X
- 2016
- R
- Starz Digital Media
- 1 h 45 m
- 2016
- R
- Starz Digital Media
- 1 h 45 m
Summary Adult siblings Baxter (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Nicole Kidman), scarred from an unconventional upbringing, return to their family home after an unlikely accident. When their parents (Christopher Walken and Maryann Plunkett) — performance artists famous for elaborate public hoaxes — suddenly go missing under troubling circumstances, Baxt...
Directed By: Jason Bateman
Written By: Kevin Wilson, David Lindsay-Abaire
- 2016
- R
- Starz Digital Media
- 1 h 45 m
- 2016
- R
- Starz Digital Media
- 1 h 45 m
The Family Fang
67
6.7
Where to Watch
Summary Adult siblings Baxter (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Nicole Kidman), scarred from an unconventional upbringing, return to their family home after an unlikely accident. When their parents (Christopher Walken and Maryann Plunkett) — performance artists famous for elaborate public hoaxes — suddenly go missing under troubling circumstances, Baxt...
Directed By: Jason Bateman
Written By: Kevin Wilson, David Lindsay-Abaire
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally favorable
Based on 28 Critic Reviews
67
64% Positive
18 Reviews
18 Reviews
36% Mixed
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally favorable
Based on 28 Critic Reviews
67
64% Positive
18 Reviews
18 Reviews
36% Mixed
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
[A] smart, tart adaptation of Kevin Wilson's best-selling 2011 debut novel, which thumbs its nose at the clichés of the over-trafficked dysfunctional family genre to dissect the sometimes lifelong quest of children to understand their parents in ways that are funny and bittersweet, poignant and often bracingly dark.
With The Family Fang, [Bateman] shows confidence with drama and, perhaps more impressively, with weirdness, never letting things get odd just for the sake of it. He wisely doesn’t force the issue. This bunch is plenty weird on its own.
User Score
Generally favorable
Based on 31 User Ratings
6.7
58% Positive
18 Ratings
18 Ratings
35% Mixed
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
6% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
User Score
Generally favorable
Based on 31 User Ratings
6.7
58% Positive
18 Ratings
18 Ratings
35% Mixed
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
6% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
A funny, somewhat macabre comedy-drama-mystery that's fresh in virtually every regard. With an excellent cast, an engaging narrative that continually keeps viewers guessing and a deliciously twisted sense of humor, this underrated indie production pushes a lot of buttons about what we should expect out of art in general (and movies in particular). This offering certainly won't appeal to everyone, but, for those who enjoy cinema that pushes the envelope, this one is definitely for you.
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(Espñaol / English)
English Abstract The Family Fang is a certainly strange and intriguing film and not lacking in complexity and interest that reflects on the relationship between art and reality and the deep traces that the artistic narcissism of a father leaves on his children.
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English Review
During their childhood and adolescence, the Fang brothers participated in "interventions" or performances in public places devised and filmed by their parents. As adults, Annie and Baxter (Nicole Kidman and Jason Bateman), she an actress with an uncertain career and he, a blocked writer, meet them again and must face an unprecedented situation.
The Family Fang is a certainly strange and intriguing film and not lacking in complexity and interest. Two brothers marked by artistic narcissism and the manipulations of their father Caleb (a fearsome and relaxed Christopher Walken), the concessions of a surrendering mother (Maryann Plunkett) and a precocious and unconscious celebrity.
I'm talking about complexity because the ensemble that the director Jason Bateman also makes of the story in the present, flashbacks of the interventions in the past, videos of those interventions and the inclusion of false reports is effective and at times they bring the film closer to mockumentary and reality.
And I speak of interest because the film's explicit and implicit reflections on the relationships between art and reality are understandable, even if they are permeated by Caleb's debatable subjectivity.
Although the development of the story and some decisions or behaviors of the characters may seem forced or implausible, I believe that they must in part be understood based on the deep marks of family history and their artistic creed on the perception of reality and interaction with she.
Finally, it is worth highlighting the performances of the infallible Kidman, Bateman, Plunkett and the great Christopher Walken.
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Abstract Español
The Family Fang es una película ciertamente extraña e intrigante y no carente de complejidad e interés que reflexiona sobre la relación entre arte y realidad y las profundas huellas que deja el narcisismo artístico de un padre sobre sus hijos.
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Reseña Español
Durante su infancia y adolescencia, los hermanos Fang participaban en “intervenciones” o performances en sitios públicos ideadas y filmadas por sus padres. Ya adultos, Annie y Baxter (Nicole Kidman y Jason Bateman), ella una actriz de carrera incierta y él, un escritor bloqueado, se reencuentran con ellos y deben enfrentar una situación inédita e intrigante.
The Family Fang es un a película ciertamente extraña y no carente de complejidad e interés. Dos hermanos marcados por el narcisismo artístico y las manipulaciones de su padre Caleb (un tan temible como distendido Christopher Walken), las concesiones de una madre entregadora (Maryann Plunkett) y una precoz e inconsciente celebridad.
Hablo de complejidad porque el ensamble que hace el también director Jason Bateman de relato en el presente, flashbacks de las intervenciones en el pasado, videos de esas intervenciones e inclusión de falsos reportajes es efectivo y por momentos acercan la película al mockumentary y al reality.
Y hablo de interés porque las reflexiones explícitas e implícitas de la película sobre las relaciones entre arte y realidad son atendibles, aunque estén permeadas por la discutible subjetividad de Caleb.
Si bien el desarrollo de la historia y algunas decisiones o conductas de los personajes pueden parecer forzadas o inverosímiles creo que deben en parte entenderse en función de las profundas marcas de la historia familiar y su credo artístico sobre la percepción de la realidad y la interacción con ella.
Por último, cabe destacar las actuaciones de la infalible Kidman, Bateman, Plunkett y el gran Christopher Walken.
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Striving to make deep statements about life, art and family bonds, it doesn't quite get there, but the effort is enough to leave a mark. Like the Fangs' own strange craft, the movie's own shortcomings speak to its themes.
Films about dysfunctional families are as common as families themselves. But for most of its running time, The Family Fang impressively negotiates around the familiar trappings, finding a relatively new way to discuss familiar themes.
It may not be as poignant a story as its characters give way to, nor reach the cathartic resolutions it builds towards, but The Family Fang is still a refreshingly creative approach to the family drama.
The reason I’m rating this movie higher than I would otherwise, is Christopher Walken. His commitment to making Caleb as thoroughly unlikable as humanly possible yields a character who’s kind of terrifyingly off-putting even when his words and actions are ineffectual. A piece of acting alchemy of which only few are capable. I can’t imagine how powerful it might have been in a better movie.
Saturation point when it comes to quirkily dysfunctional families in over-soundtracked dramedies was reached long ago.
For me, The Family Fang is an honest surprise, I'll admit that the genre of dysfunctional families is too tired but this film is a powerful portrait of a family tortured by the ''art'' aspirations of the family patriarch and how his legacy inevitably affect their children.
The Family Fang is Jason Bateman second film as as filmmaker and he really shows a real strength in his work and vision by creating a not too deep but intelligently structured movie, which is based on an novel with the same title that tells the story of two brothers, Bateman and Nicole Kidman, two adults who struggle in their daily lives for the way they were raised by their parents.
Annie (Nicole Kidman) and Baxter (Jason Bateman) are somewhat estranged from their parents, this due to the ''pain'' they caused them as they were growing up. His parents are a famous artists of New York. They are Caleb (Christopher Walken) and Camille Fang (Maryann Plunkett), who made several performances using their children to create them and execute them.
It is true that it wasn't the best method of raising two kids, after all their parents were really negligent in using their children to cement their reputation in art and especially to involve them in their actions knowing well that they did not understand it completely. Currently Annie is an actress with some notoriety yet she remains insecure about her career while her brother has been unable to finish his new novel. After a small accident, Baxter ends up in the hospital which involves an unwanted and unplanned family reunion.
This is where the film takes an unusual tack in these dramas and engages in darker areas, because after some discussion between them - where we can observe and know them a little more especially Caleb who isn't really nice to his children - the parents of Annie and Baxter disappear, the circumstances are disturbing but Annie is convinced that this is a manipulative deceit, but Baxter has doubts and therefore both begin to investigate the new mystery of their parents, something that will take them on the road of what might have been of them and who they really are.
Bateman builds a nice and entertaining movie, really soon you're hooked and you really will want to know the outcome of the story. His producction team does a good job especially in the editing which manage to keep a good pace. The score is also quite nice and works well with the images on the screen.
The work of the performers is good, especially Nicole Kidman who does a pretty good job without doing an extra effort. She plays a woman who is resentful towards her parents and protective towards her brother, she is actually the only one who goes through the more emotional backlash but the actress is really good at it. Bateman is also ok but he does not try anything different from what we know. Christopher Walken does the same, he spends little time on screen but he leaves his mark.
Funny, comic and dark in equal parts, The Family Fang is a pleasant surprise and a really interesting film.
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The puzzle behind the disappearance of the pranksters.
I still remember the Jason Bateman's feature film debute as a director a couple of years ago. He really did good and now this is his second. It was adapted from the book of the same name that tells the story of a brother and sister who begin to investigate their mysteriously disappeared parents. With some flashbacks, which reveals how these two grew up with their famous prank artist parents.
When I saw the opening scene, I was really excited and thought the film would be like this throughout. And then obviously it changed its course towards the mystery surrounding parts that set in the present time. But I did not feel those developments were bad, except the final act, especially the ending surely a let down. Actually, it was not bad, only expected a better one.
The story certainly created the atmosphere where the viewers begin their predictions. That's the issue, because it failed to deliver par with the audience anticipation. Like maybe some smart twist or the edgy scenes before concluding would have done good.
Jason Bateman and Nicole Kidman with their multiple roles like actors, producers et cetera should have been the hefty load, but I think they managed well. Though the film was okay type, had its moments that did not last very long. I don't know what the novel fans say about the film, but I think I dissatisfied with the source material. Overall once watchable film, especially without any extraordinary expectations, because it is a simple drama with some amount of comedy and suspense.
6/10
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With an all star cast, what could go wrong? Guess the story line just didn't give these actors room to shine. We have two parents and two kids; did the parents mess up these kids so they are now having problems as adults? In flashback, we see how they were raised. Sounds like many movies I've seen recently. We have a twist at the end but it wasn't enough for me to rate this movie any higher.
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A film that will peak your interest at times with its thoughts on how far you will go for good art. In the end though you'll start to scratch your head as it gets a little ridiculous. C+
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Awards
World Soundtrack Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Golden Trailer Awards
• 1 Nomination
