La famiglia Fang

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.

the basic virtue - it is an ambitious, interesting and original film by Jason Bateman.and, for him, it is a real good point. in same measure, it is an inspired analysis of parenthood. not the last, the good performances( especially the reasonable younger Caleb of Jason Butler Harner).

the sin - fragile balance for define the art as pretext for control of life of family.the roles are straitjackets. the thin line between comedy and drama.the sketches of immaturity, credible but not convincing.

short, a good film. especially for reflect. about family, its foundation , its values and the parenthood as significant part defining it.

Abstract

The Family Fang is a certainly strange and intriguing film and not lacking in complexity and interest that reflects on the relationship between art and reality and the deep traces that the artistic narcissism of a father leaves on his children.

Review

During their childhood and adolescence, the Fang brothers participated in "interventions" or performances in public places devised and filmed by their parents. As adults, Annie and Baxter (Nicole Kidman and Jason Bateman), she an actress with an uncertain career and he, a blocked writer, meet them again and must face an unprecedented situation.

The Family Fang is a certainly strange and intriguing film and not lacking in complexity and interest. Two brothers marked by artistic narcissism and the manipulations of their father Caleb (a fearsome and relaxed Christopher Walken), the concessions of a surrendering mother (Maryann Plunkett) and a precocious and unconscious celebrity.

I'm talking about complexity because the ensemble that the director Jason Bateman also makes of the story in the present, flashbacks of the interventions in the past, videos of those interventions and the inclusion of false reports is effective and at times they bring the film closer to mockumentary and reality.

And I speak of interest because the film's explicit and implicit reflections on the relationships between art and reality are understandable, even if they are permeated by Caleb's debatable subjectivity.

Although the development of the story and some decisions or behaviors of the characters may seem forced or implausible, I believe that they must in part be understood based on the deep marks of family history and their artistic creed on the perception of reality and interaction with she.

Finally, it is worth highlighting the performances of the infallible Kidman, Bateman, Plunkett and the great Christopher Walken.

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.

'THE FAMILY FANG': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

A dark comedy-drama flick, about the two adult children of a very controversial 'conceptual performance art' couple. The siblings blame their mother and father for all of their current problems in life; and when their parents go missing, the sister is sure it's just another disturbing art project. The film was directed by Jason Bateman, who also co-stars in it, and it was written by David Lindsay-Abaire. It's based on the 2011 novel, of the same name, by Kevin Wilson. The movie also co-stars Nicole Kidman (who co-produced the flick too), Christopher Walken, Maryann Plunkett, Kathryn Hahn (who also costarred in 'BAD WORDS'; which Bateman also directed and starred in) and Jason Butler Harner. I enjoyed the film immensely.

Baxter and Annie Fang (Bateman and Kidman) had a very bizarre, and highly unconventional, upbringing. Their parents are world famous 'conceptual performance artists', named Caleb and Camille Fang (Walken and Plunkett), and they incorporated Baxter and Annie into most of their projects (when they were young). The siblings have had a lot of issues, as adults, because of it. When their mother and father go missing, and are presumed dead by authorities, Annie becomes obsessed with proving it's another art trick.

I really like the story for this movie; it poses a lot of great questions about what makes great art. I'm a big fan of performance art (I experience with it a lot on social media), so this film is very interesting to me. I agree with Christopher Walken's character, on his opinions about art, but I think he took it too far, by involving his kids (I can see how that could do a lot of psychological damage to them). The movie is also a great character study, and the performances are all excellent too. Bateman also proves, once again, what a talented director he is, as well (I'm also a big fan of 'BAD WORDS'). It's definitely a film worth seeing!

Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHm0V1TOCkg