The Family Fang (2016)

Jason Bateman is a bit of a puzzle to me. He's actually one of the best comedic actors in Hollywood, not so much for creating his own humour, but for playing off others perfectly. He doesn't always nail it, and requires the right script and fellow actors to make it work, but when it does come of it's a special thing to watch and makes for a great movie. It appears though that he's not happy with simply being "that guy". A lot of comedic actors go through phases where they venture out into other types of films, usually dramas. Some have more success than others, but ultimately regardless of their success they usually end up coming back to their comedic roots. Bateman at the moment seems to be searching for more out of his career. He's even gone as far as directing 'The Family Fang'. The sad thing is though, that if the films he appears in are as poor as this, he's never going to make it in the serious genres.I don't really know how to describe what's wrong with 'The Family Fang'. To put it bluntly, it's boring. It also comes across quite pretentious. It thinks it has all this amazing insight into art and life, but in reality nothing it's trying to say actually means anything when you give it a moments thought. Bateman, Nicole Kidman and Christopher Walken are all great actors, yet none of them exactly shine here. Walken comes the closest, but if you're familiar with his work then you'd know he's capable of much better than what he puts forward here.The only element of the film I mildly enjoyed was the mystery side of things. Other than that though it offered next to nothing. I'm told the novel which this is based on is actually quite funny, which surprised me because I didn't even come close to laughing once in this film, nor did it feel like they were ever trying to make me laugh. Altogether this a forgettable mess that I suspect the stars, and particularly Bateman, are glad almost no one will actually get around to seeing.

Kevin Wilson's extraordinary book deserved much better. Changes to the story seemed arbitrary, such as changing the location. The book features a quirky artistic family in the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee. The southern culture and the unspoken but very present Bible Belt offer an important counterpoint to the parents' commitment to art and ability to tune out or reject anything that is not in their definition of art.Bateman and Kidman were much older than the characters and while Christopher Walken was the perfect choice, the weird comedic genius he brought was not utilized in the film at all. Almost as if the director had no thought other than transposing (rather than translating or adapting) it onto celluloid -- the film offered nothing to a terrific story.

Jason Bateman directs this little jewel of a film based on the novel of the same name by Kevin Wilson and adapted for the screen by David Lindsay-Abaire. Bateman also stars in the film as an integral part of a sterling cast of actors. It is refreshing to see a film that discusses all forms of art – acting, painted/composed art, music and performance art – in a manner that introduces the audience to forms of art they may not have witnessed. Bateman is a deft director and brings all the subtleties as well as the well-timed humor and dysfunctional family strains together for an educational as well as an entertaining movie.Annie (Nicole Kidman) and Baxter (Jason Bateman) Fang, the adult children of the controversial husband and wife conceptual performance art couple famous for their quirky macabre public performances (Maryann Plunkett and Christopher Walken), have never got over the fact that their parents kept using them during their childhood in their often gory and disturbing satirical public performances (Annie and Baxter as children are played by Mackenzie Brooke Smith and Jack McCarthy and as teenagers by Taylor Rose and Kyle Donnery). They often clash with their now elderly parents over this and blame them for their problems in their adult life. However, the two become worried when they're told by the police that their parents have gone missing during their trip outside of town. The brother considers the possibility that something horrible might have happened to them, but the sister is convinced that it's just another one of their stupid games or twisted conceptual performances. She convinces him that they should go and look for them themselves.Adding considerably to the cast are Harris Yulin as the parents, mentor, Kathryn Hahn and Jason Butler Harner as the young parents of Adam and Baxter, Linda Edmond in a very key and surprising role, and other fine cameos. The significant musical score is by Carter Burwell (and Beethoven).In all this is a fine film awaiting recognition by an audience. Intellectual, funny, and touching – it has it all. Highly Recommended.

Does art truly imitate life or is it the other way around? Two adult siblings trapped in career limbo, struggle to overcome the scars of their deeply dysfunctional childhood until they find themselves once again reunited with their eccentric, narcissistic and woefully unpredictable parents. The acting is good and the casting superb. This is an interesting different, thought provoking film that draws you in and doesn't let go that easily. It's the kind of film that you want to talk about after you've seen it. Excellent and disturbingly entertaining. Will definitely recommend.