Vin Diesel’s cut sleeves and Dodge Charger are iconic staples in The Fast and Furious movies, but nothing is more sacred than when Vin Diesel says "family." Fast X recently premiered, and while the bombastic action stunts have grown more ludicrous, the core of the franchise is still about family. Dominic Toretto and his team of skilled drivers have achieved impossible stunts and turned enemies into friends within each movie. Due to the growing ensemble cast and the movies’ emphasis on family, one might wonder how many times Vin Diesel actually mentions the word "family" in every Fast and Furious movie.
The Fast and Furious franchise first revved its engine with 2001’s The Fast and the Furious, a modest tale about street racers. The film was so popular that it spawned a billion-dollar franchise with multiple sequels. With the passing of Paul Walker in 2013, the series has focused on Diesel’s Dominic Toretto and amplified the action to baffling heights. The past few movies have also stressed the importance of family so much that the Fast and Furious franchise spawned memes. Family is mentioned at least 77 times in the entire franchise, but Vin Diesel only says the word 13 times over ten movies.
Vin Diesel's The Fast & The Furious "Family" Count: 0
The Fast and the Furious started plenty of trends in the franchise, but Vin Diesel’s use of "family" isn’t one of them. Fast cars and furious drivers are on display, yet the family is still forming in the first entry. Ironically, family is mentioned by Dominic Toretto’s main antagonist in the movie, Johnny Tran. Tran claims Toretto is the reason police raided his house and disrespected his family. Perhaps Toretto embodied Johnny Tran’s values in later installments, and while Tran may seem dead, the Fast and Furious franchise refuses to truly kill off characters. Perhaps Tran can confront Dom about stealing his family values in a future sequel.
Vin Diesel's Fast & Furious "Family" Count: 0
After a sequel without Vin Diesel and a third movie with only a cameo, Diesel fully returns as Dominic Toretto in the aptly named Fast and Furious. But Vin Diesel still doesn’t mention family in the fourth outing. One scene that returns as a callback to the first is the communal dinners hosted by the Toretto family. In the middle of the explosions and punches, the barbecues with coronas have become the most grounded trope of the franchise. In the fourth movie’s dinner scene, Jordana Brewster’s Mia mentions how they should be thankful for their family. Mia’s reminder may be small, but it quickly grew in the next installments.
Vin Diesel's Fast Five "Family" Count: 3
Fast Five is when the action, stars, and story become heightened and more fun. Fast Five pushes the franchise into new territory where the laws of gravity no longer apply, and Vin Diesel finally says "family" not once but three times. With the inclusion of Dwayne Johnson and Gal Gadot, the fifth film also sees the return of multiple past cast members and finally unites them. One returning face is Matt Schulze as Vince, who is concerned that Dominic Toretto wants nothing to do with him after their botched heist in the first film. In his distinctly deep voice, Vin Diesel responds, "There’s always room for family."
Vin Diesel embraces family as the theme of the franchise, and it’s repeatedly referred to in Fast Five. When Dom’s sister Mia reveals she’s pregnant, the usually stoic Toretto smiles, hugs Brian and his sister Mia, and says, "Looks like my family just got bigger." Fast Five created a legacy by providing new roads for the franchise and committing itself to a cast of characters. By the end of the film, Toretto salutes his new "familia," confirming an ensemble for future films.
Vin Diesel's Fast & Furious 6 "Family" Count: 2
Fast and Furious 6 was a box office hit and included more talk about family than its predecessors. While Vin Diesel only mentions family two of the eleven times the word is used, the franchise cements the message that no one should mess with Dominic Toretto’s loved ones. Michelle Rodriguez returns as Letty, Dom’s ex-lover who suffers from amnesia and is now trained to kill Dom and his friends. Letty may be a threat to the group, but Dom insists that "you don’t turn your back on family, even when they do."
The primary villain in Fast and Furious 6 is Owen Shaw, the leader of a skilled mercenary group that steals high-tech devices. Shaw confronts Toretto and warns him to stay out of his way or else risk putting his family in danger. Vin Diesel’s Toretto then delivers one of his signature responses and tells Shaw to never threaten a man’s family.
Vin Diesel's Furious 7 "Family" Count: 4
Furious 7 is the last installment with Paul Walker’s Brian O’Conner, and the film provides a touching and fitting goodbye to the character and actor by emphasizing how they’re all family. After the death of Han in the last installment, Vin Diesel embodies the patriarchal role as the leader and protector of the group. Toretto fumes at Dwayne Johnson’s Hobbs for putting his family in danger, but the two iconic Diesel family quotes come from a tender moment with Walker’s O’Conner and a confrontation with Jason Statham’s villain.
In one of the last exchanges between Diesel and Walker on camera, they share an intimate conversation about family. Toretto informs Brian that out of all their action stunts, the bravest thing he’s seen Brian do is be a good husband and father, and what’s real is family. When confronting Furious 7’s antagonist Deckard Shaw, Deckard reveals he has aligned with Toretto’s enemies, and they’re now friends against Toretto and his team. In arguably the most quotable line in the franchise, Diesel’s Toretto responds with, "I don’t have friends, I got family." Furious 7 filmed scenes after Paul Walker's death and the mentions of family in this sequel felt especially poignant.
Vin Diesel's Fate Of The Furious "Family" Count: 3
Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto is torn between two families in Fate of the Furious. Charlize Theron plays Cipher, a cyberterrorist who holds Toretto’s ex-girlfriend Elena and his son Brian hostage. When Toretto tells Cipher he values family more than anything else, he’s forced to sabotage his own team to protect Elena and his son. Toretto and Letty agree to take in Little Brian after Elena’s death. While holding his son in a traditional family dinner ending, Diesel shares that he’s thankful for his family and to "never turn your back on family." There may be no coronas in Fast 8, but there is plenty of family.
Vin Diesel's F9 "Family" Count: 0
F9 sees its storyline and villains become more entwined as each character is seemingly related to another character. The film introduces John Cena as Jakob Toretto, Dominic’s estranged brother and foe in F9. Since Vin Diesel claimed to never turn your back on family in previous installments, Cena’s long-lost Jakob provides a baffling yet entertaining addition to the franchise. Diesel may never say "family" in F9, but a young Dominic Toretto does in a flashback showing Dom trying to comfort his brother Jakob after the death of their father. While Diesel doesn’t say "family" in F9, the family meme went viral after this ninth film.
Vin Diesel's Fast X "Family" Count: 1
Fast X reportedly has the largest "family" count yet, ranging from 22 to 29 uses. Jason Momoa’s flamboyant villain Dante is the culprit behind the largest "family" count. Dante consistently taunts Toretto by using Toretto’s belief in family against him. As Fast X’s team of heroes spends most of the movie separated and in hiding, Dante’s diabolical plan is seemingly succeeding until Diesel arrives in his classic 1970 Dodge Charger R/T. In his only use of the word in Fast X, Toretto tells Dante, "You will never be able to break my family." Vin Diesel may soon say goodbye to the Fast and Furious franchise, but family is forever.