Fortunate sons

"A truly magnificent film....it took my breath away"

 

Jackie Tepper

Documentary Chair, Dances With Films festival

"An extraordinary, fascinating, and moving film. I loved it, from beginning to end."

 

Susan Reed

Magazine editor and journalist

"A marvelous, moving film that starts strong and gathers great emotional force. Fortunate Sons ought to be appreciated by anyone who cares about life and growing up."

 

Todd Purdum

Author, "Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television"

"The honesty is remarkable...the practical manifestations are different, but the human problems are universal"

 

Richelle Parham

Past President of Global E-Commerce, UMG

"It's a great film!"

 

Blake Mycoskie

Founder, TOMS Shoes

"Heartfelt, compelling and insightful...

 

"You might not think that a film about the extremely fortunate sons of hyper-successful fathers has much heart or soul. But Peter Jones and his talented team imbue this labor of love with plenty of both, to create a compelling and emotional exploration of boyhood, manhood, and the pitfalls of privilege. Someone nearby must have been cutting onions while I watched it."

 

Michael Thomas

Author, "Carson the Magnificent"

"A profoundly moving documentary, Fortunate Sons explores the complex relationships between fathers and sons, masculinity, race, privilege, and the legacy of generational trauma in America.

 

"With honesty, vulnerability, and emotional intelligence, the film examines how men inherit not only societal expectations but also unspoken wounds—and how they can begin to heal.

 

"It’s a deeply human story that invites introspection and opens the door for meaningful dialogue around what it means to be a man today."

 

Jack Myers

Author, "The Future of Men"; Founder, MediaVillage Education Foundation, 

"A life-changing film.

 

“I had to run out at the end of the screening - I was kind of overwhelmed with the urge to go back home and hug my daughter. When the classmates in the film first got together after Covid, it was like they were re-embracing their lost 'family' - it made me realize that every second I can spend with my daughter is time that is not lost and is better spent than doing anything else.  So, I drove home and hugged my sleeping daughter.”

 

Greg Carpenter

Founder/CEO Tropare

"My heart is just so full and inspired by this film.

 

"This idea that across all humanity, when you peel back the layers, inside our souls, all of our souls, no matter who you are, no matter where you live, no matter what your circumstances are, we’re all trying to find our way and figure out who we are.  It's just so powerful...and moving."

 

Tina Sharkey

Professor, USC Iovine and Young Academy 

"A fascinating story - emotional, dramatic, and totally universal. A wonderful film."

 

Richard Baskin

Composer, Songwriter

"We just watched your beautiful Fortunate Sons -- I am still processing. It was amazing."

 

Sam Jones

Founder/Managing Director, EngineCo Company

"Fortunate Sons is brilliant.... You've achieved something wonderful and profound. Every minute of the film is engaging. I was delighted, moved, and crying by the end."

 

Steve Oney

Author, "On Air" (History of NPR)

"So much I loved about the film, but perhaps the most powerful part to me was how beautifully it showed the great gift of old friends. And perfectly captured that particular world -- of the very privileged in So Cal in the 1970s."

 

Lisa Bittan

Founder and CEO, Ya Living

"Fantastic, what a journey - so full of real emotion, coming from so many different directions. A broad, humanistic approach to storytelling that’s a much forgotten art."

 

Peter Guralnick

Author, "The Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley"

"Holy sh#t, this is spectacular! The world needs to see this film.

 

"As a therapist, I appreciated the willingness for those in the film to peel off the layers to reveal the real. For some, the journey was not easy. For all of them, it revealed the challenges they faced as men in a culture that is sometimes fueled by the desire to succeed at all cost, toxic masculinity, vulnerability as complete human beings, mental health, relationships and addiction."

 

The Good Men Project, Edie Weinstein

Mental health professional and journalist

"An ever surprising story of adolescence and aging, told by men with breathtaking honesty about the boys they were and the men they'd become."

 

Griffin Dunne

Actor, Director, Producer, Author

"Unexpectedly cracks your heart wide open. 

 

"I did not expect a film about privileged white men to touch on such universal themes of hope, love, loss, the fear of being seen, and the importance of friendship, and what matters. It’s touching, funny, real, so well made, and so needed in these toxic times....it had me in tears.  Seeing these men be vulnerable brings so much hope. Bravo!"

 

Cecilia Peck

Filmmaker

"The film brought me to tears. It hit me right in the gut. You have done us all a great service. You have showed us that we were not alone."

 

Gary Marx

Pulitzer Prize nomiinated Investigative Journalist

"This film is pretty amazing…I’m surprised by how much it touched me. It was moving and sometimes painful, but it’s ingeniously put together"

 

Paris Barclay

Director; Past President of Directors Guild of America

"Growing up in L.A., my friends and I made fun of the Harvard School. Boys dressed in uniforms, marching like soldiers. But after seeing this emotional and beautifully done documentary, I found myself envious of the camaraderie that's now lasted over a half a century."

 

Ron Meyer

"An honest, excellent film!

 

"What a beautiful slice-of-life film with some real shocking stories.  It has so many elements woven into one excellent film.  Not just about school, but also about the turbulent times of their generation.  It leaves you wanting more, and with lots of memories as if you were one of the students.  Many have tried to make similar movies with much less success.  Watch this great documentary!"

 

Jason Elkin

Retired TV Station Group Owner

"Rarely do I watch a film that I wish was longer - it’s so rare I can barely think of examples - but I would have been interested in seeing more of your film."

 

Peter Broderick

Strategic Consultant

"“I started watching Fortunate Sons this morning, just to sample it, and couldn't stop. It is a powerful and, in its way, truly beautiful piece of work. It is one story, somehow. And it is the story of each of us.”"

 

Alex S. Jones

Author, "The Trust: The Private and Powerful Family Behind The New York Times"

"A story that is deeply personal, and profoundly universal. They have created, not just a film, but a movement...one that invites us to rethink what it means to be men, friends, and human beings - yes, human beings - in today's world."

 

Avik Chakraborty

Host, "Healthy Mind by Avik" podcast 

"This made me think about life in a different way. Profound, utterly mesmerizing and transformative."

 

Jennifer Aaker

Professor, Stanford Graduate School of Business

"Days later, I am still mesmerized and contemplating. Fortunate Sons is raw and to the core…a powerful and thought provoking experience."

 

Michael Healy

Retired Financial Advisor