Trailer Trashin’: Besson, Scorsese, and De Niro Unite for The Family
It’s finally here, dear readers. This Friday, Man of Steel, one of my most anticipated films of summer 2013, will finally be released, and we’ll all get to find out if the long-awaited Superman reboot lives up to our expectations. And after what might be the most difficult week I’ve had recently, I’m definitely in the mood for a hero who’s an uplifting, inspirational figure of good. In the meantime, this week’s Trailer Trashin’ takes a look at one of the quirkier films of the upcoming fall schedule, director Luc Besson’s action/comedy The Family.
Premise: After he snitches on the mob, crime boss Giovanni “Fred” Manzoni (Robert De Niro) and his family are relocated to a sleepy town in France under the witness protection program. Despite the best efforts of a CIA Agent (Tommy Lee Jones) to keep them in line, Fred, his wife Maggie (Michelle Pfeiffer), and their children Belle (Dianna Agron) and Warren (John D’Leo) can’t help but revert to old habits and blow their cover by handling their problems the “family” way, enabling their former mafia cronies to track them down. In this darkly funny story, chaos ensues as old scores are settled in the unlikeliest of settings.
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My Take: A couple times in my history of doing this column, I’ve written about movies that I didn’t even know existed before I saw the trailer. Such is the case with the upcoming action/comedy The Family. The film is directed by acclaimed French filmmaker Luc Besson, the man who brought us such films as La Femme Nikita (1990), Léon: The Professional (1994), and The Fifth Element (1997), among many others, and based on the novel Malavita by Tonino Benacquista, which was released under the English title Badfellas in 2010. This is the first trailer for the movie, and while I don’t know if I want to see it at the theater, it’s definitely got me interested.
I have to say, the film has a pretty impressive cast. While he has certainly been in more than his share of bad movies, Robert De Niro is one hell of an actor, and when he’s matched with the right material, he can be amazing. And I have to say that it’s nice to see him playing a gangster again. Similarly, it’s always nice to see Michelle Pfeiffer in a movie, and the part of Maggie looks like something she can have a lot of fun with.
Tommy Lee Jones plays the put-upon CIA agent in charge of handling the family’s time in witness protection. Much like his role as Colonel Phillips in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), I imagine this role will allow Jones to play both the tough guy and comedic sides of his persona, and I always enjoy seeing that. Dianna Agron, best known for her role on the TV series Glee, and John D’Leo, who had small roles in The Wrestler (2008), Cop Out (2010), and Wanderlust (2012), play the children Belle and Warren, respectively, and I think it looks like they’ll do a good job.
I’m sure some people will say I should have my film geek card taken away for this, but I’m really not familiar with the work of Luc Besson. I have not seen La Femme Nikita, Léon, The Fifth Element, or any of his other films. This isn’t because I have anything against him or his work, it’s just yet another case of “I’ll get around to seeing this at some point,” which happens a lot with me. However, looking at his filmography as a director, I think this is the first real comedy he’s made since Subway (1985), which was the second feature film he made. However, it seems like he’s done some good work here, and I’m glad that he’s apparently put whatever plans he had to retire on hold for now.
Robert De Niro in “The Family.” © 2013 – Relativity Media.
Based on this trailer, this looks like it could be really funny. Just the basic concept is ripe with comic potential, because it takes the venerable premise of people being put in an unfamiliar environment and the resulting culture clash, and adds the wrinkle of the new arrivals being a mob family in hiding. And the violence appears to be played in a broad enough way that it remains funny. In some ways, I think the story might play out similar to Hot Fuzz (2007), with a lot of build-up and the final act being where all the violence erupts, and that is definitely a good thing in my book.
As I said, I had no idea this movie even existed before seeing the trailer, but now I am definitely interested. It’s got a great premise, some great lead actors, and good behind-the-camera talent. I think this might be the point where I finally get onboard with Luc Besson as a filmmaker. When late September rolls around, there’s a good chance that I’ll be checking out The Family for myself.
ANTICIPATION: I think I might accept an invitation from this family.
Release Date: September 20th, 2013
Starring: Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Tommy Lee Jones, Dianna Agron, John D’Leo, Domenick Lombardozzi, Ricardo Cerdero, and Jon Freda
Director: Luc Besson
Writers: Tonino Benacquista, Luc Besson, and Michael Caleo, based on Malavita by Tonino Benacquista
P.S. I try not to get into things related to my personal life in this column, but I have some sad news to share with you, my readers. Over the weekend, I took my dog, she has been sick for a while now, to a veterinary hospital. While nothing is certain at this point, it’s not looking good, and she might be on her way out soon. When I got her from the rescue a few years ago, I knew she was an older dog, but I’m still faced with most likely having to say goodbye to her a lot sooner than I thought I would. If you could all just keep a very loved little dog in your thoughts, I would greatly appreciate it.
Timothy Monforton
