SXSW 2026 | Movie Review: The Bacon Family Pay Gleefully Violent Tribute To Indie Horror Filmmakers In "Family Movie"
9/12 ForReel Score | 4/5 Stars
Kevin Bacon & Kyra Sedgwick’s Family Movie might send those who are still ranting and raving about “nepo babies” into a full blown spiral. This iconic Hollywood couple have banded together their two children to create a tribute to horror filmmaking. One may hear that and imagine a naval gazing dive into the “trials” of starring in glossy studio pictures opposite the love of your life but Bacon and Sedgwick have no interest in satirizing their own careers. This is a love letter to the indie filmmakers who never succeed but continue to go outside and shoot things that scare them for the love of the game. It is Ed Wood as a slasher flick.
Bacon plays Jack Smith. He’s the director and star of numerous low budget horror flicks that have mostly played in local festivals. Hollywood never called but he’s only mildly bitter about it. In fact, he’s relishing the opportunity to shoot Blood Moon in his own backyard. It will be the final film he shoots with his two children Ula (Sosie Bacon) and Trent (Travis Bacon) as they are both getting older and are starting to look for other opportunities. However, Jack’s wife Ellen (Sedgwick) is as loyal and invested in the filmmaking process as ever. A certified diva who throws herself into every scene as if she’s going to win an Oscar. During a long day she visits their ornery neighbor (John Carroll Lynch) who becomes agressive and sexually threatning when told that they’re going to continue shooting through the night. In self defense, Ellen pushes him to the ground and he breaks his back falling onto the dishwasher. She then decides “enough already!” and finishes the job by stabbing him multiple times in the head. As the production limps toward a night shoot that will utilize the titular moon, Ellen attempts to cover her tracks but quickly finds herself drawn to eliminating other nuisances in her life.
The entire Bacon family may star in Family Movie but make no mistake - this is Kyra Sedgwick’s show. Ula tips us off early on that Ellen can be hard to deal with. She is currently hiding that she’s booked a lead role on a network TV series because her manager is a former rival. Sedgwick is so manically funny once she decides to let that pettiness fly loud and proud. Ellen has decided that all of her inconveniences end today. Such a sweet demeanor that becomes disturbingly joyful when she decides to kill again. Jack is a much more grounded character. Passionate about his work but also lucid about his life situation. In fact, he’s more stressed about the money he owes to a mysterious loan shark than he is about anything related to Blood Moon. Even if he doesn’t get material as lively as Sedgwick’s best scenes, Kevin is reliably charming. Sosie also continues to be a compelling presence in a much less serious role than her turn in Smile. She very wisely does not pull from either of her parents’ screen personas, which only fuels the notion that Ula should get the chance to break away. Travis is a bit of a weak link. Super standard angsty emo who wants to go to the dive bar with his screamo band. He’s also having an affair with one of the few production employees (Liza Koshy) that completely derails the film’s momentum whenever we are forced to listen to them. It’s okay, most people have at least one kid too many. Celebrities - they’re just like us.
Family Movie is at its’ most entertaining when it is existing at some divine intersection between The Studio and Serial Mom. It is a delight to watch the stressful on-set machinations of an indie film shooting on a quaint family farm. Jackie Earle Haley scores several big laughs as a SAG day player caught in the spiral. During the very first Blood Moon scene we see, he slams his head into a rig that is too low and injures himself. He later struggles to get his hospital visit reimbursed by Jack. The character is also named Jackie and he plays it with an air of “do you know who I am, I was Roarshach in Watchmen” that is just delicious. Meanwhile, Sedgwick is running around goring people, and all of those confrontational kills are satisfying. Once the kids become more privy to Ellen’s deeds, Family Movie does start to run in place instead of escalating. They’re only partially shocked by her behavior. Perhaps deep down they saw it coming. As such, we skip the genuine and emotional tension that could’ve come from her kids grieving the loss of the person who raised them. Everybody shifts into glib problem solving mode and we just wait until their scheme falls apart. Thankfully, this clearly well trodden family banter remains funny the entire time and a bit creepy in its sheer glibness.
Many movies about filmmaking are for cinefiles. Family Movie will likely appeal most to those who have spent their lives working union jobs on movie sets - people who have seen a million of these disasters play out and still smile on their way to the next one. The ones who may not love Hollywood, but making movies is their favorite thing. It’s also so consistently funny that anyone who is willing to laugh at twisted family dynamics will get a kick out of it. We must embrace that film is a generational business. It is a joy to watch the Bacon family act together while they are all still here. Perhaps we can get Ethan and Maya Hawke for the sequel.