The Family

The Family: Fluff

2013/Crime/111Mins

Well was it entertaining?

Yeah a little bit but most was just...

Fluff

I've said this before, if your looking down at your phone more then the movie your watching, then the movie isn't doing its job. So whats this film about...

The Manzoni family, a notorious mafia clan, is relocated to Normandy, France under the witness protection program, where fitting in soon becomes challenging as their old habits die hard.

Sure it was fun to watch the "Mafia" De Niro back on the screen. But that's not enough to save a whole movie. I think this film could of been more. It just felt like there wasn't much to do with this film and so some Fluff got thrown in. I like Michelle Pfeiffer and her children played by Dianna Agron and John D'Leo. They were good, acting and side stories where fun. Tommy Lee Jones is Tommy Lee Jones. The story isn't bad, I liked it but it could of been better. Luc Besson directed this and it kinda doesn't show.  Compared to his masterpiece Léon: The Professional and the extremely entertaining The Fifth Element. The Family is missing the fun he brings to his films and I think that's what really killed it for me. I was expecting more from Besson.

So, it's a bit entertaining but mostly boring fluff added in to what could've been a fun film.

And that's it...Oh wait yeah Goodfellas.

This might be spoiler like, so I'm warning you.

Yes Goodfellas pops up in this film. The first part is the outdoor barbecue scene shot and block just like Goodfellas was. I noticed this off the start, I figured okay that's a cool little egg. Was that it? Nope. In fact De Niro brings Tommy Lee Jones to a showing of a movie.

And that movie was?

Yep Goodfellas.  So De Niro in a film is watching a movie De Niro was in.  And then talks about how close movies and real life are on the subject of The Mafia.  Ugh!  This is just a bit odd for me.  Maybe walking past a poster or something, but no, he does watch it, it's in the movie.  So is this needed?

To me again it felt like more Fluff.