If you haven’t seen director Joel Schumacher’s 1989 movie “Cousins,” perhaps I might entice you. The film is a celebration of the choices we make in our lives within the context of family relationships. It is centered around two boisterous Euro-American families that bring to light “the good and the bad” in marriage, parenthood, adolescence, old age and death. Schumacher wittily wraps these stages of life in a perfectly comical and entertaining package and reveals an important truth. Through its characters’ charm, humor, humanity and endless bright smiles, “Cousins” does something fascinating:

IT FOLDS LIFE’S HARDSHIPS INTO A PERFECT ORIGAMI OF TRIUMPH. IT DEMONSTRATES HOW WE CAN MAKE “CHICKEN SALAD INSTEAD OF CHICKEN SHIT,” THROUGH GRACE UNDER PRESSURE, DIGNITY UNDER GRIEVANCE, AND STRENGTH UNDER WEAKNESS.

“Cousins” opens with a scene from a wedding in which Tom and Tish, each married to someone else, sneak away for some hanky-panky. They return late with the excuse that the car broke down as Tom—a car salesman—was supposedly giving her a test drive in his car. Meanwhile their spouses, Maria (Isabella Rossellini) and Larry (Ted Danson)—strike up a conversation about their spouses’ mysterious disappearance. Unbeknownst to Maria and Larry, this seemingly casual encounter will ignite a deep love affair of their own.

The film immerses us in the lives of its characters, each crafting their own version of chicken salad from chicken shit:

Tom, a serial-womanizing car salesman trying his best to redeem himself with his wife, Maria.

Maria, torn between unhappiness and fidelity, ultimately decides to leave Tom for Larry.

Larry, a seemingly simple and blasé misfit who musters the courage to win Maria by the film’s end.

Tish, a young and attractive makeup artist yearning for respect and finally gaining self-respect.

Vince, Larry’s humorous widowed father, who marries his deceased brother’s widow, Edie, and delivers some of the movie’s best one-liners.

Mitch, Larry’s son from a previous marriage, a provocative and ballsy punk video artist who proudly embraces his nonconformity.

Edie, Maria’s widowed mother, who loses one husband (Vince’s brother) only to fall in love with and eventually marry Vince.

Aunt Sofia, a bitter great aunt finding her own entertainment in her relentless cynicism.

Each of the characters is endearing in their own way, but the true star and inspiration is Rossellini. She carries an aura—a glow—that stays with you, long after the film ends. Her character is powerfully magnetic, radiating genuine warmth, tender softness, and inviolable honesty. And through her performance, she reveals that suppression and repression have the potential to breed the strength to resist and transcend them.

The chemistry between Rossellini and Danson is deeply compelling, their smiles and eye contact carrying an especially powerful weight. Through her soft-spokenness, careful wit, and discreet yet expressive body language, Rossellini conveys understated strength and boundless depth. Danson, too, embodies a similar reserved yet magnetic charm in his portrayal of Larry. And together, they embody:

I AM WEAK, THEREFORE I AM STRONG

Though Cousins presents an idealized depiction of life’s chaos, it remains refreshingly tender and light. In real life, adultery, death, and the complexities of marriage and remarriage are rarely so simple, “tidy,” or life-affirming. Yet this film offers a valuable perspective: from life’s mishaps, we can forge meaning and build identity. Cousins somehow skillfully sidesteps the queasy feelings often associated with life’s cruelties, injecting them instead with delicacy, humor, and meaningfulness.

And on that note, a few cheeky chicken salad one-liners from the film:

Vince : I’d rather have a case of the clap than a case of this wine.

Vince : You’ve got only one life to live. You can either make it chicken shit or chicken salad.

Vince : Can you keep a secret?

Mitch : Yeah.

Vince : So can I.

Vince : [at the cemetery, declining to join the funeral group]  At my age, you don’t want to get too close to an open grave.

Mitch : [at the funeral]  So, Grandpa, how come you didn’t come to the church?

Vince : God makes me nervous when you get Him indoors – besides, I don’t like to see people in their coffins. They always look so much smaller without their spirits.

Vince : [after Edie reluctantly accepts his dinner invitation]  You’ve made an old man very happy!

Edie : You’re not so old.

Vince : Yeah, I know, and I’m not so happy.

Aunt Sofia: You still want to kill people?

Mitch: Na, they’re too stupid.

Aunt Sofia: You’re telling me – your grandfather’s marrying the Bermuda Triangle!

Maria: How many jobs did you have?

Larry: I don’t know. A lot. I change every two or three years. If it looks like I might be successful. I move on.

Maria: You don’t want to be successful?

Larry: I want to be happy.

Larry: Maria, would you dance with me?… Then, how about spending the rest of your life with me?