Luc Besson returns to his sardonic best with a ludicrous and bloodily entertaining attempt to make a morally defunct Mafia family under witness protection into positive protagonists of a largely entertaining movie. The head of the titular dysfunctional family is Giovanni Manzoni (Robert De Niro), former Sicilian crime-lord of the New York. Now going under the name of Fred Blake, he, his wife Maggie (Michelle Pfeiffer) and two kids Belle (Dianna Agron) and Warren (John D'Leo) are moved by operative Robert Stansfield (Tommy Lee Jones) into the unsuspecting quaint town in Normandy. Despite their status as key witnesses the foursome struggle to adapt their ways. Prior to movement Fred murdered a neighbour with which he had a local feud, whilst Maggie blows up a local grocery on her first day after the move. Meanwhile Warren quickly sets up his structures in the local school, taking a slice of the cut from cigarette dealers and arranging himself bodyguards. Belle leads the least destructive life, but finds herself drawn to the substitute teacher - a chemistry student from Paris. While they foursome start causing havoc in the town, the American mafia still has their sights set on revenge...
Wickedly funny, even if morally deficient, "The Family" brings about one of the more enjoyable De Niro performances in a while. Whether its coping with his anger or engaging into his new career as a writer, Fred is captivatingly fun to watch, as is Maggie - rigid, but yet emanating with warmth. The most enjoyable parts come however from the contrasting banter of Tommy Lee Jones and his troubled special agent, who seems inexplicably drawn to the crude charm of the mafia snitch patriarch. Coupled with some witty dialogue, Luc Besson has delivered one of his best features in years. Typically focused on entertainment, Besson cooks up an excellent mix of family drama, teenager angst and gangster comedy makes it a surprising gem, which may not be especially memorable, but is endlessly entertaining.
Wickedly funny, even if morally deficient, "The Family" brings about one of the more enjoyable De Niro performances in a while. Whether its coping with his anger or engaging into his new career as a writer, Fred is captivatingly fun to watch, as is Maggie - rigid, but yet emanating with warmth. The most enjoyable parts come however from the contrasting banter of Tommy Lee Jones and his troubled special agent, who seems inexplicably drawn to the crude charm of the mafia snitch patriarch. Coupled with some witty dialogue, Luc Besson has delivered one of his best features in years. Typically focused on entertainment, Besson cooks up an excellent mix of family drama, teenager angst and gangster comedy makes it a surprising gem, which may not be especially memorable, but is endlessly entertaining.