The Family (2013) Reviews

• Cool black comedy - don't expect anything artful or serious and you're in for a fun ride.

  gogoschka-12013-12-06

  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/

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• "F**k" is a great way to describe this one

  TiagoRicardo2013-11-22

  Wow, I just left the movie theater and I am shocked about the amount of bad reviews this movie had. I am a kind of huge fan of Tommy Lee Jones and Robert De Niro so perhaps my opinion about this movie is a bit influenced by that. Despite that, I must confess I truly enjoyed this movie. It was funny and it was very interesting to see how the family get used to an all new identity every time they had to move in. The plot is basically about a family, the Mazonis, that was relocated to Normandy under the witness protection program. So they had basically to try fitting in soon to avoid being caught by the mafia members who were trying to kill them. Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro were really great playing their characters and despite not being an excellent movie, "The Family" is enjoyable and is another great addition to Luc Besson's career.

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• Watchable

  bob-rutzel-12014-01-17

  The Manzoni family is in Witness Protection in Normandy, France because Giovanni Manzoni (Robert DeNiro), who is now Fred Blake, ratted out the Luchese mob family. Don Luchese (Stan Carp), the old Don, now in jail, needs to find Giovanni to whack him. This isn't exactly a comedy, not so much a drama, not really a thriller and I would say it's light drama with comedic overtones, although I didn't experience many chuckles. It's watchable and kind of enjoyable until we get 16-yr old daughter Belle (Dianna Agron) viscously beating up on a classmate with a tennis racket. Later Fred Blake takes a baseball bat to a local plumber. And, still later Fred beats up on the manager of a water distribution facility. The viciousness of the beatings were too extreme for this movie and went too far in my opinion. It was like watching someone beating a dead horse. Not good. Fred's wife, Maggie (Michelle Pfeiffer), blows things up when she gets upset. I guess old habits are hard to die when one is attached to a mob family. On a less violent side, the son, 13-year old Warren Blake (John D'Leo) gets involved at school with black market cigarettes and prescription pills. See, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Then we have FBI Agent Stansfield (Tommy Lee Jones) whose job it is to protect the family. Later he learns that Fred is writing the story of his life and if that ever got out well……………… The acting by all is fine, but you somehow get the idea that all is not as serious as it really is. In other words the door is left open for somewhat comedic comments. The interactions among the family are good, supportive and genuine. They have each other's backs and that will be needed when Don Luchese's men find the family. You didn't forget about them, did you? (5/10) Violence: Yes. Sex: Yes, Belle and her tutor teacher against a door. Nudity: No. Language: Yes, the kids too.

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• Zany gangster comedy

  achyutaghosh2013-12-04

  Very few actors into their old age have been able to resist the temptation to play out their end years like the last five overs in a 50 over cricket match- keep featuring in any movie that pays decent money. Of late, industry stalwart Rober De Niro has been guilty of the same, but once in a while he does bring out the old sparkle, and more often than not, that is generally in a mobster themed movie. Ditto for The Family- a zany comedy about a family of criminals, who come in all genders and ages. Robert De Niro is Giovanni Manzoni, a crime boss on the run from his gang, who he tattled on. Put under witness protection, he and his family have a hard time sticking to their given identities as Giovanni is unable to rein in his sadistic urges, leading to a murder here, and a bashing there. His family is not far behind though- Michelle Pfeiffer is one bad closet pyromaniac of a mother, Dianne Aragon is the beautifully dangerous daughter, and John D'Leo is the young wheeler dealer gun, waiting to make a name in the business. The kids are a chip off the old block - brave and shrewd, with extremely practical, no nonsense attitudes. Tommy Lee Jones is the FBI agent who has to help these lunatics maintain a low profile. But all they keep doing, in different doses of hilarity, is making a war-zone out of a mofussil town. Luc Besson makes a fine comeback with this funny gangster comedy- the script is witty, the pace is fast, there are sudden scenes of shocking violence, and equal doses of laugh out moments. All the actors do a great job. This is a role meant for De Niro- he is a career don (Goodfellas, The Godfather, Casino) and this is right up his alley, a walk in the park. His interactions with his family are awesome, and at the end i was left wanting more of this family- a sequel on the cards? Michelle Pfeiffer's beauty has not dimmed one bit, and Tommy Lee Jones maintains a straight face throughout the antics. The Family is as much about a real family as it is about thugs. Growing up pains, romance, responsibility, will to survive- all of it is nicely packaged into a decent entertainer which has loads of laughter, guns, hammers, baseball bats, explosions, and everything else you love about the gangster movie genre- 7/10

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• Quick on its feet!

  Ramascreen2013-09-12

  THE FAMILY is one of my favorite movies this year. It's funny, it's witty, it's quick on its feet and it's surprisingly heartwarming. It's got firepower, it's got action, though it has a hard time finding peanut butter. What a great blend of family drama and gangster comedy. Luc Besson, the great director who brought us such masterpieces as Leon The Professional and The Fifth Element, is back and he's bringing with him a family that's as tough as their patriarch is. Led by three great thesps Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Tommy Lee Jones, and complimented by young talents like John D'Leo and Dianna Agron, THE FAMILY aims to entertain those of us who love a bit of Goodfellas added a hint of humor. Just like that old saying: Never go against the family. In a nutshell, it's about a family who was part of the mob right up until the patriarch, Robert De Niro ratted out the bosses and since then, De Niro's family has been in witness protection program, and the bosses in prison are still bent on finding them and killing them. De Niro's family got moved by the program to a new place in Normandy, France. Obviously it's a big drastic change from Brooklyn NY to France, so that in and of itself is already enough to let you know that hilarity that comes out of the difficulties of adjusting to a new place will ensue, including the bullish*t story that they have to come up with to explain where they're from or who they are to the new neighbors. Now.. unlike other gangster comedies, kinda like the ones that Guy Ritchie made, THE FAMILY does not show dumb bumbling criminals, the comedy in THE FAMILY banks on the short fuse and the temper that this Brooklyn family has, the violence exists because the reasons behind it are petty and that makes it funny. They try so hard to fit in and but because the new culture that they're in is extremely different, to a certain point it even looks down on them, they can't help but to unleash their old tough selves Robert De Niro is a legend, we all know that, he makes things look so easy. He's played gangster or mobster roles countless times before, he's even done it for comedy, anybody remember Analyze This?! So THE FAMILY is a walk in the park for him, he could probably do this blindfolded, but of course, he doesn't take it too lightly especially when sparring with other greats like Michelle Pfeiffer and Tommy Lee Jones, whenever those three interact on screen, it's like the camera just wants more and more of them even when their lines are done and over. De Niro's character is a good father, with a terrible past, but is a good father to his kids, and it's killing him that he can't tell his story to the world. Pretending to be someone he's not, suffocates him. He starts writing his own memoir, which is discouraged by his handler, played by Tommy Lee Jones, but it's clear to see that all De Niro's character wants is some kind of appreciation, that despite the terrible things he's done, he's still a good man. Note the many use of the word F*CK that De Niro uses to express all kinds of range of emotions, it's definitely one of this movie's highlights. De Niro and Tommy's friendship relationship in this movie is a complicated one, you can tell that Tommy cares for De Niro and his family but at the same time there's duty that he has to uphold and strict protocol that must be followed by all involved if De Niro's family wants to survive. The kids, played by D'Leo and Agaron, face ordinary things that teenagers face, sexual tension, trying to fit in and figuring out how to be resourceful, there's also the matter of good ol' heartbreak, so this movie has a nice dose of family drama that doesn't beat around the bush, the pacing is just right. You can tell that they're aching, they're not enjoying life in hiding, they wish they could run away, but deep down they're not blaming each other because in a strange way, that lifestyle has brought them closer together. Another thing I love about THE FAMILY is that you get it or you understand why these characters stay together; why these people love each other, why Michelle's character and De Niro's character ever matched, and even their kids, played by D'Leo and Agron, display their parents traits; their take-no-bullish*t attitudes. They're physical, they're cunning, they won't hesitate to use a bat or a hammer to prove a point, they're easily offended, and all of that equals hilarious. Inflicting pain, gangster-style, is always hard to watch mainly because in gangster world, there are no limits as to what you can use to inflict pain, you improvise, the creativity is boundless, so the shock value is always there, director Luc Besson doesn't shy away but at the same time he never means for this movie to be straight up Scorsese, who by the way helped exec-produce THE FAMILY, this movie at its center wants to show you a dysfunctional family, a family who we would quickly judge, but they're a family nonetheless. -- Ramascreen.com

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