Should you watch this if it’s free? OK.
Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? No.
Score: 2.0/5
Secret ending? No.
Running time: 105 minutes (1.75 hours)
“The Family Fang” is a family dramedy based on the novel of the same title about a family of performance artists who reunite after a long time apart. But when the mother and father go missing, the son and daughter must figure out why and where they’ve gone. It stars Nicole Kidman (Annie Fang), Jason Bateman (Baxter Fang), Christopher Walken (Caleb Fang), and Maryann Plunkett (Camille Fang). It is rated PG-13.
“The Family Fang” requires a lot of reading up before watching, since it’s about performance artists, which is not a common occupation by any stretch. While it’s interesting to see what the life of a performance artist is like, it also raises a lot of questions about its viability in America, let alone in Singapore. It’s a different sort of family dramedy, since it’s unlikely that many people will have experienced a life similar to the Fangs, and it requires an acquired taste to appreciate.
Highlights
Talented cast
Nicole Kidman and Christopher Walken alone should be enough to raise the bar for performances in the film, but the addition of Jason Bateman and Maryann Plunkett shows that acting-wise, this film delivers. They’ve got eccentric characters to play, which could come off as outlandish if done badly, but the cast members manage to do impressively well given the craziness they have to portray.
Letdowns
Long rambling monologues
Long chunks of text might work well in a book, but it’s just a talking head on screen. Fortunately, most of these monologues are given to Christopher Walken, who always pulls them off with panache. Still, it’s insufferably boring to sit through yet another talking head in some pseudo-documentary style shot and hear a good few minutes of dialogue. Visually it’s not stimulating, and this is one aspect of the book that the film did not adapt well. Show, don’t tell.
Dreadfully pretentious
If the monologues were interesting, that might have been forgivable. Instead, they are rambling takes on the nature of art and performances, all of which seem to come from a holier-than-thou perspective. It’s pretentiousness of the highest order, to dictate the standard of art. It’s supposed to be a family dramedy, not some sort of philosophical documentary on what art is. Worst of all, it seems more interested in showing you how smart the dialogue is, instead of actually being smart through the filmmaking.
Unrelatable characters
The whole essence of their performance artist lifestyle is summed up as “irritating the general public.” Yet the characters are very adamant and sensitive about their art, throwing tantrums whenever people don’t act as expected. There’s no point to the performances, and the only people who seem to care are the characters themselves. They seem so out of touch with reality that it’s hard to have an emotional connection with them.
No heart
The core problem with the film is its lack of a central vision. “The Family Fang” feels directionless, like it’s just mechanically going through the steps required for a film. It doesn’t engage or intrigue you. The plot itself just happens, with no telegraphing and no real consequences to anyone’s actions. If there were some sort of theme about performance art, that might still have been its saving grace. But as it stands, there’s just no genuine feeling in the movie.
“The Family Fang” might have the appearance of a family dramedy, but it has none of the heart.
“The Family Fang” opens in cinemas 12 May, 2016 (Thursday).
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