Family Weekend is not quite what you think it will be. Yes it's simple. A teenage kid gets mad that her family isn't "normal" and then, like most teens, holds her parents hostage until they all love each other again. The premise is essentially a copy and paste from the 1996 Jamie Lee Curtis movie House Arrest, which is also very good by the way, with less action and energy and just a little more thought and intellect. I mistakenly assumed that it would be a PG movie like House Arrest, but Family Weekend is actually rated R. The R rating comes mainly from subject matter rather than vulgarity or violence.
There are so many quirky roles in this movie it's hard to know which ones to point out. Matthew Modine as "the dad" most definitely doesn't look like his usual clean and pretty self, but it's worth it because he gives a terrific performance that remarkably doesn't overburden the rest of the cast.
It's uncomfortable watching Joey King (portraying a 9 year old) pretend to be a hooker, especially when you realize she's Ramona Quimby from Ramona and Beezus! Her character is obsessed with acting so the concept gets a pass and in the end you realize what a good and fun performance it is.
Eddie Hassell as big brother Jackson is the most distracting. His performance is noticeably inferior compared to the entire cast. You do get used to him midway through, you just have to bear the embarrassment for the first half.
Kristin Chenoweth as "the mom" was good but I really wish Julie Bowen from Modern Family played this part. It's difficult to blend an uptight, career driven individual with comedy. Chenoweth did have funny parts, but Bowen is a better comedic actress and could have delivered more laughs.
There are so many lovable, relatable, and unique characters. Usually a cast with so much definition ends up feeling crowded and many times you feel like you didn't get enough; not in this case. There is no overwhelming ego hogging up the energy and if there was, then the director and editor did an amazing job covering it up.
On a scale of 1-10, Family Weekend is 8.0
with distinction: underrated.
Scene spotlights: Joey King, as Lucinda, at the dinner table and in the end outside of her house.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1821426/
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