AllMovie

Lifelines examines an extraordinarily stressful day in the life of the dangerously dysfunctional suburban Bernstein family. Mom Nancy (Jane Adams), a schoolteacher, is unable to handle the constant barrage of hostility from her three children. Husband Ira (Josh Pais) is ineffectual, but tries to convince Nancy that her addiction to coffee isn't helping her anxiety. Older son Mikey (Robbie Sublett) is a stutterer, and barely able to express himself under the best conditions. Middle child Meghan (Dreama Walker of Gossip Girl) flouts whatever restrictions her parents place on her, inviting her boyfriend for overnight visits, while youngest child Spencer (Jacob Kogan of the 2009 Star Trek) suffers from ADHD, and needs to be handcuffed to the car to get him to participate in a family outing. The family visits a therapist, Dr. Livingston (Joe Morton), where Ira reveals that he's leaving Nancy because he's discovered that he's gay. Just when the family appears ready to fracture irreparably, Dr. Livingston calmly takes them into his office, one at a time, and finds a way to get each of them to communicate with him. But the painful confessions he elicits may prove too much for their already fragile family bonds to withstand.