Folks!
Jon has it all, great job, beautiful wife and kids, and a dream house. But when his father, who is a little senile, burns his house trailer down while his mother is in the hospital, Jon brings his parents to live with him. Soon his wife goes home to mother, he's fired for suspicion of insider trading, his sister and her unruly kids get booted out by her boyfriend, and moves in, he's about to be evicted, and his assets are frozen. How could things get any worse?
The film earned $6.1M at the global box office.
1 nomination
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Folks! (1992) showcases meticulously timed narrative architecture, characteristic of Ted Kotcheff's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 47 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.8, the film showcases strong structural fundamentals.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Jon Aldrich
Harry Aldrich
Mildred Aldrich
Arlene Aldrich
Main Cast & Characters
Jon Aldrich
Played by Tom Selleck
A successful Chicago stockbroker whose life unravels when forced to care for his aging, increasingly dependent parents while his career and marriage suffer.
Harry Aldrich
Played by Don Ameche
Jon's elderly father who becomes suicidal after his wife has a stroke, unable to cope with seeing her diminished and fearing becoming a burden.
Mildred Aldrich
Played by Anne Jackson
Jon's mother who suffers a debilitating stroke, leaving her partially paralyzed and unable to communicate clearly, triggering the family crisis.
Arlene Aldrich
Played by Christine Ebersole
Jon's wife who becomes increasingly frustrated as her husband neglects their marriage and family while obsessing over his parents' problems.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Jon Aldrich is a successful Chicago stockbroker with a picture-perfect life - beautiful home, loving wife Audrey, two children, and a major promotion on the horizon. His organized, controlled world is about to be disrupted.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 13 minutes when Jon receives a call that his father Harry has been in a serious car accident in Florida. His parents are exhibiting dangerous behavior - his nearly-blind father is still driving, and his senile mother is becoming a liability. Jon must fly to Florida immediately.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 26 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This indicates the protagonist's commitment to Jon makes the active choice to move his parents into his Chicago home temporarily, believing he can control the situation and quickly transition them to a facility. He crosses into Act 2, entering the "upside-down world" where his parents invade his controlled life., moving from reaction to action.
At 53 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 49% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Structural examination shows that this crucial beat False defeat: Jon loses the promotion he'd been working toward because his parents' antics have made him seem unreliable and distracted at work. The stakes raise - his career is now in jeopardy, and his parents show no signs of improving. The fun is over., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 79 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Jon reaches his lowest point: he realizes his parents have been trying to kill themselves through their "accidents." The whiff of death is literal - they want to die rather than be a burden. Simultaneously, Audrey threatens to leave him, taking the children. Jon has lost everything., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 85 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. Jon has his realization: his parents gave him life and love, and now it's his turn to give back - not out of obligation, but out of love. He synthesizes the lesson Audrey tried to teach him with his own capacity for compassion. He chooses his family over his career and convenience., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Folks!'s emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping Folks! against these established plot points, we can identify how Ted Kotcheff utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Folks! within the comedy genre.
Ted Kotcheff's Structural Approach
Among the 6 Ted Kotcheff films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.2, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Folks! represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Ted Kotcheff filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Bad Guys, Ella Enchanted and The Evening Star. For more Ted Kotcheff analyses, see Fun with Dick and Jane, Uncommon Valor and First Blood.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Jon Aldrich is a successful Chicago stockbroker with a picture-perfect life - beautiful home, loving wife Audrey, two children, and a major promotion on the horizon. His organized, controlled world is about to be disrupted.
Theme
Audrey tells Jon that family obligations matter more than career success, foreshadowing the central theme: you can't abandon your parents no matter how inconvenient they become. Jon dismisses this, focused only on his upcoming promotion.
Worldbuilding
Setup of Jon's high-pressure work life, his relationship with his wife and kids, and the introduction of his elderly parents Harry and Mildred who live in Florida. We see Jon's tendency to avoid family responsibilities and delegate them to others.
Disruption
Jon receives a call that his father Harry has been in a serious car accident in Florida. His parents are exhibiting dangerous behavior - his nearly-blind father is still driving, and his senile mother is becoming a liability. Jon must fly to Florida immediately.
Resistance
Jon debates what to do with his parents. He explores options: nursing homes (they refuse), keeping them in Florida with help (too expensive), or bringing them to Chicago. His sister is no help. Jon resists taking full responsibility, looking for easy solutions that don't disrupt his life.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Jon makes the active choice to move his parents into his Chicago home temporarily, believing he can control the situation and quickly transition them to a facility. He crosses into Act 2, entering the "upside-down world" where his parents invade his controlled life.
Mirror World
Jon's relationship with Audrey becomes the thematic subplot. She represents acceptance and compassion for aging parents, while Jon represents denial and selfishness. She begins to see his character flaws as he treats his parents as burdens rather than people.
Premise
The "fun and games" of elderly parents destroying Jon's carefully ordered life. Harry and Mildred cause chaos: they wreck the house, embarrass Jon at work, nearly burn down the kitchen, and exhibit increasingly dangerous behavior. Dark comedy ensues as Jon tries and fails to control them.
Midpoint
False defeat: Jon loses the promotion he'd been working toward because his parents' antics have made him seem unreliable and distracted at work. The stakes raise - his career is now in jeopardy, and his parents show no signs of improving. The fun is over.
Opposition
Everything gets worse. Jon's parents become more demanding and destructive. His marriage deteriorates as Audrey grows disgusted with his selfishness. His children resent their grandparents. Jon grows desperate, attempting increasingly extreme solutions to get rid of his parents - each attempt fails or backfires.
Collapse
Jon reaches his lowest point: he realizes his parents have been trying to kill themselves through their "accidents." The whiff of death is literal - they want to die rather than be a burden. Simultaneously, Audrey threatens to leave him, taking the children. Jon has lost everything.
Crisis
Jon processes his dark night of the soul. He confronts the reality that he's been treating his parents as problems to solve rather than people to love. He reflects on his own mortality and what kind of son - and man - he's become.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Jon has his realization: his parents gave him life and love, and now it's his turn to give back - not out of obligation, but out of love. He synthesizes the lesson Audrey tried to teach him with his own capacity for compassion. He chooses his family over his career and convenience.
Synthesis
Jon makes peace with his parents, telling them he loves them and wants them to stay. He stops trying to control everything and accepts the messy reality of aging and family. He reconciles with Audrey by showing he's finally learned the lesson. He finds a sustainable solution that honors his parents' dignity.
Transformation
Closing image mirrors the opening: Jon with his family. But now he's present, engaged, and at peace. His parents are integrated into his life, not hidden away. He's traded his perfect, controlled world for a messy, authentic one - and he's genuinely happy for the first time.