The Family (2013)

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.

Director:

Luc Besson

Writers:

Luc Besson (screenplay), Michael Caleo (screenplay)

Stars:

Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Dianna Agron

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert De Niro	...	Fred Blake / Giovanni Manzoni
Michelle Pfeiffer	...	Maggie Blake
Dianna Agron	...	Belle Blake
John D'Leo	...	Warren Blake
Tommy Lee Jones	...	Robert Stansfield
Jimmy Palumbo	...	Di Cicco
Domenick Lombardozzi	...	Caputo
Stan Carp	...	Don Luchese
Vincent Pastore	...	Fat Willy
Jon Freda	...	Rocco
Michael J. Panichelli Jr.	...	Billy the Bug
Paul Borghese	...	Albert
Anthony Desio	...	Bernie
Ted Arcidi	...	Tommy
David Belle	...	Mezzo

Storyline

A mafia boss and his family are relocated to a sleepy town in France under the witness protection program after snitching on the mob. Despite the best efforts of FBI Agent Stansfield (Tommy Lee Jones) to keep them in line, Fred Manzoni (Robert De Niro), 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. Chaos ensues as old scores are settled in the unlikeliest of settings.

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Plot Keywords:

mafia | france | family dog | barbeque grill | girl beating up a boy | 

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Taglines:

John D'Leo is the young gun

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language and brief sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Albeit as an executive producer, this is the first time Martin Scorsese has worked with Robert De Niro on a feature film since Shark Tale (2004).

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Goofs

Maggie blows up (part of) the grocery store. The fire truck's siren sounds like one from New York. French fire engines have a different siren.

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Quotes

Priest: Your confession has haunted me all week. How can you live such a hellish existence?
Maggie Blake: Isn't that the point of confession?
Priest: Your family is the incarnation of evil, and your life is a never-ending pact with the devil! Leave this holy place, for the love of God!

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Crazy Credits

At the beginning, the words "father", "mother", "son" and "daughter" are shown and intersected. Some of the letters vanish, and the remaining ones spell the film's title.

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Connections

References Fantômas: In the Shadow of the Guillotine (1913)

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Soundtracks

Nurture
Written by Chris Allen
Ed. KPM Music - K Musik

User Reviews

Black Humor to the Best

In New York, the mobster Giovanni Manzoni (Robert De Niro) makes a deal with FBI agent Robert Stansfield (Tommy Lee Jones) and snitches his mafia family. In return, Giovanni is included in the witness protection program and receives a new identity, Fred Blake. Giovanni, together with his wife Maggie (Michelle Pfeiffer) and their teenager children Belle (Dianna Agron) and Warren (John D'Leo), are relocated to the small town Cholong-sur-Avres, in Normandy, under the protection of Stansfield and two other agents. Meanwhile the mafia offers a 20 million-dollar reward to the killer that executes Giovanni and his family. Soon the Blake family uses the mafia methods to improve their lives in the town. But when the mafia accidentally discovers the whereabouts of the Manzoni family, Cholong becomes a no man's land.

"The Family" is a funny black humor comedy by Luc Besson about a family that travels to France under the witness protection program. The story has memorable moments, and my favorite is the reaction of Maggie when she goes to the small supermarket and feels offended. The conclusion uses many clichés and is weak, but watching this movie is worthwhile. It was a great entertainment for a Saturday afternoon without beach in Rio. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Família" ("The Family")

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Tumblr

Country:

France UK USA

Language:

English French Italian

Release Date:

13 September 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Family

Filming Locations:

Studios de Paris, La Cité du Cinéma, Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,034,764, 15 September 2013

Gross USA:

$36,918,811

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$78,418,811

Company Credits

Production Co:

EuropaCorp, Relativity Media, TF1 Films Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Datasat Dolby Digital SDDS Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1