It’s always an interesting move when real-life families act together, especially when they are playing families. At times, it can feel like a cynical vehicle for a younger or less-talented actor to ride the coattails of their elders; at others, it can be a really compelling choice that takes advantage of the natural chemistry they have together. Sometimes, it just works out well because of physical resemblance, such as Dascha Polanco’s daughter playing her younger self in Orange is the New Black, or James Cromwell’s son doing the same in American Horror Story. It has been over 20 years since Michael Douglas shared the screen with his son Cameron in the comedy It Runs In The Family. Their casting there was boiled down to a “gimmick” and not much more. It’s true, there is nothing particularly special about their latest outing, Looking Through Water, or any particular reason why this is the movie where none other than Douglas’s son would suffice. Perhaps it is a step in the rehabilitation of his image and their familial relationship after some troubled times, in which case this movie, about fathers and sons rediscovering each other, is a pretty splendid choice.
What is ‘Looking Through Water’ About?

The movie opens with Michael Douglas as William, an elderly fisherman who seems very content with life. He swings by in his dinghy to pick up his grandson Kyle (Walker Scobell), who we gather is having issues at home. His mother is sick of him, he has a busted lip and black eye, and, of course, is sitting hunched over wearing ear buds and a beanie and ignoring the adults. He’s the classic asshole teenager, and within the first five minutes, you know where this story is going. Somehow, over the course of a day’s fishing, William is going to transform Kyle’s outlook on life, get to the heart of him, and make him less of an asshole. Tale as old as time. But it turns out that this is actually a framing device for a somewhat more interesting story, and we flash back to somewhere in the ’80s, where William is an obscenely successful executive played by Michael Stahl-David. He finds out his best friend and business partner has been betraying him in several hurtful ways, so he makes a scene at a banquet being held in his honor, and receives a call out of the blue from his estranged father, Leo (David Morse), inviting him to come to Belize and compete in a father-son fishing tournament. You know how it goes: at first, they are kind of charmed by the reunion, but then the novelty wears off, and they remember why they are estranged, then they go through something that brings them closer together than ever, and they have a serene new appreciation for life, love, and family. All that good stuff. Somewhere in the mix is Cole (Cameron Douglas), a no-nonsense young man and companion of Leo’s who shows William up in pretty much every way, and not at all shockingly turns out to be linked more closely than first suspected. I mean, Cameron didn’t end up playing the younger version of his dad, so that only leaves one possibility, given the incredible fortitude of the Douglas genes, right?
‘Looking Through Water’ is Charming Enough, But Offers Nothing New

I’d wager that even the most casual moviegoer has been told a story like this one before. There’s nothing wrong with that — a classic never really goes out of style. It’s one of those nice enough, easy-going dramas that will probably not make any lasting impression on the viewer, cinema itself, or the careers of those who worked on it, but it has a measured charm to it that makes for a decent viewing experience. Setting it on the coast of Belize lends it that island-life flavor that makes everything more enjoyable, so its locations and vibe have a slightly preternaturally pleasant quality that makes the movie that much more bearable, given its well-worn tropes and story beats. But it misses the opportunity for real spells of development. The narrative jumps back and forth between Belize and the present-day fishing trip with Kyle, and it seems to use these jumps to skip over important narrative steps that would make the progression of the movie feel more natural. William receives a call from his bum father, who he hasn’t seen or spoken to in ten years, who demands he get on a plane right now, despite his being drunk, injured, and on the tail-end of a confrontation about massive personal and professional betrayal. No one would blame William for needing a couple of days to chill out before dealing with his estranged dad, but nope. Cut to him on a private plane, still in last night’s bloody clothes. What would possibly convince him to do this? I guess that’s for him to know and us to wonder about. Similarly, the first time we cut back to old William and Kyle, the teen is suddenly quite engrossed in his grandfather’s story, despite barely even acknowledging him earlier. It’s these leaps that could have done with more depth, but the movie just wants us to take their word for it that these characters changed their minds on a dime because that’s what the story needs them to do. It might not have made the movie any more entertaining, but Looking Through Water is a rare example of a film that might have actually benefited from a few extra minutes of runtime, just so that it could justify the character development that it hinges on.
‘Looking Through Water’ is About Healing Generational Relationships

Cameron Douglas in Looking Through Water
Image via Good Deed Entertainment

Kyle has his own stuff going on. We come to find out why someone beat the beanie off of him, and it turns out his issues are much closer to William’s than he first thought. It all comes back to absent or untrustworthy father figures, and how such men seek to mend relationships with their sons. It doesn’t have a great deal to say here, and usually comes down to “well, he is your dad, and he does love you,” functioning as a bit of a get-out-of-jail-free card. William has good reason to be wary of his father and to feel distant from him, but in that classic way that is often portrayed in movies, island life is laid back, and the locals have no time for such squabbles, so the film doesn’t either. They effectively tell William that it doesn’t matter what hurt he has suffered because of his father’s actions, that ultimately, blood is thicker than water, and blah-blah-blah. This elementary-level approach to stories about fractured families is all well and good if you just want 90 minutes of fluff, but often by design, such setups really require a more serious approach for any real depth to be reached. If a movie is going to give us a man reuniting with his dad and them coming to love each other, then it needs to give them the freedom to really hash it out and explore the consequences of their estrangement. Looking Through Water only skims the surface. Looking Through Water is now playing in theaters.

Release Date

September 3, 2025

Runtime

107 minutes

Director

Roberto Sneider

Writers

Rowdy Herrington

Producers

Eric Scott Woods, Robert Mitas, Stan Spry, Tamara Birkemoe, Seth Needle, David Nagelberg

Pros & Cons

Michael Stahl-David gives a likeable performance alongside Michael Douglas
The Belizean setting is an inviting backdrop to the action.

It’s all well-trodden ground with little original material to offer.