F is for Family Review

By Matt Fowler

As the latest cog in Netflix’s ever-expanding original programming slate, which is set to double in 2016, Bill Burr’s animated shout-fest, the just-debuted F is For Family, definitely works to make itself heard. Following the miserable 1973 exploits of the “no steps forward, two steps back” Murphy family – a dysfunctional Rustbelt suburban quintet – the series pulls no punches when it comes to portraying, to a heightened degree, just how different family life was forty years go.

Voicing blue collar patriarch Frank, Burr channels the anger and frustrations of his own father. Or – you know – “many fathers” back then. Yes, the obnoxious emotional abuse flows freely in the Murphy household as Frank is besieged every day by a life of discontent. With no blessing good enough to notice and no inconvenience small enough to ignore, Frank’s a perpetual powder keg of rage and – as he’d put it – “emotion.”

And while it might not seem like it, there is humor in that. Like the Norman Lear comedies of the 70s, Frank’s cantankerous, hostile attitude was definitely an element of those less-PC times. And yet, it also manages to remain somewhat relevant in that there will always be “the dream deferred.” There will always be those made miserable by the choices they’ve made, or the lack of choices their life has provided. And so Burr shines a spotlight on that particular “everyone else has got it better than us” stance that can cripple a family. And there are some particularly funny moments. A lot – A LOT – of screaming, but laughing too.

At only six episodes, one might thing F is for Family would be an easy show to binge, but the sheer rage and explosiveness of Frank can sometimes be hard to endure for multiple episodes in a row. Because it’s a torrent of trash talk. And very loud. Not that the tirades don’t also lead into humor, but from a sheer noise standpoint, it can border on overload. Fans of Burr’s standup may not mind so much, as this is also the comedian’s stage volume most of the time, but some might take umbrage with the actual abundance of vulgarity. Which seems to increase along with the episode count.

Helping the show a great deal though is the fact that there’s an ongoing arc involving Frank’s job and a potential airline strike that he’s caught in the middle of. Making him even more of a stressed-out wreck at home. Also, wife Sue (Laura Dern) adds to Frank’s torment by considering a part time job of her own, creating one more thing in his life that he can’t control. The irony here being that the more Frank screams at the people in his life that he loves in order to control them, the more everything spirals into chaos.

Burr nails the specifics here and assuredly presents us with a confident, unique premise. There’s no mistaking F is for Family. It’s truly its own thing. As mentioned, it owes a lot to comedies like All in the Family and Good Times (and even early FOX-era Married with Children), but still comes across as very specific recollections from a very funny man’s formative years. Whether Burr’s showing you some of the root causes of Frank’s rage (even the “Come and Get Your Love” opening credits take you on a journey of disappointment) or the traumatic moments suffered by any one of his three kids, there’s a nightmarish nostalgia at play here.

Young skittish Bill (Haley Reinhart), the middle child of Frank and Sue, experiences his fair share of “can’t unsee” moments of childhood terror – providing some of the series’ best laughs. Whether it’s the emotional damage caused by having to go to a football stadium restroom alone (vomitous urine troughs, all sorts of scarring sights, etc) or the terror of seeing his parents have sex (from a very unfavorable angle), Bill is the punching bag of the family. Not literally, as Frank actually never lifts a finger to his kids, but emotionally. Not that he doesn’t get physically hurt though (neighborhood bully, older brother, nothing to do outdoors except play with dangerous, jagged trash) as another aspect of the show is how unprotected kids were back then. Whether it was your feelings or your face, you were going to experience pain.

Rounding out the clan is youngest Maureen (Debi Derryberry) and stoner/delinquent/prog-rock lover Kevin (Justin Long) – the oldest (at 14), and ground zero for many of Frank’s most serious squabbles. An unglued teenager suffering under the weight of is dad’s own drama. Again, this is a comedy. Though it’s a rough one. Like the outdoor games that kids played back then. It’s a “you gotta laugh or you’re gonna cry” type deal. Because when left alone, any of the Murphys, at any moment, could easily just break down in tears. And often do. And that’s when the show usually kicks them when they’re down.

Yes, there are wins here and there. Moments when the Murphys are able to bond for a while and appreciate each other. Or, in the very least, sit in silence and watch TV (Frank’s favorite cop show, naturally – Colt Luger). There is love underneath it all, even though more often than not they all feel like they’re just stuck with each other.

Tonally, the series needs some work. There’s potential here, but sometimes the show plays out like a straight drama (with dark humor, sure) while other times it gets a little absurdist. Like something out of FOX’s The Critic. Disparate styles that don’t gel all that well. The supporting voice cast (which includes David Koechner, Kevin Michael Richardson and Gary Cole) does good work, but it’s Sam Rockwell’s “Owen Wilson”-esque neighbor, Vic, that shines brightest. As the kind, all-loving, responsibility-free playboy who Frank resents most in life, Vic gets to provide one of the show’s sweetest and most sentimental beats, right at the end, letting Frank know the distorted way he views his own family might just be a funhouse mirror trickery.