Making a dark comedy based on one family’s life on the run from the mob: Interesting. Casting Robert De Niro and Tommy Lee Jones as the two main characters: Genius. Having Martin Scorsese as executive producer of the film that not only references the great director but works his classic movie, “Goodfellas” (which starred De Niro) into the plot: Clever. “The Family” is exactly what you’d hope it could be – smart, funny and entertaining.
De Niro stars as Fred Blake, who is really Giovanni Manzoni, a former Brooklyn mafia boss who testified against ‘the family’. He’s married to Michelle Pfeiffer’s Maggie, and they have two teenagers, Belle and Warren. They’re living under the Witness Protection Program and have just been moved to Normandy, France. The mob bosses who Fred put in prison are trying to find and kill him. Jones leads a small group of FBI agents whose job it is to keep The Blakes alive and out of trouble, which is easier said than done.
“The Family” continues the current trend of adult action comedies. And there’s plenty of both here, though it’s the amount of beatings, stabbings, shootings and killings, complete with a whole lot of blood, that will likely surprise audiences.
At the same time, “The Family” suffers from a bad case of predictability. Director Luc Besson, who also co-wrote the screenplay, which is based on the book Malavita (the film’s original title), doesn’t do much of anything fresh with this very basic plot. And the structure is rather uneven, going from lengthy scenes involving conversations between De Niro and the neighbors, De Niro and Jones, and even De Niro and himself (as narration while writing his memoirs), to moments of jarring violence. The script does keep you wondering what’s coming next. And the minor characters, including the two agents who are watching the family 24/7 and a local priest, are well written.
As for the performances, the showcase scenes are designed for De Niro and Jones, and they don’t disappoint. You have to think these two had a ball working together. Other than dealing with an issue involving the neighborhood grocery store Pfeiffer plays it rather straight. One of the bright spots in the cast is “Glee”‘s Dianna Agron as Belle. At 27, she not only pulls-off the role of a high school student who’s learned a lot from her father when it comes to protecting herself, but is also quite good in a few emotional moments.
“The Family” is rated R for all the violence, a trunk full of F-bombs, and other adult content. It’s appropriate for mid-teens and up.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “The Family” gets a B. I enjoyed spending time with The Blakes. I just wouldn’t want them moving-in across the street.