Family

While this is not a great movie, it was funny enough. If you're only going for Kate McKinnon, her role is small but choice. But the main cast was also solid. Well worth watching.

But take a closer look at the user reviews. Funny thing -- all of the 1 star reviews were posted on the same day. It looks to me like a bunch of haters got together and vomited their bile on this movie.

Some laughs here, as well as some rough spots, in this quirky and predictable comedy starring Taylor Schilling. She is excellent in her portrayal of Kate, a completely self-absorbed workaholic, employed as a Senior V.P. for a New Jersey hedge fund.

Kate is asked by her brother to watch over her 11-year-old niece Maddie (Bryn Vale) for one night while they place his mother-in-law in hospice care. Of course, I don't have to tell you things will not go according to plan and they'll be plenty of misadventures and lessons to be learned along the way.

In addition to Vale's fine performance, Kate McKinnon and Brian Tyree Henry add well to the mix here in supporting roles. All in all, I did get some laughs at times, and I would say this movie was a decent feature debut for writer and director Laura Steinel.

So, maybe it's a me. I'm a midwestern girl who's been to a Tech 9 concert (joined by E40!! Whoop whoop!) and danced & moshed with Juggalos, so I felt connected to this film. I thought Taylor was funny. Her droll delivery and deadpan quips were delightful! Not always LOL, but funny still. This movie is rated R, so the humor was edgy, and often crass. The kid was the nougat to Taylor's nutty, rigid character... a character that needed some softness and sweetness added to her life. I was moved, and even though the ending was predictable, it wasn't cheesy. I love the message that we all have stuff others think is weird. We are who we are, even if parents and others don't get us. Austin, Texas knows best... just embrace the weird, and you'll get along fine.

The basic set up will remind you of Uncle Buck, but thankfully the film has more going for it than just that. The acting all around is great. Taylor Schilling does a really good job playing this type of character and was fun seeing other familiar faces pop up in bit roles here and there as well such as Brian Tyree Henry (playing a martial arts instructor which is a interesting turn for him), Kate McKinnon, Allison Tolman, and Natasha Lyonne. The juggalos were mostly portrayed fairly accurately and it was fun seeing the Insane Clown Posse themselves show up towards the end though I wish their scene had been longer or that they played a slightly bigger role I guess (but also understand the main story wasn't really about them). All in all don't overlook this one. Sure the title Family is a little generic for a film but that's really my only negative. The comedy lands really well and is actually fresh and hilarious rather than material that felt recycled. Dialogue especially was a standout.

In a typical Hollywood film, the protagonist has to be likeable. If she's a career woman, more often than not she's also obsessed with finding a man. "Family" throws those and other familiar tropes out of window. Another is the too-cute-for-own-good sidekick or child, who shows the protagonist how to be a better person. Kate (Taylor Schilling) is a mean and self-absorbed executive when she is forced to take care of her awkward neice Maddie (Bryn Vale), who'd rather be doing roundhouse karate kicks than pirouettes in ballet class. Sure, the two learn from each other, but not necessarily in ways that typical movie audiences would expect. Depending on your sensibility, this could be either refreshing or infuriating, but never boring. The cast of mostly fresh faces keep things moving along. For those looking for a comedy with more of an edge than the typical film showing at the multplex, "Family" is definitely worth a look.