Can you think of an actor more fitting to play an ex-mobster than Robert De Niro? Well that’s exactly who he plays in The Family. After snitching on his people, De Niro’s character and his family are hiding out in France as part of the witness protection program. As the scorned mafia tracks them down, the family can’t help but make some noise by causing trouble in the small French town. De Niro is joined by Michelle Pfeiffer, Dianna Agron and John D’Leo as the titular family. Tommy Lee Jones plays the federal agent in charge of protecting them.
As a comedy, the film uses over the top action and violence to get laughs. It’s mostly successful, but no matter what kind of music they play in the background, a corpse wrapped in plastic in the trunk of a car still isn’t funny. But watching how a mafia family integrates into a quiet community is. So this hook carries the movie through the first act. Then the final confrontation is violent and gritty with all the gun fighting and explosions you would want. This blended genre does well to not over-commit and gives a strong middle of the road movie that has wit and tension.
De Niro provides his standard consistent performance as the calm retired crime boss who is always on the verge of snapping. Jones doesn’t offer too much with his scenes, but Pfeiffer does. Her character has the most depth as she addresses being an outsider and a parent. The performance’s authenticity is palpable when she encounters an angry priest disgusted with her past. Agron and D’Leo also do well rounding out the family. The Family is an adequate mafia movie alternative for those not too keen on seeing such prominent violence. Plus De Niro referencing Goodfellas provides an interesting meta moment in the film.
Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.
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