Watching the trailer for “Family” is probably going to bring to mind any number of similar films. There’s a sub-genre of comedies that follow the outsider family member (in this case a workaholic executive) who is called on at the last minute to take care of a troubled youth that they don’t really have much of a connection with. It’s a tried and true formula that, for my money, was probably done best in the ‘80s with “Uncle Buck.” That being said, Taylor Schilling’s latest film looks to be pretty great too.
As seen in the trailer, “Family” follows the above formula but has the added benefit of a truly great cast and a first-time filmmaker with a strong comedy pedigree. As mentioned, Schilling is a business executive that is called to take care of her niece after her brother and his wife have to leave town. Hilarity ensues when you find out that the little girl is a bit…odd, and Schilling just doesn’t know the first thing about being a responsible human, let along a parental figure. It all comes to a head when the aunt and niece go to The Gathering of the Juggalos (an event put on by the Insane Clown Posse and celebrates their fans aka “Juggalos”).
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Joining Schilling in the cast are Bryn Vale, Brian Tyree Henry (this man can do everything), Jessie Ennis, Blair Beeken, Matt Walsh, Allison Tolman, Eric Edelstein, and Kate McKinnon. The film is written and directed by first-time filmmaker, Laura Steinel, who is probably best known as a writer on the underrated Amazon comedy series “Red Oaks.”
“Family” is scheduled to hit theaters on April 19.
Here’s the synopsis:
Kate Stone’s a self-absorbed workaholic. She’s not good with kids. She’s not good in most social situations. When her estranged brother, Joe, tracks her down to watch her awkward and bullied 12-year-old niece Maddie, Kate thinks babysitting for the week can’ t get any worse – until Maddie runs away to become a Juggalo.