THE STORY – The Smiths have gathered once again on their quaint family farm to make the latest in a string of low-budget horror movies. No, the movies aren’t particularly “successful.” Some might even call them “bad.” But at least the family is together, and that’s what matters to Jack and Ellen. Their adult children, on the other hand – Trent and Ula – are working up the courage to leave this particular family tradition behind. Simmering family dysfunction turns to pure chaos when a real dead body shows up on set. Can they come together to keep the movie on track, or will this be the Smith family’s final act?
THE CAST – Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Sosie Bacon, Travis Bacon, Liza Koshy, John Carroll Lynch, Jackie Earle Haley, Andrea Savage, Austin Amelio, & Scoot McNairy
THE TEAM – Kevin Bacon (Director) & Dan Beers (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 81 Minutes
Jack Smith (Kevin Bacon) makes movies. Bad movies, mostly, at least according to one particular local critic, who writes excoriating reviews of them. And also studios, which don’t distribute them, and festivals, which largely don’t accept them (thank you, Teaneck International Film Festival, or TEAFF). The films seem more like family bonding projects than anything, with wife Ellen (Kyra Sedgwick) and daughter Ulla (Sosie Bacon) acting in them and son Trent (Travis Bacon) editing and working various behind-the-scenes jobs. Unable to get more financing without promising unrestricted access to a loan shark’s daughter to make a documentary, Jack has brought the kids back to the family farm for one last film, but things aren’t going well. The lead actor just got hit on the head by a falling light, the credit card has been declined twice, and their neighbor is causing constant noise disruptions to their outdoor scenes. Not to mention the fact that Ulla has just gotten cast as the lead in a TV series that starts filming before the family shoot is finished, and hasn’t been able to work up the courage to tell her parents. Just when Jack thinks things couldn’t get any worse, he discovers a dead body in their barn. How on earth is he going to finish this movie?
Kevin Bacon’s “Family Movie” may be the sweetest slasher ever filmed. That seems like an oxymoron, but it feels completely natural as it plays out. The warmth of the family story humorously contrasts with the genre violence, emphasizing the comedic elements of this horror-comedy. That’s a smart idea considering Kevin and Kyra’s comic timing, as well as Sosie and Travis’s deadpan sarcasm, but the film feels a bit unbalanced as a result. Even the kills lean more heavily on comedic shock value than actual creativity or visceral gore (although there’s plenty of blood), often riffing on other beloved horror films. The references are varied and fun to catch, but one can’t help but wish that a little more than mere references were going on with the movie’s horror elements.
Thankfully, the family drama makes up for that a bit. It feels like we’re watching an actual family make a movie together, which, to be fair, is exactly what we’re watching. Even still, the authenticity the Bacon family brings to the project can’t be faked, and their easygoing, casual rapport with each other helps the film paper over some rough dialogue and questionable story choices. It’s a kick to watch the actual moviemaking family play a moviemaking family – to see mother and daughter hand out homemade sandwiches to the cast and crew (did they actually make them themselves?), father and son work on a camera rig together, and the family sings a little song at the dinner table before eating. Even though the film is obviously fictionalized, it’s fun to watch and speculate how close their personalities are. That’s a flimsy premise to hang a whole movie on, though, so “Family Movie” throws in an unexpected twist when it comes to the killer, not just in who it is but in being open about it from the very first kill. It’s such a shock when it happens that it feels unsporting to spoil it, but it’s fun to see one of the Bacons play against type in this way, and the way their motivations tie back to the family deepens both the sweetness of the story and the twisted humor.
For the most part, “Family Movie” glides along on the geniality of its cast and Kevin Bacon’s light touch as a director. There’s not a whole lot of style to speak of, but the film looks good, and it moves along at a solid pace. The plentiful jokes and general pleasant humor keep it entertaining even through some rough patches, like a family dance break in the third act that comes out of nowhere and stops the movie dead in its tracks. But the cast’s likability and the good-natured spirit of the whole production go a long way towards making this an enjoyable romp. “Family Movie” is nowhere near as bad as the movies that Jack makes, but it sure doesn’t hold a candle to the films it so lovingly references, either.
