Honestly, Luc Besson’s The Family 2013 is a weird one. You’ve got Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Tommy Lee Jones—basically the Holy Trinity of gritty American cinema—stuck in a sleepy village in Normandy. It’s not your typical mob flick. It’s not Goodfellas, and it’s certainly not Taken, even though Besson’s fingerprints are all over it. People still argue about whether it’s a dark comedy, a fish-out-of-water story, or just a violent mess.
The plot is straightforward enough, based on the French novel Malavita by Tonino Benacquista. De Niro plays Giovanni Manzoni, a mob boss who snitches on his own family and gets tucked away in the Witness Protection Program.
He’s relocated to France with his wife Maggie (Pfeiffer) and their two kids. They’re supposed to be "The Blakes." But, let’s be real—the Manzonis don't do "quiet." They handle minor inconveniences like bad plumbing or rude grocery store clerks with the kind of casual sociopathy you’d expect from a Brooklyn crime syndicate. It’s funny until it isn't.
What People Get Wrong About The Family 2013
Most critics at the time expected a high-octane thriller. They saw the poster and thought "De Niro + Mob = Heat." But the movie is actually much more interested in the psychological boredom of living a lie.
The irony is thick.
Giovanni is trying to write his memoirs, which is a massive no-no when you're in hiding. The film leans heavily into the meta-commentary of De Niro’s career. There is a specific scene where his character is invited to a local film club to discuss a movie, and they end up showing Goodfellas. Watching Robert De Niro watch Robert De Niro play a gangster is the kind of self-aware humor that either makes you chuckle or rolls your eyes into the back of your head.
Some call it lazy. Others see it as a clever nod to the genre's legacy.
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The tonal shifts are jarring. One minute, you’re watching a teenage girl (played by Dianna Agron) beat a high school boy with a tennis racket, and the next, there's a serious discussion about the morality of snitching. It doesn't always land. It’s a messy blend of American pulp and French cynicism.
The Casting Chemistry That Saves the Script
Without the heavy hitters, this movie probably would have disappeared into the bargain bin of history.
Pfeiffer is legitimately great. She plays Maggie with a simmering frustration that explodes in a grocery store when she discovers the locals don't stock the "right" kind of peanut butter. She blows the place up. Literally. It’s a performance that reminds you why she was the go-to leading lady for decades—she can pivot from a doting mother to a domestic terrorist without breaking a sweat.
Then you have Tommy Lee Jones.
He plays Robert Stansfield, the FBI agent tasked with keeping these lunatics alive. He looks tired. Not just "character tired," but "I’ve been dealing with mobsters for thirty years" tired. His chemistry with De Niro is understated. They don't have many scenes together, but when they do, it’s a masterclass in weary professionalism vs. chaotic ego.
The kids, played by Dianna Agron and John D'Leo, are arguably the most terrifying members of the family. They adapt to the French school system by essentially running a miniature version of the Mafia within the student body. It’s a sharp commentary on how the cycle of violence is passed down, though the movie treats it more like a dark joke than a tragedy.
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Real-World Production Tidbits
- Executive Produced by Martin Scorsese: Yeah, the legend himself was involved. That’s likely why the Goodfellas reference feels so intentional rather than a cheap parody.
- Filming Locations: They shot in Normandy, specifically around Gacé and Le Sap, which gives the film an authentic, damp, European feel that contrasts perfectly with the family's New York sensibilities.
- The Title Change: In France and other territories, the film kept the book's title, Malavita. In the U.S., it was rebranded as The Family 2013 to appeal to a broader audience, which arguably hurt its identity.
Why the Critics Hated It (And Why You Might Like It)
Rotten Tomatoes has it sitting at a mediocre 29% from critics, but the audience score is significantly higher. Why the gap?
Critics hated the inconsistency. They found the violence too mean-spirited for a comedy and the comedy too silly for a drama. It’s a valid point. If you’re looking for a tight, cohesive narrative, you won’t find it here. The movie feels like a series of vignettes about a family who can’t stop being themselves.
But for casual viewers, that’s the charm.
There’s something cathartic about watching a family refuse to be bullied by "civilized" society. When the local plumber tries to scam Giovanni, Giovanni doesn't call the Better Business Bureau. He handles it the old-fashioned way. It’s a dark fantasy about power and the refusal to assimilate.
The Final Act: A Shift to Standard Action
The biggest criticism usually lands on the third act. After nearly ninety minutes of character study and cultural clashes, the movie turns into a standard shootout.
The Vanzitta clan—the guys Giovanni snitched on—finally track them down. The quiet village becomes a war zone. It’s well-shot (Besson knows how to film an explosion), but it feels like it belongs to a different movie. The nuance of the family dynamics gets buried under a pile of spent shell casings.
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However, the stakes feel real because we’ve spent so much time watching these people try (and fail) to be normal. You actually want them to survive, not because they’re good people—they’re objectively terrible—but because they’re interesting.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Rewatch
If you’re planning to revisit The Family 2013 or watch it for the first time, keep these things in mind to get the most out of the experience:
- Watch the background: Besson loves visual storytelling. Look at how the Manzoni house changes as they settle in; it’s a reflection of their inability to truly hide.
- Compare it to Malavita: If you’re a reader, check out Tonino Benacquista’s novel. It’s much darker and more satirical than the film.
- Focus on the meta-narrative: Treat the movie as a commentary on Robert De Niro's status as a cinematic icon. It makes the "film club" scene way more impactful.
- Don't expect a thriller: Go in expecting a dark, slightly cynical comedy about culture shock. You’ll enjoy it a lot more than if you're waiting for The Godfather.
The movie isn't perfect. It's messy, it's weirdly paced, and it can't decide what it wants to be. But in a world of sanitized, predictable blockbusters, there’s something refreshing about a film that lets Robert De Niro be a grumpy, dangerous old man in the middle of rural France. It’s a mid-budget experiment that we don't see much of anymore.
To really appreciate the film, look for the subtle ways the family members mirror each other's tactics. Giovanni uses his fists, Maggie uses fire, and the kids use psychological manipulation. They are a cohesive unit of chaos.
Check your local streaming listings or physical media collections. It’s often tucked away on platforms like Netflix or Prime Video depending on your region. If you want a double feature, pair it with Analyze This to see the lighter side of De Niro’s mob-comedy phase, or Eastern Promises if you want to see the Witness Protection trope handled with zero jokes and maximum intensity.
Ultimately, the film serves as a bridge between the classic mob era and the modern era of genre-blending cinema. It’s a flawed but fascinating piece of Luc Besson’s filmography that deserves a second look, especially if you can appreciate the humor in a Brooklyn mobster trying to explain "the American way" to a baffled French village.