The 55+ Best R-Rated Family Drama Movies

Ranker Film
Updated August 26, 2023 2.1K votes 94 voters
Over 90 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The 55+ Best R-Rated Family Drama Movies
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List of R-Rated family drama movies, ranked from best to worst with movie trailers when available. This list takes the best R-Rated family drama movies and pits them against each other to see once and for all what the greatest R-Rated Family Drama movie of all time is. This list of popular R-Rated family drama movies includes information like who directed the film, when it was released and which actors starred in the movie. If you think the top R-Rated Family Drama movie isn't as high as it should be then be sure to vote it up so it can take its rightful place among the other great R-Rated Family Drama films on this list. If you're trying to find a specific R-Rated Family Drama film you can search this list and filter to find what you're looking for.

You can rank all of these movies, from There Will Be Blood to Legends of the Fall.

If you're trying to find out "What are the best R-Rated family drama movies?" and "What are the most famous R-Rated family drama movies?" then this list is the perfect resource for you.

Use this list if you're looking for some new family drama movies that are rated R. Between Netflix, Hulu and other services there are thousands of great family drama movies rated R, so get out there and start watching.

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Robert Redford and Sean Penn have both directed a R Family Drama film, as have other really creative and talented directors.

Most divisive: Reign Over Me
Ranked by
  • There Will Be Blood
    1

    There Will Be Blood

    Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Kevin J. O'Connor
    29 votes
    • Released: 2007
    • Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson
    Set amidst the rugged American West landscape, There Will Be Blood unfolds as a historical drama of epic proportions. At its core is Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis), a silver miner turned oil prospector, consumed by his insatiable thirst for wealth and power. A chance encounter leads him to a small town sitting atop an ocean of oil. As he exploits the land, his pursuit clashes with Eli Sunday's (Paul Dano), a charismatic preacher. The movie, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, won two Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Day-Lewis.

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  • Life as a House
    2

    Life as a House

    Kevin Kline, Kristin Scott Thomas, Hayden Christensen
    19 votes
    • Released: 2001
    • Directed by: Irwin Winkler
    "Life as a House" is the poignant, often humorous journey of one man who decides to tear down his house -- and winds up rebuilding the world around him. From the day he picks up his sledgehammer, George Monroe embarks on a grand adventure that will shatter expectations and build a foundation for many different dreams among his family and neighbors.

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  • Legends of the Fall
    3

    Legends of the Fall

    Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Aidan Quinn
    28 votes
    • Released: 1994
    • Directed by: Edward Zwick
    Legends of the Fall is a sweeping epic drama set against the rugged Montana landscape. The narrative centers on the lives of the Ludlow brothers, Alfred (Aidan Quinn), Tristan (Brad Pitt), and Samuel (Henry Thomas), who are raised by their stern father, Colonel William Ludlow (Anthony Hopkins). Their tranquil existence is disrupted when Samuel brings home his beautiful fiancé, Susannah (Julia Ormond), sparking a love triangle that threatens to tear the family apart. This tale of brotherly love, betrayal, and redemption won an Academy Award for Cinematography.

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  • Billy Elliot
    4

    Billy Elliot

    Julie Walters, Jamie Bell, Jamie Draven
    21 votes
    • Released: 2000
    • Directed by: Stephen Daldry
    The life of 11-year-old Billy Elliot, a coal miner's son in Northern England, is forever changed one day when he stumbles upon a ballet class during his weekly boxing lesson. Before long, he finds himself in dance, demonstrating the kind of raw talent seldom seen by the class' exacting instructor, Mrs. Wilkinson. With a tart tongue and a never-ending stream of cigarettes in her hand, Mrs. Wilkinson's zest for teaching is revived when she sees Billy's potential.
  • The Joy Luck Club
    5

    The Joy Luck Club

    Rosalind Chao, Tamlyn Tomita, France Nuyen
    17 votes
    • Released: 1993
    • Directed by: Wayne Wang
    In San Francisco, a group of aging Chinese women (Kieu Chinh, Tsai Chin, France Nuyen, Lisa Lu) meet regularly to trade familial stories while playing Mahjong. In a series of sixteen vignettes that spans generations and continents, this adaptation of Amy Tan's bestselling novel explores cultural conflict and the often-turbulent relationships between four first-generation Chinese-American women (Ming-Na Wen, Tamlyn Tomita, Lauren Tom, Rosalind Chao) and their mothers.

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  • Win Win
    6

    Win Win

    Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Bobby Cannavale
    14 votes
    • Released: 2011
    • Directed by: Tom McCarthy
    Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti) is a struggling, though not overly ambitious, lawyer. As the court-appointed attorney of Leo Poplar (Burt Young), an old man afflicted with dementia, Mike sees an opportunity to take things easy for awhile by volunteering to become Leo's legal guardian and thereby gain control of the man's monthly stipend. The unexpected arrival of Leo's grandson complicates Mike's plans, until he learns that the youth is a champion wrestler who can help the team Mike coaches.

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