Summary
An endearing movie? Sure. However, the messaging is ruined by the generic and lazy direction.
One thing’s for certain: Family Pack is meant to be endearing. Let me tell you why: in the opening scenes of the French Netflix movie, the family is carefully concerned about the grandfather, who appears to be suffering from a form of dementia. The father is anxious, the mother is keeping things calm, and the older daughter creates slight chaos by trying to escape family time to “be an influencer.”
To bring a sense of normalcy, the father suggests they play a game called “Werewolves,” based on the famous card game “The Werewolves of Millers Hollow.” The game was created by French authors Philippe des Pallières and Hervé Marly and is based on the Russian game “Mafia,” which has been nominated for awards.
The movie is a held-up torch to “The Werewolves of Millers Hollow,” and admittedly, I felt left out for never having played it myself.
However, the family does not support the suggestion to play the game, so the father has to lock it up. When he does, there’s a slight earthquake, and the family finds itself in the Middle Ages.
Family Pack is as a family as it can get when it comes to the genre, as they are forced to navigate times based on historical traditions. There are many references to women being second-class, and public executions are the norm. As the movie unravels, the family figures that they are in their own version of the card game “Werewolves,” and they must figure out the mysteries ahead.
However, the endearing side I alluded to at the start of the review is the comforting theme of family. The family needed this transformative moment together. They needed to find a way to reconnect; this game is their portal to bring a sense of togetherness. This is why I believe most of this family fantasy is metaphorical: for instance, the oldest daughter, who was resistant to family time, finds herself invisible in the Middle Ages, an indictment of how she separates from their family. As for the grandfather, his memory is suddenly sharp, bringing back nostalgia, specifically for the father of the family who longed for his dad’s intelligence and personality.
There’s nothing particularly special about Family Pack apart from the angle I’ve posed in this review. For the most part, it’s a little generic and sluggish at times. I enjoyed the family spirit, but the release time is also suspicious. The film, if anything, feels like a Christmas movie rather than Halloween fare, so I was a little struck by the timing. Perhaps I’d have enjoyed it more with an induced festive spirit.
I’m not saying the film is terrible either, not by any means. But apart from the family angle, I’m not entirely sure what the story is trying to represent apart from togetherness. I almost sense that the fantasy world was an illusion for adults but a reality for children, and I suspect families watching this will have a similar experience. I presume it’s a good representation of the card game, but this is hardly as inspiring as Jumanji.
