Dysfunctional Family Films

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This Thanksgiving may be the first in a long time where you won’t be able to go to the typical large family gathering. Celebrating at home by yourself can be quiet and subdued, so in celebration of all the drama that bringing the whole family together can lead to, we at the library have put together a list of films that will allow you to enjoy all the arguing and meltdowns without being personally involved. These dysfunctional family films will remind you how great it is to not have everyone gathered around another burned turkey and be happy that you and your bottle of wine can laugh in peace.

 

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This is Where I Leave You (2014) Rated R

When their father passes away, four grown, world-weary siblings return to their childhood home and forced to sit shiva for a week, along with their free-speaking mother and a collection of spouses, exes and might-have-beens. As the brothers and sisters re-examine their shared history and the status of each tattered relationship among those who know and love them best, they reconnect in hysterically funny and emotionally significant ways. Watch the trailer here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Little Miss Sunshine (2006) Rated R

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The Hoover family puts the fun back in dysfunctional by piling into a VW bus and heading to California to support a daughter in her bid to win the Little Miss Sunshine Contest. The sanity of everyone involved is stretched to the limit as the group's quirks cause epic problems as they travel along their interstate route. Watch the trailer here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Crazy Rich Asians (2018) Rated PG-13

Rachel Chu is happy to accompany her longtime boyfriend, Nick, to his best friend's wedding in Singapore. She's also surprised to learn that Nick's family is extremely wealthy and he's considered one of the country's most eligible bachelors. Thrust into the spotlight, Rachel must now contend with jealous socialites, quirky relatives and something far, far worse; Nick's disapproving mother. Watch the trailer here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everybody’s Fine (2009) Rated PG-13

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Eight months after the death of his wife, Frank Goode looks forward to a reunion with his four adult children. When all of them cancel their visits at the last minute, Frank, against the advice of his doctor, sets out on a road trip to reconnect with his offspring. As he visits each one in turn, Frank finds that his children's lives are not quite as picture-perfect as they've made them out to be. Watch the trailer here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Nothing Like the Holidays (2008) Rated PG-13 2008

It's the Christmas season, and the scattered members of the Rodriguez family converge on their parents' Chicago home to celebrate. But, no family gathering is without its strife. Brother Jesse still pines for an old girlfriend, eldest brother Mauricio now has a high-powered wife who is more interested in career than children, and matriarch Anna drops a bombshell when she announces her intention to divorce her children's father. Watch the trailer here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soul Food (1997) Rated R

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When Ahmad Simmons' diabetic grandmother, Josephine "Big Mama" Joseph, falls into a coma during an operation to amputate her leg, it throws the Joseph family into chaos. Ahmad watches as his mother, Maxine, and aunts Teri and Tracy struggle to adjust to the family matriarch's sudden absence, fall into old rivalries, share memories, and work to maintain the long-standing tradition of Sunday family dinners. Watch the trailer here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Cry-Baby (1990) Rated PG-13

Centered on a group of delinquents who call themselves as "drapes" and turf war with the rest of the town and the "squares" in 1950s Baltimore, Maryland. "Cry-Baby" Walker, a drape, and Allison, a square, create upheaval and turmoil in their little town of Baltimore by breaking the subculture taboos and falling in love. The young couple has to overcome to be together and how their actions affect the rest of the town while they try and sing out their differences. Watch the trailer here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Knives Out (2019) Rated PG-13

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The circumstances surrounding the death of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey are mysterious, but there's one thing that renowned Detective Benoit Blanc knows for sure -- everyone in the wildly dysfunctional Thrombey family is a suspect. Now, Blanc must sift through a web of lies and red herrings to uncover the truth. Watch the trailer here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Family (2013) Rated R

After ratting out his Mafia cohorts, Giovanni Manzioni and his family enter the Witness Protection Program and relocate to a French town. Despite the best efforts of their handler to keep them in line, Giovanni, his wife and children can't help but resort to doing things the "family" way. However, their dependence on such old habits places everyone in danger from vengeful mobsters. Watch the trailer here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home for the Holidays (1995) Rated PG-13

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When her teenage daughter opts out of Thanksgiving, single mother Claudia Larson travels alone to her childhood home for an explosive holiday dinner with her dysfunctional family. Claudia quickly tires of her parents, her long-suffering sister, her snobby brother-in-law and her nutty aunt. But the evening gets interesting when sparks fly between Claudia and her brother's handsome friend Leo Fish. Watch the trailer here.

By AshleyA on May 14, 2021