“Family Pack” is a fun adventure movie about a family who accidentally time travels while trying to play a card game called Werewolves. The game is a role-playing one where each person gets a card with a role assigned to them. Jerome, the father, wants to bring his family together by playing this game because it was something he used to play as a child. However, his father, Gilbert, is struggling with memory issues, possibly Alzheimer’s, and can’t even remember the rules of the game, or even Jerome’s name. Despite this, Jerome still hopes his family will join him.
Jerome gives out the cards to everyone. He becomes the “seer,” Gilbert is the “hunter,” Clara, Jerome’s elder daughter, gets the role of the “little girl,” and Theo, the son, is a “thief.” However, we don’t get to see what roles Jerome’s wife Marie and youngest daughter Louise (Loulou) receive because the family gets distracted before the game can start. Clara leaves for a live stream, Gilbert takes a nap, and Louise complains that she’s hungry. This ruins the game before it even starts.
Jerome, frustrated, locks the game away. But as he turns the werewolf piece in the center of the game, something strange happens. The ground shakes like an earthquake, and everyone is forced to take cover. Afterward, things take a surprising turn.
What happens after the earthquake-like situation?
The family hides in a bunker inside Gilbert’s house. When they come out, they discover that Clara has disappeared. Marie, the mother, suggests they go to the nearby village where a festival is happening, thinking they might find answers there. However, once they step outside, they realize that everything looks different. This should have been their first clue that something strange has happened. But they head to the festival anyway, hoping for more information.
When they arrive at the festival, they notice everyone is wearing 15th-century clothes. That’s when they realize they have time traveled back to the year 1497, and they are now stuck inside the Werewolves game. The family even witnesses a real execution, which terrifies them, and they rush back home, only to find that Clara has become invisible! This means that the powers they got from the game have come to life.
What are the family members’ powers in 1497?
The house they return to belongs to one of Gilbert’s ancestors, who is accused of being a wizard and is about to be burned at the stake. Because of this connection, the knights think the family is a group of witches and wizards too. But Jerome quickly thinks on his feet and tells the knights they are a group of traveling entertainers called “The Minstrettes.” He even impresses the sheriff by playing a lute he finds in the house, convincing them they are just musicians.
Interestingly, Gilbert, who was struggling with his memory in the present, remembers everything clearly now that they’ve time traveled. Maybe it’s because he’s playing the “hunter” role, or it’s just the magic of the game that brings out his true self.
As night falls, the villagers are sent home because werewolves roam the village at night. This is when the family discovers that Loulou, the youngest daughter, has turned into a werewolf! Gilbert uses his hunter powers to hold her down and prevent her from attacking anyone. At the same time, Jerome can hear people’s thoughts, Theo learns he can shapeshift by stealing objects, and Clara remains invisible.
What do the family members’ powers mean?
The family members’ powers mirror their personal struggles and wishes:
Gilbert feels weak in his current life, so in 1497, he becomes a strong hunter. Clara, who fears being ignored in a world focused on social media, literally turns invisible. Theo, searching for who he really is, gains the power to shapeshift, reflecting this journey. Jerome, who has trouble understanding his family, gets the ability to read minds. Loulou, wanting attention, transforms into a werewolf. It’s also revealed that Clara is actually Jerome’s daughter from a previous marriage, while Theo is Marie’s son. Jerome and Marie had Loulou together. These family relationships add complexity to how they interact.
How can they return to the present?
Gilbert suddenly remembers an important rule of the game: if they kill all the werewolves, they can return to the present. There are four werewolf cards, but this poses a dilemma—one of the werewolves is Loulou. How can they return home without harming her?
Their plan is interrupted by the arrival of an intruder named Piero, an Italian man who overhears their conversation about being from the future. Piero seems friendly, and the family allows him to help Clara regain her visibility by making a new skin for her out of a rubber-like material. However, Piero’s true identity is revealed later in the film.
Does the family face any challenges in the village?
As the family tries to figure out who the other werewolves are, Marie, who is a lawyer in the real world, notices a woman being beaten by her husband. Outraged, she intervenes, showing the villagers that she can read and write—something unheard of in 1497. Worse, she talks about divorce, which shocks the villagers. This leads to Marie being captured and sentenced to be burned at the stake alongside Gilbert’s ancestor.
Jerome comes up with another plan to save his wife. He uses his lute to perform a song, distracting the villagers long enough to help Marie escape. With teamwork, the family manages to flee.
Piero then directs them to hide in a church, where he’s built a secret tunnel accessible by a code. However, just as they are about to escape, a werewolf appears.
What happens during the final werewolf battle?
The werewolf that drops in turns out to be the sheriff’s wife. The sheriff has a special power as “Cupid,” meaning if his wife dies, he dies too. This makes the situation even more complicated.
At this point, Loulou’s headphones, which had been preventing her from turning into a werewolf, run out of charge, and she transforms. Jerome and Marie sing to her, helping Loulou remember who she really is. She tries to fight the older werewolf, but the werewolf overpowers her.
Just as it seems all hope is lost, Marie’s love for her daughter gives her the strength to unlock her own powers as a witch. She defeats the older werewolf and brings Loulou back to her human form. The family’s cards appear in their hands, signaling that the game is about to end.
What is the movie’s ending about?
In the end, the family says goodbye to Gilbert’s ancestor and Piero, who is revealed to be Leonardo da Vinci! Jerome tells the family to buy everything Piero paints, hinting at future fame.
The family places their cards back into the game, and they return to the present day. Gilbert, once again, has lost most of his memories. He questions whether he’s losing his mind because he remembers knights and werewolves, but the family reassures him.
Gilbert hands Jerome a letter he wrote in 1497, thanking him for allowing him to be “normal” again, even if it was only for a short time. The movie ends with a humorous twist—the Mona Lisa now resembles Jerome, thanks to Piero’s affection for him.
“Family Pack” is ultimately a movie about family bonds. While everyone in the family is focused on their own struggles, it takes a crisis to bring them together. The movie shows how each family member’s unique strengths contribute to solving problems, just like in real life. It also emphasizes that by listening to each other, families can become closer and stronger.