First, kudos to Matt K. Turner who created this wonderful group of characters. The film opens with everything pristine white, neat and orderly. It is an ideal household on the surface. This world quickly falls apart as we discover the family has drifted apart. The family cast of characters:Dad (Matthew Modine) is a has-been artist. He smokes pot and sleeps a lot. He is a 60's hippie type.Mom (Kristin Chenoweth) is the family bread winner. She is a workaholic and the least likeable of the family.Emily (Olesya Rulin) is the centerpiece to this tale. She jumps rope competitively and would love some family support.Jack (Eddie Hassell) is the older son who describes himself as a "raging homosexual." He makes short features for the Internet and wants to be called "Thor."Lucy (Joey King) is my favorite. She loves movies and fancies herself an actress. When we first meet her she has immersed herself into "Iris" the child prostitute from "Taxi."Mickey (Robbie Tucker) is the introverted young son who memorizes every spoken word. No one ever questions his memory.Grandma Gale or GG (Shirley Jones) is The father's mother and doesn't get along with his wife. She is somewhat New Age in this film.When everyone in the family missed Emily's semi-final jump rope competition she is upset and devises an over the top plan to force her parents to act like parents. I was laughing out loud over the antics and at Lucy.Joey King was fantastic as she assumed multiple film roles, none of which any parent would allow a nine year old to watch. At the end, the film then shifts to heart warming mode as do most indie comedies.Parental Guide: 1 f-bomb, no sex or nudity. Sex talk.

"If a family doesn't stick together, sometimes you have to use a little tape."Family Weekend is a small indie comedy that didn't receive much attention after its limited release and I can understand why. This isn't a good film and I shouldn't have liked it as much as I did, but to be honest I did laugh during several scenes and it had one of those feel good endings that leave you with a smile on your face. The real reason why I'm giving this film a passing grade is because I really enjoyed the lead performance from Olesya Rulin and the supporting role from the young Joey King who was hilarious. This is the fourth film I've seen her in this year (the others being The Conjuring, Oz: The Great and Powerful, and White House Down) and this was her best role by far. Family Weekend is worth watching even if it's for her performance alone because she was just hysterical. I was going to describe this as a family film, but after seeing that it got an R rating I can understand why because it does take some dark turns. At first I thought this was going to be some sort of remake of House Arrest, and despite borrowing a similar premise, screenwriter Matt Turner kind of gives it its own spin. I do have to say however that some of the characters in this film are extremely unlikable (especially the mother played Kristin Chenoweth) and almost took me out of the film. Director Benjamin Epps could have used a stronger script, but overall his film had its entertaining moments despite being unbalanced and a bit overlong. Family Weekend is a formulaic comedy that does take some unpredictable and dark turns at times, and I actually ended up enjoying this. Emily (Olesya Rulin) is an uptight 16 year old girl who is passionate about jump-roping and after winning a competition at regionals she is disappointed that no one from her family shows up. When she gets home we meet them while she confronts each one for not going to cheer her. First there is her younger sister, Lucinda (Joey King), who is obsessed with acting and is currently playing the Jodie Foster role from Taxi Driver. Then there is her artistic father, Duncan (Matthew Modine), who is working on a painting and is so self absorbed by it that he had no idea that she was competing. Her brother, Jackson (Eddie Hassell) is also trying to become an artist like his father trying to find his way. Then there is her younger brother Mickey (Robbie Tucker) who is obsessed with animals and is always citing trivial things about them. Finally we are introduced to Emily's mother, Samantha (Kristin Chenoweth), who is an uptight businesswoman. Everyone seems so disconnected from each other and self absorbed, so Emily decides that an intervention needs to take place. She drugs her parents and ties them up in their home like hostages because she feels it's the only way she can get through to them. This is where the insanity ensues as she tries to fix her dysfunctional family.Dealing with dysfunctional families has sort of become a trend in Hollywood and it isn't unfamiliar territory. We've seen some of these characters before in other films and the film does fall into generic clichés at times. Family Weekend still remains fresh thanks to the performances from the young cast, and it also happens to have some heart. The scenery in this film is gorgeous and the house where most of the story takes place also looks really good, so this is a pretty nice film to look at. It does feel unbalanced at times and the characters are hard to like, but overall we get through some of these unbalanced moments thanks to some comedic relief coming mostly from Joey King. Some of the familiar roles she plays in this film from highly acclaimed movies were the highlight for me. Rulin was also great in this film and I will be looking forward to what she does next. She truly was a freak queen here. The film does try to explore some deep issues during some dramatic turns although only scratching the surface and then continuing to return to the classic comedic elements. I had a good time although I admit I'm on the minority here and I fully understand why.

Having watched this twice now, I loved it even more the second time.The lead actress is extraordinary. The rest of the cast are inspired and committed. There are some shots that are beautiful, and it also makes some sense of all the crazy.A unique film, it made me laugh out loud, and it made me cry.I also loved the score.The Rope Jumping element was fantastic, and made me appreciate even more how much work she put into the role. Entirely believable.Also, the sister was hilarious, and somewhat reminiscent of Chloe Moretz first roles.And as always, Kristin Chenoweth was brilliant. LOVE that woman.Emotionally, it made me think about families, and about how relevant it was to my own, and many others, upbringing. Because Love.Loved it, will be looking for more from the writer, director and Olesya Rulin.

And what should family mean? No family is "perfect." We have hard times that can change the coarse of life. Family is love. In it's own twisted way sometimes. Family Weekend shows us that we, as a family, can fall apart really fast and never notice. That we can say things to siblings that can be really hurtful and never give a second thought. The point is to all ways come back no matter what. Because no one is perfect but it's up to us to make a difference in ones life. Family Weekend shows us that sometimes we have to go the extra mile to prove that someone is wrong and that we ether have to "fix" it or "save" it no matter what the costs. We have to accept the card we've been dealt even if that means some screaming and mental pain for a couple days. Because we have to stick it out. Because if we don't...what would family really be? I highly suggest this movie for anyone who has had family problems or is going through them. It's an encouragement in it's own way.