La Famille Fang

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.

After 'Bad Words', Bateman the director appears to be heading in the right direction and takes on a more ambitious, layered project. This film deals not only with a dysfunctional family, a concept that has fascinated American cinema ever since American Beauty, but also with the relation between art and life. Thematically, the family ensemble has been portrayed more incisively in the recent past (The Squid and the Whale, to name just one example with a similar character ratio), but the manner in which relationships are blurred and redefined here gives Fang a captivating spin.

We are presented with two seemingly wayward, middle-aged siblings who, it turns out, grew up in a tradition of 'intempestive art'. Alongside their eccentric parents, they enacted hoaxes of different scales in front of onlookers who were not in on the game - all with the aim of eliciting life out of the an otherwise mundane, controlled existence. As an accident reunites the family, which had drifted apart in the mean time, tensions persist, culminating when the parents disappear and the obvious question is asked: is this just another hoax?

The story works primarily because Kidman (Annie) and Bateman (Baxter), child A and child B, as their parents called them, convey an understanding that does not require explanations. It's the kind of sibling relationship that draws from so many shared experiences, joys and traumas that it defines a common frame of existence which time has difficulty in erasing. Similarly, we as an audience draw the faith required to suspend our disbelief from the energy the two control when on screen together. The questions pertaining to the philosophy of art, its authenticity and veracity, are interesting to ponder, but they only provide the backdrop to what Annie and Baxter have going on. The point of convergence between the two themes is that of control - its purpose in art, its purpose in relationship building.

This is fascinating, as control is so inherent to anything that happens in the early years within a family: the setting of constraints to the socially unrestrained spirit of childhood. It does not have to be coercive, but it is a matter of natural imprinting that occurs along the way, whether overtly or not. As adults, the struggle becomes to establish what we can (and should) control and what we need to let run freely. The mantra their father had instilled in Annie and Baxter emphasized the idea that by staying centered, one can let the surrounding chaos sweep over and past you. A lot of the time it's easier said than done. We also see that different people need different things in order to express themselves - a given, sure, but finely synthesized in Annie's qualms as an actor and Baxter's writer's block.

Where the story does fall a bit short is in the resolution. In a way, it's predictable and boring, but it's also inevitable. Inevitability is usually a good thing to have in an ending, especially in one dealing with the nature of art. Still, a stronger build up and a more resolute finale would have turned Family Fang into a really memorable piece of work. As it stands, it overemphasizes the idea that unrestrained (performance) art comes at a hidden cost both to those involved and to those affected by it. That it becomes hard to keep art and life contained. And, surely, that the price for this is too high.

Nonetheless, my newly found penchant for movies about siblings really let me enjoy this story. Perhaps just a bit more than I should have, but that's thanks to how authentic Annie and Baxter feel and the depth they lend to the experience.

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.

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.

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!