The Family - C+

Rated R, 111 minutes

Uneven, dark "The Family" a very familiar, occasionally fun crime tale

Michelle Pfeiffer

A little of this, a little of that and you end up with the unoriginal new crime comedy "The Family." Very dark, very violent and very uneven, it's admittedly fun in places though far from great. A mafia boss (Robert DeNiro) 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 Agent Stansfield (Tommy Lee Jones) to keep them in line, Fred Manzoni (DeNiro), 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. Directed and co-written by acclaimed director Luc Besson ("The Professional," "Nikita") and handsomely filmed largely on location in France, "The Family" is a familiar crime mish-mash, though its miscasting and wild last act throw the film off course. DeNiro's in lovable crime boss mode again, one in which he can play in his sleep and nearly does in a sheepish turn. He and Pfeiffer, along with the usually gruff Jones, are all good but miscast; by now they're simply too old for something like this and should be playing grandparents or retirees instead of parents here. The plotting and characters are too much like their other films, particularly DeNiro's: take a little of "Analyze This" and "Married to the Mob" and throw in a little "Meet the Parents" a dash of "U.S. Marshals," a pinch of "Ronin" and a sprinkle of "Grumpy Old Men" and you and you have "The Family." Admittedly, it is nice seeing Oscar-winner (and fellow nominees this year) DeNiro and Jones together, and their grouchy old men scenes together are the most fun, in particular an inspired scene where a film club shows none other than "GoodFellas" at their meeting. "Glee's" Agron and newcomer D'Leo, as their equally psychotic, smart children, are much more believable and amusing than their parents (Agron makes very good use of a tennis racket here). What starts out as a mildly fun, somewhat dark fish-out-of-water story turns into a violent, lazy crime spree spilling more blood and bodies than you can count. The messy, craggy "The Family" is peppered with some dark fun, but you can do better.

Wes's Grade: C+