La Famille Fang

This film tells the story of two siblings of behavioural artists Caleb and Camille, who have to play along to their parents cruel and traumatic pranks. After they grow up, they continue to deal with issues regarding the past, and even bigger issues in the present.

Wow. I have not expected the story to be so engaging and engrossing. It draws me in because it provokes people to think what is art and what is not art. I feel so sad for the siblings because their childhood years are traumatised repeatedly by the parents. The ending is intense and evokes much feelings in me. I liked "The Family Fang" and I would undoubtedly recommend others to watch it.

Based on the 2011 novel of the same name by Kevin Wilson, 'The Family Fang' by Jason Bateman, is a wonder of a film. No kidding, this is a sublime film, about family & the importance of parenthood. This One's A Near-Perfect Comedy-Drama!

'The Family Fang' Synopsis: A brother and sister return to their family home in search of their world famous parents who have disappeared.

'The Family Fang' is a quietly devastating film, on how important it is to be a good parent, in order to raise their children sane. In here, the unsettled protagonists (Bateman, Nicole Kidman, in Pure Oscar Peak Form), are a victim of unusual parents (Christopher Walken & Maryann Plunkett, both brilliant). They are not your regular parents, they are attention seekers, who find Art in the Reality of Life. They put up gigs (not even one of which shows any signs of entertainment, but of rather fright) & they swear to live by it, in extreme measures. Its a devastating journey to see this family so distort, torn between love, commitment & art.

David Lindsay-Abaire's Adapted Screenplay is superior in all terms. 'The Family Fang' is essentially a comedy, with some dark, dramatic undertones. I was engrossed & heartbroken by the struggle of its scarred protagonist. 'The Family Fang' is about artistry gone too far & how a family is only a family, when you treat it like one. Bateman's Direction is Brilliant. He takes charge of the narrative & doesn't let you go. Take a bow, Mr.Batemen!

The Fangs aren't particularly normal, but nor is their journey. Don't Miss It!

Annie Fang (Nicole Kidman) is struggling in her acting career and pushed into a topless scene. Her brother Baxter (Jason Bateman) is struggling with his award-winning writing and his idiot friends hit him with a potato gun. He convinces her to visit their parents (Christopher Walken, Maryann Plunkett). As young kids, their artistic parents (Jason Butler Harner, Kathryn Hahn) would perform surprise pranks on the public with them. Suddenly, their parents go missing and the siblings go in search for them.

The present-day scenes have some big names but I kept wondering if the movie would function better as a coming-of-age story with the kids and two outrageous parents. It's not that the present-day doesn't work. Kidman is wondrous. It's just that the flashbacks represent better potential. Of course, it would be a more standard movie. Going missing presents some additional interesting possibilities but the best resolution may be them actually being dead.

This is a very good work of fiction, well represented on the screen by Jason Bateman (who starred and directed it) and his stellar cast.

It's the story of a unusual family: you will find the story truly original, not only in its premises or in the sequence of events but also because in the end you'll be left without any moral teaching: everything will seem possible and acceptable.

I found it interesting but, to be sincere, not really catching or entertaining. If you are looking for a Comedy I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. If you think you are going to watch a drama you'll probably find it poorly moving. If you want to see something original, on the contrary, you could be satisfied I guess.

This Be The Verse, by Philip Larkin, opens with the lines: "They f*ck you up, your mum and dad. They may not mean to, but they do." The Family Fang is basically an exploration of that thesis. The parents of two damaged individuals go missing. The siblings come together to try and find them, one believing they have fallen foul of serial killers, the other thinking this is another prank in a long line of stunts their parents are famous for. All the actors do credible turns, but the themes could be explored more deeply. The revelation that the father never wanted children should impact much more heavily than it does. The waning career of Kidman's actor character seems a slight and peripheral concern. Bateman's near death-by-potato is funny, but doesn't resonate to a deeper malaise. The film carries the comedy well, but the darkness is less truthful and engaging. A spotty film, with bright moments, but I wanted more than it delivered.