Looking face value at ‘Family,’ Laura Steinel’s directorial debut, you can say that it is going to be a familiar movie. And yes, there are elements of the film that will feel very familiar – an overworked woman makes career her priority and doesn’t know what to do when asked to take care of her niece. But there are a lot of unique ideas in the film, and the warm fuzzy feeling you will feel at the end of the film doesn’t really feel so icky.

Maybe because Taylor Schilling absolutely slays in the role of Kate, who plays the said woman. Schilling absolutely nails the role, and you hate her here in a way that you will love her. And perhaps it also helps that her niece (played by Bryn Vale) wants to be a Jugaloo, and I have to admit that I didn’t know what that was until I saw the film. (For the record, that’s a fan of hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse)  Plus, Kate McKinnon gives an insanely funny performance as the nosy neighbor. All of this make the film instantly enjoyable, and really puts me out of the movie appreciation rut I have been feeling lately. I hope this film gets wider distribution and gets a wider market because people need to see this film.