Welcome to the Family

The Family stars Robert De Niro as mafia boss Fred Manzoni, whose family is relocated to a sleepy town in France under the witness protection program after snitching on the mob. However, assimilation is never easy for the Manzoni family. Despite the best efforts of CIA Agent Stansfield (Tommy Lee Jones) to keep them in line, Fred and his family revert to their old habits and attract trouble along the way.

De Niro breaks no new ground in this role, but he plays what he does well, which is a mafia type role. This is a relief considering that he has been doing a lot of subpar projects in recent years. The Family even has some meta-humor thrown in with several references from past mob movies like Goodfellas, which also starred De Niro. This makes the movie even more enjoyable.

The Family is darkly comic, but most of the action and gun play does not come until the end of the movie. Director Luc Besson does not break any new ground with the film, but it is better than some of his latest. The other members of the family, which include Michelle Pfeiffer, Dianna Agron, and D’Leo share some good chemistry with De Niro ,and it shows on the big screen. They all make for a very convincing family. In addition, Tommy Lee Jones brings some much-needed deadpan humor to the movie. The only factor this film lacks is a menacing villain. A truly frightening villain could have brought this film to a new level and increased the stakes for the Manzoni family. Nevertheless, the film still succeeds, and it is enjoyable for a September release. While this is not one of Besson’s best films, the strong performances and dark comedy help the film rise above your average mob movie.

The Family - 3.5/5