by John Tillyard, Contributing Writer
In Family Pack, a French fantasy/comedy based on the card game The Werewolves of Millers Hollow,a family is transported back to 1497 and must identify and kill the werewolves terrorizing the village they now find themselves in. Possessed with new powers, including mind reading and invisibility, the family has to work together to find a way to stop the werewolves from killing them and get home without arousing suspicion from the people in the village.
The first thing I liked about this story is how quickly it gets into the fantasy and adventure part. After a summary of the game’s rules and storyline, and an introduction to the individual family members, they are abruptly transported to the village. There’s no explanation for why this happens, nor does there need to be; all you need to know is that they are now playing a real-life version of the game.
Jumanji is the obvious comparison to make with this story, with the characters being sucked into a game and needing to finish it to leave. Some characters have powers exclusive to them, similar to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, the main difference being that this is a family rather than a group of kids. The setup of this family creates some interesting dynamics, as there are two older kids, Clara (Lisa Do Couto Teixeira) and Théo (Raphaël Romand), and a younger child, Louise (Alizée Caugnies). Clara is the daughter of Jérôme (Franck Dubosc) from another marriage, and Theo is the son of mother Marie (Suzanne Clément), also from a different marriage. Louise, meanwhile, belongs to both of them, and Jerome’s father, Gilbert (Jean Reno), is also there. This complex blended family setup leads to some fascinating conflicts later on about whether certain family members care about others they are not biologically related to; this is made even more troublesome by the powers some of the characters now have.
While I did appreciate how quickly the story jumps into the fantasy world, I was moderately frustrated by how long it takes the characters to work out where they are. For about 10 minutes of the story’s time, they assume it is all an elaborate stunt. It leads to a couple of the standard gags in films like this where a character refers to something modern, and the people from the time are confused. But outside of that, it feels like the plot was put on hold until the characters work out what the audience already knows. I understand that in fantasy stories where the main characters are contemporary, there needs to be a period in which the characters wrap their minds around what is happening. Still, it certainly could have been much shorter here. There are also moments when characters discover their powers, and I was confused as to why they didn’t happen earlier, and continued obliviousness to their power makes them look dumb. For example, Jerome’s mind-reading power is discovered when talking to a single person in the middle of a field when he has already walked through a crowded town center.
However, once the characters are up to speed about their situation, things become much more enjoyable. The family works together on how best to fight the werewolves and return home, using their knowledge of the game and modern technology, as some decent effects showcase an excellent combination of fantasy and sci-fi elements. I’ve always enjoyed the experience of family discussion in this kind of story; there is invariably a natural charm and slight hint of humor in how families talk to one another. The Incredibles embraces this idea and has the family argue in the typical way, just in situations where you wouldn’t expect it. Family Pack doesn’t quite reach that level of comedy, but good banter adds to the humor.
Like many time travel comedies, there are a lot of gags with people from that time not understanding things from the modern day. But what is more unusual is that a few jokes touch on women’s rights and people’s sexuality. The fact these kinds of gags are in a family-based story made them funny for me. That said, not all the humor works; a few jokes center around characters trying to maintain a cover by keeping up an act, and it’s all a bit cringeworthy. The humor is certainly more of the silly variety and not particularly clever.
This is a low-budget project, so the effects are primarily practical, with only a handful of CGI shots. You can also tell the filmmakers aimed to minimize the need for effects, as the characters’ powers are only properly utilized a few times during the story. However, the effects work fine in a less serious story like this, where things do not look completely real and add a little humor. Watching an adventure story like this without the blockbuster-style effects is also refreshing. It is more about the characters talking and thinking a way out of a dilemma than showing how much money they spent. The sets all look believable enough for a comedy and fantasy setting while still having a slightly fake hint that reminds you they are in a game.
The performances of all the family members feel believable. Despite this being a blended family, you feel like they have all known each other for a while. Reno is a particular standout as a knowledgeable but caring grandfather. Dubosc is similarly impressive as he attempts to hold the family together, with the details of his complex relationship with his father and wife unfolding throughout the story’s events.
Family Pack plays it relatively safe with the type of stories it tells and its use of practical effects. The excessive amount of silly comedy will be a turnoff for many people. While there is a bit of social commentary, it is not an experience that will leave any lasting impression. I do not know the card game, so I don’t know how faithfully this story adapts the rules, but it certainly feels like they are playing a card game, so that has to count for something.
Rating: It Was Just Okay
Family Pack is currently streaming on Netflix
You can read more from John Tillyard, and follow him on Instagram