Family Pack Parent Guide
The ultimate family game night.
Parent Movie Review
While visiting his aging father (Jean Reno), Jerome (Franck Dubosc) insists that the family play a game of Werewolf, a classic party game where players act out different parts while trying to find werewolves. But the family isn’t all that interested, as they each have other things they’d rather be doing.
Then an earthquake shakes things up: the family find themselves in 1497, in a village being terrorized by werewolves. In order to get home, the family will have to play their parts and find all the fanged and clawed attackers, without being accused of lycanthropy themselves.
Family Pack is one of those films that kept me thinking for all the wrong reasons. I wasn’t focused on the plot; I was trying to figure out who on earth was supposed to watch it. Netflix is advertising this as a family film, and although it’s plenty silly, the film contains enough negative content to earn a TV-14 rating. I should point out that almost all of the negative material could have been left out with no effect on the overall plot, but this is a French production and French cinema famously takes a much more laissez-faire attitude to family entertainment.
I like the basic premise of the film, which generates some fun moments, but the plot is stretched very thin, resulting in slow pacing and too many repetitive scenes. I was bored, and I’m sure most other viewers will be as well. The writers seem to have been torn between being silly and serious, and they end up with a mismatched tone that feels messy and inconsistent. There are also some cringy scenes where characters try to push modern values on the medieval villagers, which comes across as annoying rather than empowering.
All that said, I’ve definitely seen far worse films, so I wouldn’t go so far as to say no one should watch this one. I just don’t know who to recommend it to, as it’s too scary for young children, but too boring for teens and adults. You’d probably be better off playing an actual game of Werewolf rather than watching this film: at least you’ll be entertained.
Directed by François Uzan. Starring Franck Dubosc, Suzanne Clément, Jean Reno. Running time: 94 minutes. Theatrical release October 23, 2024. Updated October 24, 2024
Watch the trailer for Family Pack
Family Pack
Rating & Content Info
Why is Family Pack rated TV-14? Family Pack is rated TV-14 by the MPAA for fear and language.
Violence: A man is beheaded in the town square, not shown on screen, but blood splatters onto the crowd. Characters are threatened with being beheaded, tortured, and burned at the stake. Werewolves attack villagers. Characters fight hand to hand. A man is shot with an arrow. There are discussions of domestic violence.
Sexual Content: A married couple kiss. A woman describes a man reaching up her blouse in a fake scenario.
Profanity: The script contains seven mild expletives and two terms of deity.
Alcohol / Drug Use: As a running joke, adults tease a teenager that he’s on drugs.
Page last updated October 24, 2024
Family Pack Parents' Guide
How do the family learn to work together? How does this contrast with the beginning of the film?
Loved this movie? Try these books…
Kind-hearted werewolves and strong pro-diversity messages are in the forefront in Cara Cusack’s Stella and the Werewolves. This picture book is geared at elementary school readers.
Kids who want a scare can turn to R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series and The Werewolf of Fever Swamp.
Tweens and teens can combine historical fiction and werewolf lore in Silver in the Blood. In this 19th century tale by Jessica Day George, two cousins travel to the family home in Romania, only to learn that their heritage includes both werewolves and vampires…and treachery. These readers will also enjoy Autumn Awakening by Macy Morrows, a tale of werewolves and vampires and a girl trying to fend them off.
Home Video
Related home video titles:
There are better options for family time travel films. In the animated adventure Extinct, two 19th century creatures accidentally travel to the 21st century, only to learn that their species is no more. The Adam Projectfeatures a bizarre family reunion when a young boy works with his future self and his late father to save the future. A young orphan, desperate to find his parents, winds up making a gadget that accidentally sends him into the future in Meet the Robinsons. A clever boy and his equally clever dog take trips through time in the animated story Mr. Peabody & Sherman.Eighties kids (and their kids) all recognize and often recite the classic scenes in Back to the Future, the story of a teenager desperate to get home after he’s inadvertently sent back to the 1950s.
Werewolf stories aren’t usually family friendly, but there are a few exceptions. The best of the bunch is Wolfwalkers, a beautifully animated story set in 17th century Ireland and featuring a girl who can transform into a wolf.. Zombies 2and Zombies 3are set in a high school attended by zombies and werewolves and offer strong messages about diversity and inclusion. Waiting to turn into a werewolf, Freddy is appalled to transform into a poodle in 100% Wolf, an overstuffed but kid-safe animated film.