The Misfortunates (Dutch: De Helaasheid der Dingen) is a 2009 Belgian comedy-drama film directed by Felix Van Groeningen.

The men of this family spend their days drinking beer and eating sausage, breaking things, playing pranks on people, and chasing women.

The chief film critic of The New York Times, Manohla Dargis, wrote: "The revelation of the adult Gunther’s thinking and being – he’s callous, near brutal to his girlfriend – is extremely well managed and shows just how subtle this loud, seemingly rough tale really is.

"[1] Variety described the film as starting out as an "extremely lowbrow comedy" but later "morphing into a bittersweet meditation on whether familial love and pride are enough to sustain a proper upbringing.

"[3] LA Weekly compared the film to mixing "the visual exuberance of Trainspotting with the familial pathos of Angela’s Ashes".