worked briefly with De Niro before, on Martin Scorsese's *The Irishman*.[7](https://www.arabtimesonline.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2023/may/19/ATKWT20230519.pdf)
## Production and release
Lionsgate presents the film, a Depth of Field production, produced by Andrew Miano, Paul Weitz, Chris Weitz, and Judi Marmel, with cinematography by Rogier Stoffers and music by Stephanie Economou.[2](https://www.aboutmyfather.movie/) • [8](https://www.diamondfilms.es/pelicula/todo-sobre-mi-padre) It opened wide in United States theaters on May 26, 2023, over the [Memorial Day](https://www.edgepedia.org/memorial-day) weekend, and reached streaming on June 16, 2023.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/about_my_father_2023) The film was rated PG-13 in the United States for suggestive material, language, and partial nudity; the [British Board of Film Classification](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-board-of-film-classification) notes moderate bad language and sex references in a 90-minute cut.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/about_my_father_2023) • [9](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/about-my-father-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdi1otaw)
## Reception
Critics rated the film poorly while audiences were warmer. On Rotten Tomatoes it holds a 36% Tomatometer from 86 reviews against an 81% Popcornmeter from more than 500 verified ratings; the critics consensus says the film finds Maniscalco drawing on his own life and "inadvertently proving that a funny standup routine doesn't necessarily make for an entertaining film," while the audience summary calls it "sweet and heartfelt... a fun family movie that has some serious moments and plenty of laughs."[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/about_my_father_2023) Metacritic assigned a Metascore of 39, labeled generally unfavorable, based on 19 critic reviews, with a mixed user score of 4.0 from 42 ratings.[3](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/about-my-father/?ftag=MCD-06-10aaa0e) Reviewers compared it to *Meet the Parents* and *My Big Fat Greek Wedding*; Claudia Puig of FilmWeek (LAist) called it "a much less funny Meet the Parents meets a much less engaging My Big Fat Greek Wedding."[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/about_my_father_2023) The Associated Press review described it as leaning into stereotypes of working-class Italians on one side and WASPs on the other, framing the story as an immigrant story.[10](https://www.arabtimesonline.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2023/may/26/ATKWT20230526.pdf) The film grossed $12.1 million in the United States.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/about_my_father_2023)
## Availability
In the United States the film streams on Amazon Prime Video, including an ad-supported tier, and can be rented or bought on Amazon Video, the Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, and Spectrum On Demand; it is also available on DVD and Blu-ray.[11](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/about-my-father) Availability differs by country: in India it streams on the Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, and it has not been listed on Netflix in several markets.[12](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/about-my-father) • [13](https://waarkanikdatkijken.nl/about-my-father)
## References
1. [About My Father (2023), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/about_my_father_2023)
2. [About My Father, Official Website](https://www.aboutmyfather.movie/)
3. [About My Father Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/about-my-father/?ftag=MCD-06-10aaa0e)
4. [Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco got a masterclass in acting from Robert De Niro in 'About My Father', Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-05-24/comedian-sebastian-maniscalco-says-he-got-a-masterclass-in-acting-from-robert-deniro-in-about-my-father)
5. [About My Father, Parents' Guide & Movie Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/about-my-father)
6. ['About My Father' Director Laura Terruso Reveals What It's Like Directing Robert De Niro, Oscars.org](https://newsletter-dev.oscars.org/features/about-my-father-laura-terruso-interview)
7. [Arab Times, May 19, 2023 (AP report on About My Father)](https://www.arabtimesonline.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2023/may/19/ATKWT20230519.pdf)
8. [Todo sobre mi padre, Diamond Films España](https://www.diamondfilms.es/pelicula/todo-sobre-mi-padre)
9. [About My Father, British Board of Film Classification](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/about-my-father-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdi1otaw)
10. [Arab Times, May 26, 2023 (AP review)](https://www.arabtimesonline.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2023/may/26/ATKWT20230526.pdf)
11. [About My Father streaming: where to watch online?, JustWatch (US)](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/about-my-father)
12. [About My Father streaming: where to watch online?, JustWatch (India)](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/about-my-father)
13. [About My Father (2023) kijken, waarkanikdatkijken.nl](https://waarkanikdatkijken.nl/about-my-father)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 2023*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license