Review of The Price of Family, a movie about petty brutality presented as humour, initially featured on Ready Steady Cut.
We give a spoiler-free review of the Netflix movie The Price of Family.
Italian comedian Giovanni Bognetti‘s Netflix comedy explores what happens when two empty-nesters go to extreme lengths to keep their kids close. The movie stars Christian De Sica and Angela Finocchiaro as the aforementioned parents, Carlo and Anna, and it is an adaptation of the French comedy The Price of Parenting. Dharma Alessandra and Emilio, their adult children, are portrayed by Mangia Woods and Claudio Colica, respectively, while the family’s all-too-cynical grandmother is played by Fioretta Maria.
The Price of Family Review and Plot Summary
The Price of Family on Netflix begins with parents Carlo and Anna saying goodbye to both of their adult children as they leave their family home and travel to Rome. Their son, Emilio, is leaving to work in a low-paying office job for a supervisor he loathes, while their daughter, Alessandra, is moving in with her dentist boyfriend, Rocco (Francesco Marioni).
Anna is deeply disappointed because both of her siblings are seeing their ageing parents less frequently since moving out. Simply because they don’t feel like talking to their parents, they reject their parent’s calls, skip an aunt’s funeral, and pledge to visit but never do. When both kids opt not to spend Christmas with their parents, it is the tipping point.
Anna and Carlo assert that the sadly deceased Aunt Thea gave them a significant estate after they had enough of being ignored by their offspring. Interestingly, the idea is successful. And when Alessandra and Emilio find out about their parents’ make-believe riches, they both at once remember how much they adore their parents. Naturally, mom and dad now have to behave (and spend) as though they are actually affluent. Will Anna and Carlo’s bank accounts last till Christmas if the farce continues as planned? After all, spending money on things like hiring a Ferrari, purchasing knockoff designer clothing, and writing checks left, right, and centre can easily become a costly pastime.
The execution of this film fell flat, despite the fact that I found the concept intriguing. Christian De Sica‘s performance as Carlo stands out as having strong acting. But after seeing how Alessandra and Emilio treat their parents in the first act, I began to wonder whether there was a deeper explanation for their cruel behaviour. They call an aunt who passed away an old hag. Alessandra skipped a family supper since she was hungover even though she was aware that her mother was preparing and making her a birthday cake. She doesn’t even call and offer an explanation. On the other side, Emilio is even worse. He should be a self-supporting adult, yet he still asks his mother to do the laundry and iron his clothes. The movie tries to make the kid’s rudeness seem like a natural part of leaving the nest, yet their behaviour is anything but typical.
The portrayal of the parents is also not particularly sympathetic. In the first part of the joke, Anna and Carlo pretend to be too busy with their newfound fortune to answer either of their children’s calls for days. That degree of small-minded brutality is not amusing. This is a movie about mean and petty people being horrible to each other, despite a few hilarious parts like Anna making her daughter pay for their $750 nice dining experience and Carlo holding up huge checks in front of Emilio before claiming the money is eventually going to charity. It’s too late by the time we notice any sort of sincere attachment among the members of this dysfunctional family.
Also Read: Teen Wolf: The Movie is a Confusing, Gluttonous Mess, as Reviewed.
Is the Movie the Price of Family Good?
tries to be funny, but all it did was depress me. It shows a dysfunctional family as dysfunctional as they can possibly be. The parents are overly petty, and the two adult children are heartless people. This is not the feel-good comedy you’re searching for.
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