Una familia peligrosa

Wow, I just left the movie theater and I am shocked about the amount of bad reviews this movie had. I am a kind of huge fan of Tommy Lee Jones and Robert De Niro so perhaps my opinion about this movie is a bit influenced by that. Despite that, I must confess I truly enjoyed this movie. It was funny and it was very interesting to see how the family get used to an all new identity every time they had to move in. The plot is basically about a family, the Mazonis, that was relocated to Normandy under the witness protection program. So they had basically to try fitting in soon to avoid being caught by the mafia members who were trying to kill them. Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro were really great playing their characters and despite not being an excellent movie, "The Family" is enjoyable and is another great addition to Luc Besson's career.

When I received the premier passes to see "The Family", I was really expecting with such great actors/actresses, that this movie would be good; but more-so expecting it to fall flat like so many before it. I was greatly surprised.

The Movie is based on the French author Tonino Benacquista's novel Malavita, which is know as Badfellas in America. And "BadFellas" is an interesting way to view this film. It does have all the wonderful elements of the great Mobster movies, but with a touch more humor. The family dynamic is a refreshing one that invokes what a modern mob family would probably be going through. You found yourself "going" for the family as a whole and not singling out one for their idiocy.

The movie starts off fast to quickly usher you thorough the character introductions and development, which is a good thing, because it allows you to experience their personality and growth throughout the film. You watch the stupid mistakes of a teenage girl, a boy who's intuitive yet still flawed. A mother who's trying to do the best she can to hold her family together, and a remorseful (somewhat) father.

If you are wanting Goodfellas or Casino, this isn't it. What this IS is DEFINITELY what "Analyze This" could have been if it was a better movie. There is plenty of action, and the previews don't give away the best of the movie. It is definitely a must see and Smush Approved.

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"Like Al Capone said, asking polite with a gun in your hand is better than asking polite with nothing." Giovanni

Family values in The Family are not your father's values unless, like me, your grandfather ran a numbers business in the basement of his barbershop. All of Kodak Park enjoyed that true color.

The Giovanni Manzoni/Fred Blake (Robert De Niro) family has a paterfamilias who is a notorious Mafia don in the FBI witness protection plan. (De Niro as a mobster is the fall's most unimaginative casting but he's funny.) His values are ratting on his fellow Mafiosi to save his legal hide, forcing him to hide with a $20 million reward dogging him. The family's love for each other is unconditional and treats challenges with a baseball bat rather than diplomacy. If a Frenchman disrespects Americans, he might find his supermarket in flames.

If this sounds like a story to turn the nuns' heads completely around, don't worry; it's ultra "black comedy," equal parts Italian-American gangster satire and laughable domestic shenanigans. That midway in the film Fred gets to speak on the merits of GoodFellas before a French crowd in Normandy is one of the nice meta-critical-comedic turns followed by carnage we've come to expect from Mob films. It's pretty much territory owned by Scorsese and De Niro. Additionally, the use of the "f" word has never been so deftly played in a comedy.

Besides the joy of seeing De Niro have a good time with the many tough characters he has played in his career, you get to see Tommy Lee Jones play a gruff FBI agent, Robert Stansfield, who can trade barbs with his charge, Fred, who has such a propensity for violence (he beats up the only plumber within 20 miles of town) that Fred is a full time job for Robert. If Jones's face can't scare Fred into being a good boy, then the threat of losing witness protection does the trick.

Directed with wicked tongue in cheek by La Femme Nikita's stylish Luc Besson, The Family sports an accomplished supporting cast: Michelle Pfeiffer as mom Maggie is gritty Brooklyn with her famous beauty well preserved. The two kids played by Diana Argon and John D'Leo are spot on sweetly dangerous as you might expect.

It's all in GoodFellas fun, a mildly amusing and unusual story that beats many mainstream comedies this year.

I just watched "The Family" and I for one have had a very good time. This movie is gleefully dark, wickedly funny and offers great acting from all the stars involved, (who really seem to relish their parts). I was shocked when I checked IMDb and found so many comments and reviews from disappointed film fans. How can anyone complain about the violence in this dark comedy and at the same time love films like "Fargo" (or practically anything by the Coen Brothers, for that matter)? I came to the conclusion that the main reason behind all the negative reviews is that people expected something more akin to "Léon", "Goodfellas" or "The Godfather" (where the violence isn't played for laughs), when in fact this is something completely different: This is a black comedy about a group of predators who have to hide among - unbearably arrogant - sheep. You can imagine how well that will turn out (for the sheep). Anyway, I admit that with other actors involved, this would probably just have been an average mob comedy, but with the kind of talent you get here, it's hard not to have a blast. My rating: 7 out of 10.

Favorite films: http://www.IMDb.com/list/mkjOKvqlSBs/

Lesser-known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls075552387/

I vaguely remember when this movie was in the cinemas. I didn't go see it and I didn't even see a trailer, but I remember seeing the poster on the wall at the theater. Once it was up on Netflix, I wanted to see it.

I was expecting some kind of weird mixture between crime drama and a "unusual family" comedy like the Addams Family and We're The Millers. Not the best examples but they are the first ones I can think of. The Family wasn't exactly close to my expectation. The Family is way more refreshing the way it is. Still, it's hard to say what is the main type of this film. It's partially a comedy, it's hilarious and clever and all that. But then again it seems like a deep drama, because it's about a family who is trying to adjust to the new situation, and everyone is facing their own challenges. But of course it's also a crime thriller.

While it's hard to say which one of these mostly defines the movie, the thing is, the elements of all those types are used so wonderfully, that as the story goes on, it doesn't matter. The story and the characters are intriguing and it's exciting to see what is going to happen. That shows what an excellent writer Tonino Benacquista is. While I don't know the differences between his book and the screenplay by Besson and Caleo, but I'm guessing his Benacquista's writing involved a lot of the stuff I loved about this movie.

The Family is intriguing, thrilling and fun. It has excellent casting and excellent writing. While this movie doesn't really stand out, it's not astounding in anyway, it's still a good film and definitely worth seeing.