The Family Fang Review
RYAN: This is a new indie drama. It’s produced by Nicole Kidman and is the second film directed by Jason Bateman. They costar as siblings. It’s a little slow to start but the last quarter of the film is so juicy it makes up for the deliberate pacing. We watched it on a DVD screener and I was just yearning to see it on the big screen. It would be great in the theater. We paused a couple times and really should not have. There’s so much to sink your teeth into this movie.
CHUCK: I think this movie was fantastic. I didn’t find it slow to start as much as methodical. There was great purpose to the pacing and while the beginning gives you a clue – it’s very unpredictable and interesting. Jason did an amazing job.
RYAN: He really did do an excellent job. I liked this even more than his last effort Bad Words.
BECKY: I loved going through the whole journey with these characters. You start off in one place and think everything is cool but then it’s like real life because things hit the fan. But it is delicate – in its timing and characters. The most poignant moments were the quieter ones – great facial expressions. At one time, Nicole Kidman just looked like a littler girl because of her expression.
RYAN: Yes. And Nicole really elevated Jason’s game. It’s his best performance and they play really well off one another.
CHUCK: We said that about him in the gift, too. He’s so good at comedy that whenever he breaks out something dramatic and is good at that, too, you’re aware how versatile he is. He’s so strong.
BECKY: And understated, too. His performance was real. It’s like you can take a basic picture of something fantastic or a fantastic picture of something basic. And this had an interesting story but his portrayal was impressive to the point that made it even more so. It all unfolds in a casual way.
RYAN: This movie is also very satisfying in that there’s a moment halfway through where you’re so confused – we even paused to talk about it. But then all of your questions get answered, things are explained and make sense and it’s very satisfying viewing that. All without being tied up in a perfect little bow.
CHUCK: I literally went slack jawed at one point. There are some great twists. And it’s also thematically about the importance and placement of art in the world; what constitutes art. There are layers to these characters.
RYAN: There is social commentary about art but also of the notion of audience size and where family…
BECKY: And where lines are blurred between life and art.
RYAN: Right. But there’s also the implications of social media and effects of that on art today. I thought that was all terrifically well expressed.
CHUCK: I like how it can spark the discussion of what art is and if it hurts someone, is it still art? I think not everything is art. Like if i paint something, it’s not art.
BECKY: But it is. Boundaries are important though. This family didn’t seem to have boundaries.
RYAN: There are the music artists like Prince or Lady Gaga who live their art beyond the music as well.
CHUCK: What do you sacrifice for your art?
RYAN: I’ve seen all of Nicole’s films. She’s played some wacky people and been in some absurd or experimental settings but I love about this role for her, where she gets to lose herself and play – it’s a character that’s similar to herself in that she’s playing an actress and yet she still completely transforms herself – that has to be more challenging than playing a role just written very different from her. Her American accent is flawless.
CHUCK: And Christopher Walken, Kathryn Vaughn – all the actors were authentic and complete.
BECKY: And Nicole really let Jason shine as an actor and as a brother in this film. They both have great range. And Christopher Walken and the mom are so subtle and nuanced. I was so pained by her and everything you see her going through.
CHUCK: This is my first “Holy cow this is a fantastic film” of the year! I thoroughly loved it. I wanna see it again.
RYAN: It is the kind of complex film that would be fun to see again, knowing what’s happening this time around and getting to understand it even more.
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