“The only real question we should ask ourselves during our existence is how much is a man’s life worth? Knowing what you’re worth i like knowing what day you’re going to die. Me? I’m worth $20 million, and I’d hand over every last dollar to get my old life back.”

Giovanni Manzoni (Robert De Niro) is a former Brooklyn mob boss who has a knack for causing problems that force his family to have to constantly relocate their witness protection home. FBI handler Robert Stansfield (Tommy Lee Jones) tries to get Manzoni to keep a low profile, but he has trouble giving up his old way of life—when people don’t give him the respect he thinks he deserves, things get physical. This attitude seems to run in the family. Shortly after the family settles into their new home in Normandy, Manzoni’s wife Maggie (Michelle Pfeiffer) burns down a local grocery when the owner makes fun of Americans and their love of peanut butter. And their teenagers Belle (Dianna Agron) and Warren (John D’Leo) lose no time scoping out the weaknesses of their new classmates, and start working the system. Meanwhile, jailed mob boss Don Luchese (Stan Carp) sends his army of hit men to find Manzoni and his family.

The Family is a fish-out-of water story, following the comedy/drama of this Brooklyn mob family struggling to fit into this small countryside town while hiding out from an angry mob boss. The film was written and directed by Luc Besson, and like his other films, I found this to have a unique and beautiful look and feel. I absolutely loved the setting and premise of the film—this tough New York mobster living in the quaint French countryside. The cast is also amazing! This movie should have been amazing, but alas it was not.

The main issue I had with The Family was that it didn’t seem to know what kind of film it wanted to be tonally. It jumps around between drama, comedy and action/thriller. When I first started watching, it seemed like it was going to be more of a comedy like My Blue Heaven or The Whole Nine Yards. However, the humor, while funny, was a bit inconsistent and the film started to take on more of a dramatic tone—and I started to lose interest. The final act—which I thoroughly enjoyed—plays out like an action/thriller. I wish Besson had picked one tone and stuck with it. I am normally a huge fan of his work, and I really wanted to love this film, but I think if he had cut out some of the slower dramatic parts in the middle of the film, it would have worked much better.

I found the picture and sound quality of this Blu-ray release to be great—the Normandy countryside was beautiful. However, the bonus features were a bit slim—a nice 10-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, a 1 minute montage of the F-word and some trailers.

While I really enjoyed the look and feel of the film, the comedy at the beginning, and especially the action/thriller final act, the film overall is a bit of a mess. With an amazing cast and Luc Besson writing/directing, I had higher hopes. I recommend a rental before a blind buy.

What’s Included:

Film (1:51:33):

Blu-ray:
• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD-MA
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

DVD:

• Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English DD 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Digital Copy: (Redemption Deadline 12/17/2015)

• iTunes Digital Copy (Requires Disc)
• UltraViolet DigitalHD Copy redeemable via Vudu or Target Ticket

Extras (Blu-ray only):

• Making The Family (10:17)
  This featurette takes a look behind-the-scenes on set of the film during the filming. The cast and crew talk about the story, the location, and working with one another. Features interviews with writer/director Luc Besson, producer Virginie Besson-Silla, author Tonino Benacquista, costume designer Olivier Bériot, production designer Hugues Tissandier, armorer Christophe Maratier, and stars Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones, Michelle Pfeiffer, Diana Agron, and John D’Leo.
• The Many Meanings of FU*%! (1:18)
  A montage of the various ways the film’s characters use the F word to express themselves.
• Theatrical Trailer (2:26)
• Sneak Peek (7:05)
  Play All or select from trailers for “Runner Runner”, “The Counselor”, Graceland Season 1, and The Americans Season 1.

Final Thoughts:

I loved the look and feel of the film, and thought it had some great comedic moments and a stellar action/thriller final act. However, the film overall is a bit of a mess tonally and hits a slow patch in the middle. With such an amazing cast and Luc Besson writing/directing, I had higher hopes for the film. The disc looks and sounds great, but the bonus features are extremely slim. I recommend a rental before a blind buy for those who aren’t already fans of the film.