La famille

The Family (2013)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

Luc Besson returns to the director's chair for this "comedy" about a former Mafia member (Robert DeNiro) who rats out his friends and must take his family into the Witness Protection Problem. When he starts to write his life story this sets the Mafia boys off to try and track him down and put an end to him and his family. THE FAMILY has so much talent involved that we should have been given a great film but sadly just about everything that you could do right with the concept is turned into a complete disaster and in the end we're left with a really bad and disappointing film. The film is bad on many levels including the fact that this "comedy" simply isn't all that funny. The idea of a Mafia guy having to get used to a small, unknown place should have made for some laughs but the only thing the screenplay offers is him throwing a fit about his water not being clear. We get some fantasy violence scenes but these aren't funny either. The stuff dealing with the wife (Michelle Pfeiffer), daughter (Dianna Agron) and son (John D'Leo) also add up to very little. This is especially true with the daughter's subplot dealing with her relationship with a teacher. Even worse is the relationship between DeNiro and his FBI guy played by Tommy Lee Jones. I never would have thought these two actors in the same scene could lead to such boredom. The performances are okay but with this much talent you just expect so much more. DeNiro can be a master at comedy but the screenplay just never allows his character to do anything. Agron, as the daughter, certainly steals the picture. What's strong is that this "comedy" doesn't come to life until the end when it turns into a violent thriller. This "thriller" aspect is directed with some style and real energy. Had the comedy scenes been handled this well then we would have been left with a much better film. The entire film has an uneven mix and in the end it's just a complete mess that never pays off.

Mafia boss Giovanni Manzoni (Robert De Niro) and his family are in witness protection, and relocated for the upteempth time to Normandy France. Agent Robert Stansfield (Tommy Lee Jones) tries desperately to keep this crime family in line.

Director Luc Besson is trying to make a black comedy, but it's only mildly amusing occasionally. It's cute to see Dianna Agron smash a guy with a racket. And it's cool to see Michelle Pfeiffer blowing up the convenience store. Of course, Besson is winking at us as Robert De Niro enjoys a showing of Goodfellas. But it's doesn't translate into a funny comedy. At best, there were a couple of chuckle worthy moments.

The movie probably needs a comedian. Looking around, there isn't one known comedian in the bunch. I can't imagine somebody who thinks the pairing of De Niro and Jones would result in hilarity. They could be funny, but only if paired with a great comedian. De Niro needs Ben Stiller for the Meet the Parents movies, and Billy Crystal for 'Analyze This'. And Grumpy face Jones can really only do the straight man. The Tommy Lee Jones role would be better played by somebody funny. Grumpy face is not that somebody.

I vaguely remember when this movie was in the cinemas. I didn't go see it and I didn't even see a trailer, but I remember seeing the poster on the wall at the theater. Once it was up on Netflix, I wanted to see it.

I was expecting some kind of weird mixture between crime drama and a "unusual family" comedy like the Addams Family and We're The Millers. Not the best examples but they are the first ones I can think of. The Family wasn't exactly close to my expectation. The Family is way more refreshing the way it is. Still, it's hard to say what is the main type of this film. It's partially a comedy, it's hilarious and clever and all that. But then again it seems like a deep drama, because it's about a family who is trying to adjust to the new situation, and everyone is facing their own challenges. But of course it's also a crime thriller.

While it's hard to say which one of these mostly defines the movie, the thing is, the elements of all those types are used so wonderfully, that as the story goes on, it doesn't matter. The story and the characters are intriguing and it's exciting to see what is going to happen. That shows what an excellent writer Tonino Benacquista is. While I don't know the differences between his book and the screenplay by Besson and Caleo, but I'm guessing his Benacquista's writing involved a lot of the stuff I loved about this movie.

The Family is intriguing, thrilling and fun. It has excellent casting and excellent writing. While this movie doesn't really stand out, it's not astounding in anyway, it's still a good film and definitely worth seeing.

I just watched "The Family" and I for one have had a very good time. This movie is gleefully dark, wickedly funny and offers great acting from all the stars involved, (who really seem to relish their parts). I was shocked when I checked IMDb and found so many comments and reviews from disappointed film fans. How can anyone complain about the violence in this dark comedy and at the same time love films like "Fargo" (or practically anything by the Coen Brothers, for that matter)? I came to the conclusion that the main reason behind all the negative reviews is that people expected something more akin to "Léon", "Goodfellas" or "The Godfather" (where the violence isn't played for laughs), when in fact this is something completely different: This is a black comedy about a group of predators who have to hide among - unbearably arrogant - sheep. You can imagine how well that will turn out (for the sheep). Anyway, I admit that with other actors involved, this would probably just have been an average mob comedy, but with the kind of talent you get here, it's hard not to have a blast. My rating: 7 out of 10.

Favorite films: http://www.IMDb.com/list/mkjOKvqlSBs/

Lesser-known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls075552387/

"Like Al Capone said, asking polite with a gun in your hand is better than asking polite with nothing." Giovanni

Family values in The Family are not your father's values unless, like me, your grandfather ran a numbers business in the basement of his barbershop. All of Kodak Park enjoyed that true color.

The Giovanni Manzoni/Fred Blake (Robert De Niro) family has a paterfamilias who is a notorious Mafia don in the FBI witness protection plan. (De Niro as a mobster is the fall's most unimaginative casting but he's funny.) His values are ratting on his fellow Mafiosi to save his legal hide, forcing him to hide with a $20 million reward dogging him. The family's love for each other is unconditional and treats challenges with a baseball bat rather than diplomacy. If a Frenchman disrespects Americans, he might find his supermarket in flames.

If this sounds like a story to turn the nuns' heads completely around, don't worry; it's ultra "black comedy," equal parts Italian-American gangster satire and laughable domestic shenanigans. That midway in the film Fred gets to speak on the merits of GoodFellas before a French crowd in Normandy is one of the nice meta-critical-comedic turns followed by carnage we've come to expect from Mob films. It's pretty much territory owned by Scorsese and De Niro. Additionally, the use of the "f" word has never been so deftly played in a comedy.

Besides the joy of seeing De Niro have a good time with the many tough characters he has played in his career, you get to see Tommy Lee Jones play a gruff FBI agent, Robert Stansfield, who can trade barbs with his charge, Fred, who has such a propensity for violence (he beats up the only plumber within 20 miles of town) that Fred is a full time job for Robert. If Jones's face can't scare Fred into being a good boy, then the threat of losing witness protection does the trick.

Directed with wicked tongue in cheek by La Femme Nikita's stylish Luc Besson, The Family sports an accomplished supporting cast: Michelle Pfeiffer as mom Maggie is gritty Brooklyn with her famous beauty well preserved. The two kids played by Diana Argon and John D'Leo are spot on sweetly dangerous as you might expect.

It's all in GoodFellas fun, a mildly amusing and unusual story that beats many mainstream comedies this year.