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One of my all time favorites.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

I'm willing to bet that Kirk Douglas liked this project so much he decided to do it again with his own son and grandson. Diamonds is a story that finds Kirk in pursuit of some diamonds he hid away in the house of an old hoodlum friend in Reno, Nevada. Back in the day Douglas was a boxer by trade and this was a payoff for throwing a big fight back in the Fifties. To make his pursuit more interesting he takes along one of his two sons Dan Ackroyd and Ackroyd's son, Corbin Allred. So three generations of the Agensky family go in pursuit of some diamonds.Of course the trip is a bonding experience for all concerned. Ackroyd just went through a bitter divorce with Allred's mother and he's been estranged from Douglas for several years.I found Diamonds to be a pleasant film, entertaining and in a few instances quite touching. The Agensky family outing also included a visit to a bordello run by Madam Lauren Bacall.Before she married Humphrey Bogart, Bacall was an acting student in New York with Kirk Douglas and she persuaded him to come to Hollywood. Back in 1951 they co-starred in Young Man With a Horn so 48 years later they're back together on the screen. They're scenes are precious.With Diamonds I think Kirk was trying to send a message that all stroke victims aren't helpless. His scene with fellow former boxer Val Bisoglio as the two old ring enemies meet are a delight and later how he obtains his quest proves that while his speech is impaired he hasn't lost one single marble.Later on Kirk Douglas did It Runs In the Family with son Michael and grandson Cameron. But I kind of like this one better.

A quietly charming film that starts slow and builds: Father (Dan Ackroyd) and son (Corbin Allred) take Grandpa (Kirk Douglas) along on a vacation trip, despite the fact that Gramps has had a stroke and his health--physical and mental--is in question. Those who've read Kirk's books, "Climbing the Mountain" and "My Stroke of Luck" will realize just how many of Kirk's real experiences have been written into the role, especially his continuing efforts to improve his damaged speech. (Who will ever forget the 1995 Academy Awards, when Kirk, just weeks after the stroke, came out to accept his honorary Oscar, and forced recognizable speech out of a mouth that was, at the time, very much a ruined instrument?) The film begins with a uneasy tenseness that makes it hard to enjoy, but this moderates as we come to know the characters, and a certain largeness of spirit appears when the three generations enter a brothel, run by Lauren Bacall, whose screen magic hasn't diminished one little bit. Incidentally, this is only the second film Douglas and Bacall have made together; the first was "Young Man With a Horn" in 1949. Does that mean we have to wait until 2O49 for them to do it again?

Here Kirk Douglas appears for all he world to see, still recovering very much from his stroke, with a very pronounced speech defect. Well known for his ego, it never the less takes guts to appear before the camera. As to the film itself, Douglas is assisted ably by Dan Ackroyd and Lauren Bacall. It is a "road" film of sorts, whereby three generations of a family attempt to mend their fences.The film unfortunately is immediately forgettable.

Normally I will agree with most of the online respected critics (Ebert, etc.). But this time I think they were really wrong. Yes, the movie was a bit predictable and at times slow. Not a great script and the casting might have been a bit better but Kirk Douglas and Lauren Bacall made the movie shine.It was a heart warming movie that definitely makes you happy you spent the time watching. Yes, it was probably a device made just for Douglas. But so what.... It worked for me and I would recommend it for all that has a heart and likes to divulge in an occasional sentimental and semi comedy drama. Cheers to "Diamonds"