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.
