Daddy’s Dyin’… Who’s Got the Will? 1990

Buford Turnover Bert Remsen is suffering from advanced dementia, and it’s only a matter of time before he dies. His family gathers at the Turnover homestead after his mother-in-law, Mama Wheelis Molly McClure, informs them that their father is fading. The gathering brings together four adult siblings with very different temperaments: Lurlene Amy Wright, the eldest sister and a minister’s wife who rarely visits; Sara Lee Tess Harper, the practical, quiet middle sister who cares for their father with help from their grandmother; Orville Beau Bridges, the blunt, greedy brother whose harsh treatment of his wife Marlene Patrika Darbo adds tension to the house; and Evalita Beverly D’Angelo, the youngest, a free-spirited, six-times-married country singer who shows up with her hippie boyfriend Harmony Judge Reinhold.

The arrival is rocky, and old wounds flare as the siblings clash over control and memory. Lurlene tries to steer the course, often stepping into the role of their late mother Linnie Sue Carolyn Brooks, which unsettles the rest and fuels suspicion that she might have been left out of the will. Sara Lee plays the peacemaker, mediating whenever she can, until Evalita’s wild night at a local bar with Clarence Keith Carradine—to whom Sara Lee is once engaged—shakes the fragile balance of the family. Clarence’s presence stirs up drama as old loyalties and broken promises surface, though the couples’ true histories remain partly hidden from the others.

Evalita’s constant drinking and public displays of affection with Harmony push the family further apart, even as Harmony tries to find a place among them. Harmony earns a wary respect when he sits at the piano and plays I’ll Fly Away, a moment that brings the family together in song and stirs Buford from his bed. In that brief, fragile respite, the memory of his wife and the innocence of his children flood back, offering him a glimpse of the past as if he’s seeing them as small children again.

Romance and tension intertwine as Harmony confesses his feelings for Marlene, telling her he’s fallen in love and asking her to run away with him. She refuses, yet they share a kiss in the kitchen, almost getting caught by Orville in a mood and moment that foreshadows further upheaval.

Mama Wheelis recalls that Buford kept his will in a strong box buried in the yard. Harmony helps open the box by picking the lock, revealing that he once served time in prison for burglary—a revelation that unsettles the already tense room. Evalita, emboldened by liquor, berates him for this, and Harmony leaves in a cloud of unresolved tension.

The will reveals a harsh, unaltered return: Lurlene and Orville each receive only $1 from the $600,000 estate, while Jimbo—Buford’s son—receives what would have been his father’s share. Sara Lee offers to share with Orville and Lurlene, but Evalita refuses to part with any of hers, exposing the deep-seated stubbornness that defined their relationships for years.

Harmony returns to tell Evalita that he has thrown her belongings from his van and that he’s going back to California, prompting Marlene to grab her suitcase and follow him out the door. Buford’s death inevitably arrives, and the family gathers once more in the living room for the funeral. They practice the song they will sing, and Buford appears in the background, watching as his children together echo the voices of their mother from long ago.

As the service unfolds, the family experiences a rare moment of peace and unity. The will’s legacy lingers in the air, but for now, the old resentments ease, and the siblings drift toward a fragile, renewed sense of kinship. In that quiet aftermath, Buford’s final wish seems briefly forgotten as they choose to acknowledge the bonds that still bind them, if only for a little while.