Review of The Family (2013) by Alex R — 13 Dec 2013

Average dark comedy that leaves a lot to be desired, The Family is one of those films that should have been better than what we ended up here. Despite its limitations, the film does boast a good enough cast to keep the film from being a dud.

The film had the potential of being much better, but for what we get is better than what most critics have said about it. The cast do a good job here and they each bring something that makes the film worth seeing.

I don't think that the film deserves all the flack it has received, as it is a fairly well constructed affair, but it of course leaves you wanting more out of the film considering its varied cast of talented actors.

For what it is, it's entertaining, but at times the film's script could have been a bit more polished. At times the film is a bit over the place, as it tries to diverse itself in a totally different genre, but it's a dark comedy with a few funny parts, but it also has plenty of seriousness to its plot.

The film is called as an action, comedy, but there is no action here. I would call it a dark comedy with drama subtext and it tries to do something quite different with its plot, which is interesting, but it does fall short on its potential a bit.

This film really could have been a memorable outing, but in the end, it's mildly entertaining, and good, just not up to what it should have been. With an actor like Robert De Niro, you'd expect something truly worth seeing.

Although The Family is far from great, it's still worth seeing if you enjoy these types of films. Go in with an open mind, and you might like it, but it's definitely not as bad as what everyone has said about it.