Movie spotlight
The Family
Anne Hamilton-Byrne was beautiful, charismatic and delusional. She was also incredibly dangerous. Convinced she was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ, Hamilton-Byrne headed an apocalyptic sect called The Family, which was prominent in Melbourne from the 1960s through to the 1990s. With her husband Bill, she acquired numerous children – some through adoption scams, some born to cult members – and raised them as her own. Isolated from the outside world, the children were dressed in matching outfits, had identical dyed blonde hair, and were allegedly beaten, starved and injected with LSD. Taught that Hamilton-Byrne was both their mother and the messiah, the children were eventually rescued during a police raid in 1987, but their trauma had only just begun.
Insights
Plot Summary
A former mafia hitman, his wife, and their two children are relocated to a Normandy village in France under the witness protection program. While trying to adjust to their new lives and suppress their violent tendencies, old habits die hard, and their mob instincts soon resurface, causing chaos.
Critical Reception
The Family received generally mixed reviews from critics and audiences. While some praised the performances of the lead actors and the dark humor, others found the film's plot predictable and its tone inconsistent. The movie struggled to balance its violent elements with its comedic aspirations, leading to a divisive reception.
What Reviewers Say
The film boasts strong performances, particularly from De Niro and Pfeiffer, who embrace their eccentric characters.
The dark comedic tone is hit-or-miss, with some finding it amusingly absurd and others finding it jarring.
The plot is often predictable, relying on familiar gangster tropes without much innovation.
Google audience: Google users found the film to be a somewhat entertaining, albeit flawed, crime comedy. Many appreciated the star power of Robert De Niro and the quirky premise. However, a significant portion of viewers felt the movie was overly violent at times and that its humor didn't always land, leading to a mixed but generally positive audience score.
Fun Fact
The film is based on the novel 'Malavita' by Tonino Benacquista, which was originally written in French.
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