The Family Reviews
Kase V
Super Reviewer
September 14, 2013
A calculative display with no real regard to emotion, pathos, or considerable thought, 'The Family' is really only worth watching for some solid camera work, and the implementation of both a catchy Gorillaz song and the tongue-in-cheek 'Goodfellas' reference.
KJ P
Super Reviewer
September 20, 2013
It is very odd to say, but a film that is loosely based around the mob and stars Robert De Niro in the leading role, is quite possibly one of the worst films to come out in 2013. After years in the business of shifting his family around and creating new names every time, they settle in this old country house to re-build their lives, but one an old mobster from the past is out to get them, they are on the run once again. This is probably the sloppiest mob story ever made. De Niro gives it his all in the role and his fellow cast members are not too shabby either, but the script they are working with is very very weak and the story is something we have seen a thousand times before, with nothing new to offer. "The Family" is boring, painfully uninteresting, and the reasons behind everything that is happening is almost non-existent. I will never recommend this film. Down to it's very core, it's a dreadful piece of modern day "cinema."
boxman
Super Reviewer
September 17, 2013
Nate's Grade: C+
The most impressive thing I can credit The Family, an otherwise adequate action-comedy with identity issues, is that it makes each member of its titular family worth watching. Robert De Niro is the patriarch of a family on the run from the Mob, who used to serve as De Niro's chief employer. They're hiding in Normandy, France, and trying to blend in, with very mixed results. I was worried that everything was going to be too obvious, but the movie does a fine job of rounding out its cast, giving each family member a personality, flaws, and a reason you want to keep tabs with them. I enjoyed the son's single-minded manipulation his school, able to suss out everyone's needs and how to turn alliances. De Niro starts writing his memoirs as a therapeutic exercise, but really nothing comes from this obvious plot catalyst. The nagging problem that dogs the movie is an inconsistent tone. The violence can be rather brutal and much of it is meant to be silly, but it doesn't come across that way. In fact, most of the film's laughs are tied up in over-the-top, and often, bloody violence. But the movie isn't dark enough to work as a twisted comedy, holding back to become something of an uneven mob cartoon. As a result, when the third act is all bloody mayhem, it feels like The Family is three half-baked movies badly stitched together. I laughed enough and was passably entertained but The Family is too dark to work as a lark, too juvenile to be substantial, and too predictable by half.
Nate's Grade: C+
Bathsheba Monk
Super Reviewer
September 15, 2013
The great cast must have needed the money. Stupid violence--what other kind is there I guess. If there was supposed to be some kind of satire or irony I missed it.
Universal D
Super Reviewer
September 15, 2013
It's practically a guaranteed cash cow: DeNiro & Pfeiffer as ex-Mob-turned-Federal-witness-types hiding out in small town France. Hilarity ensues when they can't manage to leave their Mob ways behind them = a pretty good formula on paper, but the execution (forgive the pun) leaves you wanting. The charisma of its stars then has to do the major lifting; of these Pfeiffer does best (w/o the scourge, I might hopefully add, of plastic surgery). I wanted to like it finally more than I actually did.
Jeff B.
Super Reviewer
September 29, 2013
In this R-rated action-comedy, a notorious mafia clan (De Niro, Pfeiffer, Dianna Agron) gets relocated to Normandy, France under the witness protection program, but finds that fitting in proves challenging when their patriarch starts writing a tell-all book.
Truly, Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones, and Michelle Pfeiffer make magic happen, embodying their near-caricatures perfectly. Likewise, director Luc Besson colors outside the lines with all of the blunt-force pizzazz of a man who directed Le Femme Nikita, Leon the Professional and The Fifth Element. In fact, he helmed all three beautifully. Here, however, the man who spent the last decade mostly working on the animated family films series Arthur and the Invisibles turns out a flick that's supposed to alternate between being dark and cartoony, but finally succumbs to dancing too much with the latter. The climactic action sequence, however, is a thing of beauty. Good but far from grand, this Family barely remains intact.
Bottom line: Gall in the Family.
Even if it offers up very little fun for the whole Family on a few occasions, Robert De Niro's latest mostly just makes moviegoers want for witless protection. Oh, it's not that the marquee-worthy cast and director don't stand and deliver. In fact, the subversively over-the-top presentation (it flip flops between a dark comedy and screwball setting) proves popular...in non-broad '90s comedies like Grosse Point Blank, High Fidelity, and, frankly, anything John Cusack used to star in. Ultimately, however, The Family offers a few decent moments but ultimately feels more like a recycled pay-cable dramedy pilot than a 5-star cinematic experience.
In this R-rated action-comedy, a notorious mafia clan (De Niro, Pfeiffer, Dianna Agron) gets relocated to Normandy, France under the witness protection program, but finds that fitting in proves challenging when their patriarch starts writing a tell-all book.
Truly, Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones, and Michelle Pfeiffer make magic happen, embodying their near-caricatures perfectly. Likewise, director Luc Besson colors outside the lines with all of the blunt-force pizzazz of a man who directed Le Femme Nikita, Leon the Professional and The Fifth Element. In fact, he helmed all three beautifully. Here, however, the man who spent the last decade mostly working on the animated family films series Arthur and the Invisibles turns out a flick that's supposed to alternate between being dark and cartoony, but finally succumbs to dancing too much with the latter. The climactic action sequence, however, is a thing of beauty. Good but far from grand, this Family barely remains intact.
Bottom line: Gall in the Family.
Christopher H
Super Reviewer
September 13, 2013
Wasting no time delving into the story of this insanely dark and violent comedy, "The Family" is a scatter shot of ideas and cast members placed together in a haphazard, yet entertaining way. Lead by Robert De Niro, the cast feels fresh in their roles as a former mob family on the run. Obviously De Niro's role in this feels natural from all his previous mob roles and his humor is deadpan but spot on. He and Michelle Pfeiffer play husband and wife, and it works phenomenal, especially in scenes where they are close, breathing an authenticity into the family unit. Dianna Agron is absolutely stunning as the high school daughter, reaching the violent moments with ease while looking sexy and confident the whole way through. John D'Leo is the sight unseen, nail on the head in this role, coming off like a mini mob boss and showing an extensive future in these roles, fitting the son of De Niro perfectly. Director Luc Besson ("Taken", "Lockout") wastes no time defining the stakes of the film, killing a similar family within the first moments of the film. Yes, this touts violence immediately, but rightfully so, not allowing for the thought that this is a romp-comedy, and instead borders dark undertones with no mistaking that death will be the eventual conclusion. Besson also provides the needed character development that allows the viewer to believe these characters are capable of the eventual, action-packed ending. Slightly sadistic, this family is full of loose cannons that prove they know their way around weapons. The comedy comes mostly from De Niro's fish-out-of-water persona, as he tries to write down his memoirs, fix the plumbing throughout the town, and deal with the FBI, lead by the veteran Tommy Lee Jones, who grounds this film in its sentiment. With some extremely farfetched leaps throughout the film, including a country traveling school newspaper that ends up in the hands of the one person in the entire world that it shouldn't, the film often feels unbelievable and hard to give the benefit of the doubt. Also, the characters go beyond extremes at times, with unwarranted suicidal tendencies and some awkward daydream moments that constantly make you wonder what it reality and what is a dream, with the two mixing far too often. The dialogue is smart, with the word "fuck" set up nicely and used to cause humor throughout the whole film, rather than using cursing for the sake of using it. Rising above the poor reviews and slightly vague genre for the film, "The Family" is darkly funny and wonderfully acted, with a tinge only Besson could carry successfully.
Jason C
Super Reviewer
September 16, 2013
I'd almost recommend The Family, but it falls a LITTLE shy. It's almost a good movie. The actors are good, but they tried to be two things and weren't really successful at either. There is nothing original in The Family. The idea you get from the trailer is what you get in the film. It could have been a better comedy than anything else, but they wanted a drama element. You can't get either without character development. The end was just the stop point for The Family. It was clips of what a gangster family would be like with very little development of a story. Maybe it'll be worth watching on a movie channel, but it's definitely not worth paying to see.
m h
Super Reviewer
December 15, 2012
I was really impressed with the the kid who played "the son" Warren. His name is John D'Leo. I think he has a quite a bright future ahead of him. Especially the scene with him at the train station, there was so emotion in his eyes and he never once had to utter a word. Robert DeNiro was my second favorite of the cast. He was very charming. I mean, his character is not really a good guy and yet he's the kind of guy you'd want to be friends with. That's the kind of vibe I got from him. Michelle was my third favorite out of the cast. And then Dianna. I do think Dianna was quite good in this, but she definitely wasn't the star. If I had to pick a 5th favorite then I would say the dog. That dog was pretty awesome.
All in all, I really enjoyed this film. I honestly wish it had a higher rating. It deserves it.
I loved this movie. It was very funny and had me laughing out loud, it was entertaining, and had me interested in these character's lives. It was actioned-packed and not light on the violence.
I was really impressed with the the kid who played "the son" Warren. His name is John D'Leo. I think he has a quite a bright future ahead of him. Especially the scene with him at the train station, there was so emotion in his eyes and he never once had to utter a word. Robert DeNiro was my second favorite of the cast. He was very charming. I mean, his character is not really a good guy and yet he's the kind of guy you'd want to be friends with. That's the kind of vibe I got from him. Michelle was my third favorite out of the cast. And then Dianna. I do think Dianna was quite good in this, but she definitely wasn't the star. If I had to pick a 5th favorite then I would say the dog. That dog was pretty awesome.
All in all, I really enjoyed this film. I honestly wish it had a higher rating. It deserves it.
October 5, 2013
I thought it was pretty bad ass, I liked it when the mob men were getting off the train in France, and the Gorillaz music was playing, it also had a good amount of action scenes. Worth Watching
woodsdon40
October 2, 2013
Luc Besson: Great Film It has that Leon the Profession feel to it. Robert DeNiro great, Michelle Pfeiffer Wonder It reminded of her role in Married to the mob .
September 27, 2013
THE FAMILY is an entertaining action-comedy that would have been a little better had it gone with a more over-the-top finale rather than a strangely melodramatic finale. Other than the tonal inconsistencies (action vs. comedy), I actually enjoyed the film a lot. Could have been shorter, but worth at least renting.
September 29, 2013
A mafia movie starring Robert De Niro that's a comedy. That sound like a sure thing, considering the success of "Analyze This", but instead we get an overly violent and semi-consistent conglomeration that never quite pulls together. There are some fair laughs to be had in each individual story, but when the separate arcs are attempted to be brought together, the whole thing falls apart.
September 25, 2013
Robert De Niro as a mobster. Well that should be awesome given Mean Streets, Goodfellas, The Godfather II, The Untouchables, Casino, Once Upon a Time In America, Analyze This and so on. In The Family, De Niro plays Giovanni Manzoni, a mobster turned snitch. After ratting out his own wiseguys in Brooklyn, Giovanni and his family are placed in the witness protection program, including his wife, Maggie (Michelle Pfeiffer), their daughter Belle (Dianna Agron) and son Warren (John D'Leo). After hiding out around the states, then Paris, the family settles in Normandy, where they are growing tired over their lot in life. So they act out. When a supermarket gives Maggie sass, she torches it. Warren starts hustling folks at school, Belle takes a baseball bat to a guy who gets handsy, and Giovanni, now going by Fred Blake and pretending he's writing a book on the marines in Normandy, is loading the trunk of his car with folks whose bodies offend him.FBI agent Stansfield (Tommy Lee Jones) works as the family's supervisor, and Jones looks like he'd rather be anywhere else. It's clear that French filmmaker Luc Besson, the master behind The Professional, La Femme Nikita and The Fifth Element, wants to make a comedy, but the laughs are more than few and far between, there aren't any between. The funniest scene ends up being De Niro as Giovanni attending a French Cinema Society where he offers his thoughts on Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese served as producer). The rest has no kick. Besson has no touch for comedy or farce. The violence doesn't do it either. All the actors, Pfeiffer in particular, works the script like they aren't overqualified for it, but Besson comes up short. At best, The Family is a rental. From the Redbox.
muveekween
September 21, 2013
Funny..worth watching at least once. Love the daughter and of course can't forget about the STILL gorgeous Michelle Pfeiffer.
September 16, 2013
As strange and dark as this was it was hilarious...My significant other and I went to see this one and we were rolling laughing. I have to say that is one family that you do not won't to fool with, or you too can end up in the hospital. This one is worth the look see...
chrisfreuden
September 15, 2013
Only negative note for me was it seemed to drag on a little bit at moments. Other than that though good film.
The Family is a movie that achieves what it set out to do which is give the viewer a dark comedy with some action. It isn't a Oscar film but it was a film I enjoyed. The cast played their parts well and the movie delivered all it's moments.
Only negative note for me was it seemed to drag on a little bit at moments. Other than that though good film.
holschuh4
September 14, 2013
Was lost for a little bit there wondering what the heck was going on! Not a bad movie but it kind of just jumps right in there without much of a background story.
