The Family Business

J.K. SIMMONS AND MICHELLE SCHUMACHER MAKE A MOVIE WITH THEIR KIDS

- ERIC ANDERSSON

THE OSCAR WINNER COSTARS WITH HIS DAUGHTER OLIVIA IN YOU CAN'T RUN FOREVER, CO-WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY HIS WIFE AND FEATURING THE MUSIC OF HIS SON JOE

In the living room of the sun-drenched New York City apartment J.K. Simmons shares with his wife, writer-director Michelle Schumacher, there's a spot stocked with all sorts of board and card games like Race to the Raft and Mille Fiori. In this family, "Game night is huge," says the 69-year-old actor, known for roles both fearsome (his Oscar-winning turn in Whiplash) and fatherly (Juno). The couple's children Joe, a musician and composer, and Olivia, a recent Pace University graduate and actress, both live nearby and often stop over to play with their parents. "It's great family time," says Simmons, adding that he prefers games that require group like the Crew. "I like cooperative ones best."

The family's latest endeavor was no game, but it was a cooperative effort. The foursome worked on the new movie You Can't Run Forever, cowritten and directed by Schumacher, 57, starring Simmons and Olivia, 22, and featuring music composed by Joe, 25. Don't expect a warm, lighthearted romp: It's a thriller starring Simmons as Wade, a mysterious man who snaps and goes on a killing spree, slaying almost everyone in his path (one of his would-be victims is played by Olivia).