By all accounts, if you just go by the premise of Family, you might feel like you’ve seen it a million times before. A self-absorbed executive, Kate (Taylor Shilling), is pressured into watching over her niece, Maddie (Bryn Vale), while the parents are forced out of town to attend some serious family matters. Kate, having zero parental instincts, struggles to care for Maddie, which is heightened by the fact that Maddie just isn’t what Kate would consider “normal.” Hilarity ensues. It brings to mind movies like Uncle Buck and the various other family comedies from the early-to-mid 90s inspired by it. And to a degree, you get exactly what you would expect for a movie like this here, even with its R-rating.
However, the film rather quickly shows that it’s able to take a familiar formula, and breathes new life into it through sheer charm alone. It’s by writer/director, Laura Steinel, who makes her debut here. Despite being her very first film, she shows so much promise as a comedy director. I was impressed by some of the way she stages certain sequences, and the way she – and editor, Glenn Garland, (who has largely been known for editing Rob Zombie’s movies, oddly enough) – cuts moments for maximum impact. It helps that her script here is really sharp, full of wonderful lines like one that Kate says early one, when trying to describe her emotions to Maddie, saying “I’m usually in this place where I hate myself, but I still think I’m better than everyone.” There’s gold all over the script, and it’s elevated by some strong – if largely subtle – choices in its filmmaking, and it’s refreshing to see a filmmaker pay careful attention to those kinds of little details.
What also jumps out is the cast. It’s mostly made up of actors you’ve seen on TV, as well as a few character actors. Between Taylor Schilling, Brian Tyree Henry, Matt Walsh, Allison Tolman, Kate McKinnon, Eric Edelstein, and plenty of others, there’s hardly a weak link in the cast, and there’s a good balance in creating a sense of spontaneity with the banter, while also being seemingly rigidly structured, so that things don’t ever go off the rails like some of the more mainstream comedies that rely heavily on improv. Pretty much everyone gets a moment to be funny, and it leads to some real scene stealing moments like whenever McKinnon enters as a nosy suburban mom who lives next door to Maddie’s family, or perhaps my personal favorite, Fabrizio Zacharee Guido, who plays Dennis aka “Baby Joker,” a gas station employee who introduces Maddie to the world of the Juggalos.
Ultimately, it all falls down to Schilling and Vale, since their relationship and dynamic is the heart of the movie, and they have terrific chemistry. Schilling is clearly relishing in being a total asshole to her employees, and being a troubling influence on Maddie, but you quickly buy into the connection that they make, as well as her eventual arc into being a more considerate person. Vale is also strong in her first major role, embracing the character’s weirdness wholeheartedly. What I really loved was how the film takes the relationship and family dynamics seriously, creating a complicated scenario where Kate ends up being a potentially better parental figure because she’s more quick to tune into Maddie’s eccentricities, even if she’s quick to reject them at first, whereas Maddie’s parents are often completely oblivious to her interests. It allows itself to explore these kinds of complicated areas in parenting that were genuinely fascinating to watch unfold, and it gave the experience a truthfulness that I didn’t expect.
I didn’t expect much from Family going on, but I found myself completely charmed from the get-go. It avoids a lot of the cheap, indie quirkiness you would typically find in movies like this, and instead brings a more grounded sensibility that makes it easier to connect with the characters. Taylor Schilling is spectacular, which should come as no surprise. It’s undoubtedly one of the funniest movies I’ve seen this year so far, but even beyond that, it’s a deeply heartfelt film about begin a good person and not judging people for acting or doing things in ways that other people don’t. It’s a solid, if typical message, but the delivery of that message is top notch. If this is of any indication, I can’t wait to see what Laura Steinel does next.