Odd match of Bateman, Kidman fit well in ‘Family’

  • By Robert Horton Herald movie critic
  • Wednesday, May 4, 2016 7:56pm
  • LifeGo-See-Do

Imagine having Andy Kaufman and Yoko Ono as your parents. That’s close to the childhood endured by two now-grown siblings, Annie and Baxter Fang.

They haven’t gotten over it yet.

The Fang kids, played by Nicole Kidman and Jason Bateman, are the main characters in “The Family Fang,” a new film adapted from a novel by Kevin Wilson. Their parents were avant-garde performance artists who perfected the put-on.

The movie, directed by Bateman, begins with a childhood vignette to illustrate their methods: a pretend bank robbery, in which parents and children together stage a fake shoot-out. By leading with this creepy and irresponsible stunt, the movie sets a fittingly uneasy note.

As adults, Annie is a successful actress who can’t stay out of the tabloids, and Baxter is a novelist wasting his time with magazine journalism.

When Baxter gets shot in the head with a potato gun (this is actually one of the movie’s funniest scenes), Annie comes to help out. Their parents (Christopher Walken and Maryann Plunkett) are also on hand, but not really welcome.

The folks would like to revive the old family act. Which is the last thing Baxter and Annie want.

There are rich possibilities for this curious crew, especially when you’ve got Walken flying into high gear whenever he feels like elucidating the theoretical underpinnings of his art, blah blah blah.

Walken has a monologue about the artist Chris Burden, who notoriously suffered a gunshot wound as part of an art performance in 1971. For the Fang family patriarch, this is far too tame—a conviction Walken brings off with his trademark otherworldliness.

“The Family Fang” is Bateman’s second film as director (after the nasty-funny “Bad Words”), and he’s obviously drawn to comedy with a bite. The material here walks a tricky line between comedy and tragedy, although his decision to play the material in a realistic way doesn’t feel right. Maybe this needed to be a little more artificial.

You wonder whether Bateman, a child star with a showbiz sister (Justine, from the hit 80s series “Family Ties”), glommed onto this material for its autobiographical connections. Baxter and Annie are visibly pained whenever anybody wants to talk to them about their very public youth.

Bateman and Kidman probably sound unlikely as siblings, but they’re surprisingly good together. In another movie, they’d be an intriguing duo.

“The Family Fang” 2 1/2 stars

Jason Bateman directs and stars in this adaptation of Kevin Wilson’s novel, about siblings (Bateman and Nicole Kidman) who still bear the trauma of being raised in a family of avant-garde performance artists. The movie’s style is too realistic to nail the blend of comedy and tragedy, but Christopher Walken has some fine moments as the family patriarch.

Rating: R, for language

Showing: Sundance Cinemas

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Sarah Jean Muncey-Gordon puts on some BITCHSTIX lip oil at Bandbox Beauty Supply on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bandbox Beauty was made for Whidbey Island locals, by an island local

Founder Sarah Muncey-Gordon said Langley is in a renaissance, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn, seen here in 2013, will perform April 20 in Edmonds. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

R0ck ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn, frontman of The Byrds, plans a gig in Edmonds in April.

Mother giving in to the manipulation her daughter fake crying for candy
Can children be bribed into good behavior?

Only in the short term. What we want to do is promote good habits over the course of the child’s life.

Speech Bubble Puzzle and Discussion
When conflict flares, keep calm and stand your ground

Most adults don’t like dissension. They avoid it, try to get around it, under it, or over it.

The colorful Nyhavn neighborhood is the place to moor on a sunny day in Copenhagen. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves: Embrace hygge and save cash in Copenhagen

Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue and lovingly decorated open-face sandwiches be the icons of a major capital?

Last Call is a festured artist at the 2024 DeMiero Jazz Festival: in Edmonds. (Photo provided by DeMiero Jazz Festival)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz ensemble Last Call is one of the featured artists at the DeMiero Jazz Festival on March 7-9 in Edmonds.

Kim Helleren
Local children’s author to read at Edmonds Bookshop

Kim Helleren will read from one of her books for kids at the next monthly Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop on March 29.

Chris Elliott
Lyft surprises traveler with a $150 cleaning charge

Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed? And will the charge stick?

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.