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Dysfunctional family movies

There is a specific comedy, and a specific horror, in being trapped at a table with people who know exactly which nerve to press. These films run that from the affectionate end to the genuinely alarming one. Recommended viewing shortly before, or shortly after, seeing your own relatives.

Little Miss Sunshine
2006 · dir. Jonathan Dayton
🍅 91%7.8comedy · drama

A family loaded with quirky, colorful characters piles into an old van and road trips to California for little Olive to compete in a beauty pageant.

The Royal Tenenbaums
2001 · dir. Wes Anderson
🍅 81%7.6comedy · drama

Royal Tenenbaum and his wife Etheline had three children and then they separated. All three children are extraordinary --- all geniuses. Virtually all memory of the brilliance of the young Tenenbaums was subsequently erased by two decades of betrayal, failure, and disaster. Most of this was generally considered to be their father's fault. "The Royal Tenenbaums" is the story of the family's sudden, unexpected reunion one recent winter.

Knives Out
2019 · dir. Rian Johnson
🍅 97%7.9comedy · crime · mystery

When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc is mysteriously enlisted to investigate. From Harlan's dysfunctional family to his devoted staff, Blanc sifts through a web of red herrings and self-serving lies to uncover the truth behind Harlan's untimely death.

Everything Everywhere All at Once
2022 · dir. Daniel Scheinert
🍅 93%7.7action · adventure · science fiction

An aging Chinese immigrant is swept up in an insane adventure, where she alone can save what's important to her by connecting with the lives she could have led in other universes.

Lady Bird
2017 · dir. Greta Gerwig
🍅 99%7.4drama · comedy

Lady Bird McPherson, a strong willed, deeply opinionated, artistic 17 year old comes of age in Sacramento. Her relationship with her mother and her upbringing are questioned and tested as she plans to head off to college.

Silver Linings Playbook
2012 · dir. David O. Russell
🍅 92%7.7drama · comedy · romance

After losing his job and wife, and spending time in an institution, a former teacher winds up living with his parents. He wants to rebuild his life and reconcile with his wife, but his father would be happy if he shared his obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles. Things get complicated when he meets Tiffany Maxwell who offers to help him reconnect with his wife if he will do something very important for her in exchange.

The Fighter
2010 · dir. David O. Russell
🍅 91%7.8drama

Boxer "Irish" Micky Ward's unlikely road to the world light welterweight title. His Rocky-like rise was shepherded by half-brother Dicky, a boxer-turned-trainer who rebounded in life after nearly being KO'd by drugs and crime.

Captain Fantastic
2016 · dir. Matt Ross
🍅 82%7.8drama · comedy

Deep in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, a father devoted to raising his six kids with a rigorous physical and intellectual education is forced to leave his paradise and enter the world, beginning a journey that challenges his idea of what it means to be a parent.

Encanto
2021 · dir. Byron Howard
7.2animation · comedy · family

The tale of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia, in a magical house, in a vibrant town, in a wondrous, charmed place called an Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family—every child except one, Mirabel. But when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is in danger, Mirabel decides that she, the only ordinary Madrigal, might just be her exceptional family's last hope.

Manchester by the Sea
2016 · dir. Kenneth Lonergan
🍅 96%7.8drama

After his older brother passes away, Lee Chandler is forced to return home to care for his 16-year-old nephew. There he is compelled to deal with a tragic past that separated him from his family and the community where he was born and raised.

Marriage Story
2019 · dir. Noah Baumbach
🍅 95%7.9drama

A stage director and an actress struggle through a grueling, coast-to-coast divorce that pushes them to their personal extremes.

American Beauty
1999 · dir. Sam Mendes
🍅 87%8.3drama

Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after developing an infatuation with his daughter's attractive friend.

Boyhood
2014 · dir. Richard Linklater
🍅 97%7.9drama

The film tells a story of a divorced couple trying to raise their young son. The story follows the boy for twelve years, from first grade at age 6 through 12th grade at age 17-18, and examines his relationship with his parents as he grows.

Magnolia
1999 · dir. Paul Thomas Anderson
🍅 82%8drama

On one random day in the San Fernando Valley, a dying father, a young wife, a male caretaker, a famous lost son, a police officer in love, a boy genius, an ex-boy genius, a game show host and an estranged daughter will each become part of a dazzling multiplicity of plots, but one story.

Meet the Parents
2000 · dir. Jay Roach
🍅 85%7comedy · romance

Greg Focker is ready to marry his girlfriend, Pam, but before he pops the question, he must win over her formidable father, humorless former CIA agent Jack Byrnes, at the wedding of Pam's sister. As Greg bends over backward to make a good impression, his visit to the Byrnes home turns into a hilarious series of disasters, and everything that can go wrong does, all under Jack's critical, hawklike gaze.

Big Fish
2003 · dir. Tim Burton
🍅 76%8adventure · fantasy · drama

Throughout his life Edward Bloom has always been a man of big appetites, enormous passions and tall tales. In his later years, he remains a huge mystery to his son, William. Now, to get to know the real man, Will begins piecing together a true picture of his father from flashbacks of his amazing adventures.

Parasite
2019 · dir. Bong Joon Ho
🍅 99%8.5comedy · thriller · drama

All unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.

Hereditary
2018 · dir. Ari Aster
🍅 90%7.3horror · mystery · thriller

Following the death of the Leigh family matriarch, Annie and her children uncover disturbing secrets about their heritage. Their daily lives are not only impacted, but they also become entangled in a chilling fate from which they cannot escape, driving them to the brink of madness.

Every title above links to its kindred spirits. Find the one you love, then follow the thread. Or browse the mood behind this shelf: witty, melancholy.