If you walked into a theater in 2013 expecting Goodfellas 2, you were probably confused. Luc Besson’s The Family Robert De Niro movie—originally titled Malavita—is a strange, tonal shapeshifter that feels like a fever dream directed by someone who loves the mafia but thinks Americans are hilarious caricatures. It's a dark comedy. It's an action thriller. It’s also a weirdly sweet coming-of-age story about a teenage girl beating a classmate with a tennis racket.
De Niro plays Giovanni Manzoni, a mob snitch who’s been shuffled off to Normandy under the Witness Protection Program. He’s now "Fred Blake." He has a wife, Maggie (played by Michelle Pfeiffer), and two kids, Belle and Warren. They are all, quite frankly, psychopaths. Not because they’re inherently evil, but because they don't know how to solve problems without fire or blunt force trauma.
Why The Family Robert De Niro Movie Disrupted the Mob Genre
Most mob movies are about the rise and fall. You know the drill. The glitz, the suits, the inevitable betrayal in a dimly lit Italian restaurant. This movie ignores all of that. Instead, it focuses on the mundane nightmare of being a "nobody" in a small French village when you used to be a "somebody" in Brooklyn.
The humor is pitch-black. Honestly, the funniest parts aren't the jokes; they’re the casual way the Manzoni family reacts to disrespect. When a local grocery store owner is rude to Michelle Pfeiffer’s character, she doesn't file a complaint. She blows the place up. It’s a jarring contrast to the idyllic, quiet French countryside. Besson leans heavily into the "fish out of water" trope, but he dyes the water blood-red.
Tommy Lee Jones shows up as Robert Stansfield, the weary FBI agent tasked with keeping these lunatics alive. He’s the straight man to De Niro’s chaos. Their chemistry is understated but vital. You get the sense that Stansfield has spent the last decade just tired. Tired of moving them. Tired of cleaning up the bodies.
That Meta Scene Everyone Still Talks About
There is a moment in the The Family Robert De Niro movie that breaks the fourth wall without actually breaking it. Fred (De Niro) is invited to a local film club to discuss an American classic. Because of a scheduling mix-up, the movie they watch is Goodfellas.
📖 Related: The A Wrinkle in Time Cast: Why This Massive Star Power Didn't Save the Movie
Think about that. You have Robert De Niro, the guy who defined the modern gangster, playing a guy pretending not to be a gangster, watching himself in the most famous gangster movie ever made.
It’s a masterstroke of meta-commentary. De Niro’s character starts critique-ing the film’s accuracy, basically outing his true identity to the entire town because he can’t help but be an expert on the life. It’s the kind of wink-and-nod filmmaking that makes the movie stand out from the generic late-career action flicks De Niro was churning out at the time.
The Critics Were Split (And They Still Are)
If you look at Rotten Tomatoes, the movie sits somewhere in the mid-range. Critics didn't know what to do with the tone. One minute, Warren is setting up a sophisticated high school black market—very Ocean's Eleven—and the next, a group of hitmen are massacring an entire police station.
It’s violent. Really violent.
The tonal whiplash is exactly why it has a cult following now. It doesn't play by the rules of a standard Hollywood blockbuster. It feels European because it is. Luc Besson (the mind behind The Professional and The Fifth Element) brings a specific kinetic energy that American directors usually smooth over. He likes the messiness.
👉 See also: Cuba Gooding Jr OJ: Why the Performance Everyone Hated Was Actually Genius
The Family Dynamics are Surprisingly Grounded
Despite the pipe bombs and the hit squads, the Manzoni family actually feels like a family. They argue over dinner. They worry about their kids' dating lives. Belle (Dianna Agron) falls for a local math tutor, and it’s played completely straight, which makes the eventual heartbreak—and her subsequent near-suicide attempt—feel incredibly heavy.
Warren (John D'Leo) is arguably the most interesting character. He’s a miniature mob boss in training. Within three days of starting school, he’s running a protection racket and has the entire faculty under his thumb. It’s a cynical look at nature vs. nurture. Can you ever really "go straight" if your DNA is wired for the hustle? Probably not.
Production Trivia You Probably Missed
The film was based on the novel Malavita by Tonino Benacquista. In France, the movie kept that title. The decision to change it to The Family for international audiences was likely a marketing move to capitalize on the "family" theme of The Godfather or The Sopranos.
Martin Scorsese actually served as an executive producer. That’s why that Goodfellas scene feels so earned. It’s not just a parody; it’s a blessing from the godfather of the genre himself.
The filming took place in Normandy, specifically around Gacé and Le Sap. The locations are stunning. The grey skies and stone buildings provide a bleak but beautiful backdrop for the neon-bright violence of the Third Act. It’s a visual representation of the Manzonis: loud, colorful, and completely out of place in their surroundings.
✨ Don't miss: Greatest Rock and Roll Singers of All Time: Why the Legends Still Own the Mic
How to Watch It Today
If you’re looking to revisit The Family Robert De Niro movie, it’s frequently cycling through platforms like Max (formerly HBO Max) or Netflix depending on your region. It’s also a staple on VOD services like Amazon and Apple TV.
What’s interesting is how well it holds up compared to other 2010s action comedies. It’s meaner than Red and smarter than The Expendables. It’s a movie for people who love the mob genre but are tired of the same three stories being told over and over again.
The Lasting Legacy of Fred Blake
Robert De Niro’s performance here is often overlooked. People say he "phoned it in" during this era, but watch his eyes during the scenes where he’s trying to write his memoirs. There’s a genuine sadness there. He’s a man who has lost his world and is trying to recreate it on a typewriter in a house that isn't his.
It’s a study in identity. Who is Giovanni Manzoni without a crew? Without a territory? He’s just a guy with a bad temper and a dog named Malavita.
Next Steps for the Film Enthusiast:
To get the most out of your rewatch, track the parallels between the Manzoni children's subplots and classic mob tropes. Warren’s "school system" is a direct mirror of the Five Families structure, and Belle’s romantic arc is a dark subversion of the "civilian" love interest. If you haven't read the original source material, Tonino Benacquista’s book offers a much more cynical ending that didn't make it to the Hollywood cut—it's worth a look for a deeper dive into the characters' psyches. Finally, compare this to De Niro’s later work in The Irishman to see the evolution of his "retired gangster" archetype; the contrast between the comedic Fred Blake and the tragic Frank Sheeran is a masterclass in range.