Review of The Family (2013) by Panta O — 20 Dec 2013

Critics love to hate this one! And I know why... expectations. The Family, also known as Malavita, is an English-language French action crime comedy film based on a novel by Tonino Benacquista and directed by Luc Besson, starring Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Tommy Lee Jones, Dianna Agron, and John D'Leo. The film follows a Mafia family under the witness protection program that want to change their lives. When critics see Luc Benson they want value for their "money" and sometimes expect too much. I really didn't even know what the movie was about before watching it, didn't read any reviews, didn't know who the director is... and of course... at the end I liked it.

EuropaCorp and Relativity Media signed during March 2012 to develop two films, including their distribution. The Family would become the first one, and the second one would be Three Days to Kill (2014). I am waiting for that one as well. This one had good acting, solid directing but nothing outstanding, and the comedy part was not really on the dark side enough to call it dark comedy. It is likeable enough to be recommended but there won't be anything to be remembered. Sometimes the screenplay has holes in the plot, other times the subplots disappear into thin air, abrupt tonal shifts were numerous - but it keeps the electrifying energy all the time, thanks to the Luc Besson's experience in directing action movies.