The Family
A mafia boss and his family are relocated to a sleepy town in France under the witness protection program after snitching on the mob. Despite the best efforts of FBI Agent Stansfield (Tommy Lee Jones) to keep them in line, Fred Manzoni (Robert De Niro), his wife Maggie (Michelle Pfeiffer) and their children Belle (Dianna Agron) and Warren (John D'Leo) can't help but revert to old habits and blow their cover by handling their problems the "family" way, enabling their former mafia cronies to track them down. Chaos ensues as old scores are settled in the unlikeliest of settings.
Working with a moderate budget of $30.0M, the film achieved a modest success with $36.9M in global revenue (+23% profit margin).
1 win & 1 nomination
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
The Family (2013) reveals precise narrative architecture, characteristic of Luc Besson's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 14-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 51 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.0, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The inciting incident occurs at 14 minutes when Giovanni's memoir pages are discovered by Agent Stansfield, revealing he's been writing about his past despite strict orders not to. The memoirs could expose their location to Don Luchese, who wants Giovanni dead.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 28 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This shows the protagonist's commitment to Giovanni is invited to show a classic mafia film at the local cultural center and chooses to fully engage with the community rather than hide. He actively decides to participate in town life, marking his commitment to this new world despite the risks., moving from reaction to action.
At 56 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat Don Luchese's men discover the family's location through Giovanni's memoir details that were leaked. What seemed like harmless memoir writing (false victory of community acceptance) becomes the mechanism of their exposure. The stakes are raised—the hunters are coming., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 83 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, The hit squad arrives in town and begins systematically killing anyone connected to the Manzoni family. The peaceful Norman town becomes a war zone. The family's dream of a normal life dies as violence erupts around them., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 89 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. The family reunites and Giovanni realizes they can't run anymore. They must embrace their true nature—not to be normal, but to be who they are: a mafia family. They choose to fight back together using their old skills combined with their new community knowledge., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The Family's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 14 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping The Family against these established plot points, we can identify how Luc Besson utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The Family within the comedy genre.
Luc Besson's Structural Approach
Among the 12 Luc Besson films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, reflecting strong command of classical structure. The Family takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Luc Besson filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Luc Besson analyses, see The Fifth Element, Anna and Arthur 3: The War of the Two Worlds.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupTheme
FBI Agent Stansfield warns Giovanni: "You can't be who you were." The central theme of identity and whether people can truly change is introduced.
Worldbuilding
Establishment of the family dynamics: Maggie's violent response to shopkeeper insults, Belle navigating high school, Warren running scams, and Giovanni's inability to stop writing his memoir despite FBI warnings. Each family member struggles to suppress their true nature.
Disruption
Giovanni's memoir pages are discovered by Agent Stansfield, revealing he's been writing about his past despite strict orders not to. The memoirs could expose their location to Don Luchese, who wants Giovanni dead.
Resistance
Stansfield debates moving the family again but decides to give them one more chance. Meanwhile, each family member continues using their old methods in new situations: Maggie bombs the plumber's business, Warren builds a criminal network at school, Belle manipulates her teacher. The family debates whether they can ever truly change.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Giovanni is invited to show a classic mafia film at the local cultural center and chooses to fully engage with the community rather than hide. He actively decides to participate in town life, marking his commitment to this new world despite the risks.
Mirror World
Giovanni bonds with the townspeople at the film screening, finding genuine connection. This relationship with the community represents the possibility of redemption and acceptance—the life he could have if he truly changes.
Premise
The "fun and games" of a mafia family trying to live normal lives: Warren runs his school empire, Belle seduces then destroys her substitute teacher, Maggie joins social clubs while threatening locals, and Giovanni writes and becomes a local celebrity. The family enjoys using their skills in this small-town setting.
Midpoint
Don Luchese's men discover the family's location through Giovanni's memoir details that were leaked. What seemed like harmless memoir writing (false victory of community acceptance) becomes the mechanism of their exposure. The stakes are raised—the hunters are coming.
Opposition
The mafia closes in on Normandy while the family remains unaware. Stansfield grows increasingly concerned. The family's violent methods intensify (Belle's brutal tennis match, Warren's escalating schemes, Maggie's confrontations), drawing more attention. Their old life and new life are on collision course.
Collapse
The hit squad arrives in town and begins systematically killing anyone connected to the Manzoni family. The peaceful Norman town becomes a war zone. The family's dream of a normal life dies as violence erupts around them.
Crisis
The family scatters in panic and confusion. Giovanni faces the reality that his memoir—his attempt to tell his story, to matter—has destroyed everything. They must confront who they really are: not reformed citizens, but killers trying to hide.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
The family reunites and Giovanni realizes they can't run anymore. They must embrace their true nature—not to be normal, but to be who they are: a mafia family. They choose to fight back together using their old skills combined with their new community knowledge.
Synthesis
The family wages war against the hit squad through their small French town. Each member uses both their mafia expertise and their new community connections. Giovanni, Maggie, Belle, and Warren fight together, protecting each other and their adopted home. They defeat the assassins through family unity.
Transformation
The family sits together, bloodied but alive, in their French home. They haven't become normal—they've accepted who they are. Giovanni closes his memoir, no longer needing to justify his existence. They've found peace not through change, but through acceptance.