Hiding from the Mafia is no easy task. Even those in the Witness Protection Program, like the Blake family in the recently released film The Family, must always be wary of being located. Despite the best efforts of FBI Agent Stansfield (Tommy Lee Jones) and his team, the Blakes just cannot stay hidden. The patriarch, Giovanni Maznoni (Robert De Niro), has started a new career as a writer, but when he should be at home working, he creates a decoy so he can go into town and interact with the locals in their new home near Normandy, France. Matriarch Maggie (Michelle Pfeiffer) does not take criticism well and decides to blow up a small grocery store after an employee makes rude remarks about Americans. Daughter Belle (Dianna Agron) falls in love with a college student/substitute math teacher and son Warren (John D'Leo) starts a mini-Mafia at his school after being brutalized during his first week. I suppose you can take The Family out of the Mafia, but you cannot take the Mafia out of The Family.
Maggie also confesses her sins to a priest, who orders her not to come back to the church, while Giovanni agrees to participate in a discussion about film criticism, which is fine until the subject matter changes from history to the mob. However egregious those errors in judgment are, mobsters looking for the family find them through a rather innocent mistake made by Warren, who is also feeling heat from school officials for his "mob" and decides to leave town, until he realizes that a team of hit men have arrived with orders to kill the entire Blake family. The walls are closing in on the Blakes but they know how to take care of themselves.
As you might expect, The Family is a violent film and a few early scenes take the brutality a bit too far. Thankfully, those scenes are the exception and not the rule. Over time, the violence becomes more amusing than disturbing, especially when viewers know what is coming. For instance, Giovanni hates to be disrespected and he will go to any length to "correct" the behavior of those who cross him. Robert De Niro plays irritation extremely well with his passive aggressive smile that always elicits laughter. Not to be outdone, Tommy Lee Jones' FBI agent also must find an outlet for his irritation, but he uses verbal barbs to express his displeasure, which is usually directed at Giovanni.
Overall, the performances are strong and I particularly enjoyed the chemistry between De Niro and Jones. I was also impressed with John D'Leo, who is a promising young actor and delivers a confident, self assured performance as Warren. Director and co-writer Luc Besson has crafted an entertaining, amusing and intelligent film that also features an eclectic use of music, from the old world sounds of Italy to the contemporary gem "The Greatest" by Cat Power. As much as I enjoyed The Family, it does take a while for the film to hit its stride and the final scenes are a bit far fetched, but those are small complaints in this otherwise solid effort.
Screenwriters: Tonino Benacquista, Luc Besson and Michael Caleo
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