"The Family" is a film created by and starring two men who have both lost their way. Writer/director Luc Besson is most famous for his assassin thrillers "La Femma Nikita" and "Léon: The Professional", as well as his beloved sci-fi film "The Fifth Element". But after the latter was released in 1997, Besson's career took an odd twist. The most notable films he's directed since then are the animated "Arthur And The Invisibles" and its two sequels. He's mostly been writing such forgettable action fluff as "Taken" (1 & 2) and "The Transporter" (1-3). Then there's Robert De Niro, once famous for classic crime dramas like "Mean Streets", "The Godfather Part II", "Casino" and "Goodfellas", now taking home paychecks for films like "The Big Wedding" and "New Year's Eve". It's not the least bit surprising, then, that the film they collaborated on is just as lost as the men behind it.
This film tells the story of Giovanni, a former mobster forced to hide out in France with his family as part of the FBI's Witness Protection Program after ratting out his mafia-family back in Brooklyn. He, his wife Maggie (Michelle Pfeiffer), daughter Belle (Dianna Agron) and son Warren (John d'Leo) immediately find themselves up to their old gangster ways, as though it's a tic they can't switch off. The new neighbors badmouthed Americans? Bomb their grocery store. A schoolboy made an unwanted pass at you? Beat him to a pulp with a tennis racket. The plumber kept you waiting? Break twelve of his bones. The film presents these violent acts as though we're supposed to find them endearing, instead of deeply disturbing.
It feels like Besson couldn't decide what kind of film he wanted "The Family" to be. Gangster thriller? Family drama? Fish-out-of-water comedy? Why not all of them?! That's not to say a film can't straddle more than one genre -- but "The Family" switches between them so fast you'll get whiplash. The most disappointing transition is when, for the last act, the film utterly abandons all comedy and delves fully into humorless shoot-em-up action. Ultimately there are no consequences or lessons to be learned here -- by the end of the film none of the characters have changed, and you have to wonder what it was all for. The film just...ends...after the clichéd shootout, leaving plenty of promising plot threads dangling such as Giovanni's memoir, Belle's crush and Warren's high school racketeering. All these subplots are given no meaning or resolution, which makes them feel like just a waste of the film's running time.
It seems crazy that such a shoddy film could have an "and yet" -- and yet...it's almost impossible not to like this film. A part of the credit is due to the music director: the soundtrack is superb, with its infectiously upbeat European influences. But the main reason "The Family" avoids being a total disaster is its stellar cast. There's no denying Robert De Niro knows his way around this genre. He's an expert at playing gruff-but-lovable, and he's utterly believable both when nuzzling his wife and when beating up men with baseball bats. Michelle Pfeiffer is a force to be reckoned with, fiercely protective of her family in the way only a mother can be. Dianna Agron, known most widely for her role as psychotic cheerleader Quinn on "Glee", here gets to play the psychotic mob girl Belle -- admittedly not much of a stretch, but she's had plenty of practice and nails both her character's sweet and sour sides and John d'Leo as Warren has a cocky, self-assured presence that far outstrips his young years.
It would be a lie to say that "The Family" was a great film. It's too messy, too uneven, too pointless to surpass mediocrity. But it would also be a lie to say it wasn't a lot of fun.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwZNypYmPFE[/youtube]
