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191 voters

The Best Movies About Dysfunctional Families

Updated September 3, 2020 1.1k votes 191 voters 20.1k views36 items

List RulesVote up the best movies that features a whole family with eccentric - even crazy - members.

There's nothing quite as dramatic as family. Complicated mother/daughter relationships, argumentative siblings, and estranged fathers and sons make movies about dysfunctional families a unique film genre. The best movies about crazy families feature emotional interactions peppered with a splash of humor to add to the entertainment. This is a list of the best dramas about families, including everything from Ordinary People to Terms of Endearment to Happiness.

What films will you find on this list of the greatest movies about eccentric families? The Royal Tenenbaums puts a whimsical spin on the genre. With their absentee father, Royal, returning to their lives, the Tenenbaum children – now adults – must all deal with their own unresolved issues. On the lighter side, Parenthood is a hilarious comedy about a dysfunctional family. August: Osage County is an acting tour de force featuring an all-star ensemble cast portraying the Weston family. Other good films featured here include The Ref, The Grifters, and Death at a Funeral.

Which of these crazy family movies are the best? Give your personal picks a thumbs up to move them towards number one, and add any great titles that are missing.

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The Squid and the Whale
Anna Paquin, Alexandra Daddario
The Squid and the Whale is a 2005 American arthouse comedy-drama film written and directed by... more
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Ordinary People
Mary Tyler Moore, Donald Sutherland
Ordinary People is a 1980 American drama film that marked the directorial debut of actor... more
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August: Osage County
Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep
August: Osage County is a 2013 American comedy-drama film directed by John Wells, based on the... more
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Parenthood
Keanu Reeves, Steve Martin
Parenthood is a 1989 comedy-drama film with an ensemble cast that includes Steve Martin, Tom... more
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Coraline
Teri Hatcher, Dakota Fanning
Coraline is a 2009 American stop-motion animated 3D dark fantasy film based on Neil Gaiman's... more
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The Royal Tenenbaums
Gwyneth Paltrow, Alec Baldwin
The Royal Tenenbaums is a 2001 American comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson and... more
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Terms of Endearment
Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito
Terms of Endearment is a 1983 comedy-drama film adapted from the novel of the same name by... more
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Magnolia
Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore
Magnolia is a 1999 American drama film written, produced, and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson... more
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Death at a Funeral
Peter Dinklage, Alan Tudyk
This film is a 2007 British comedy film directed by Frank Oz. The screenplay by Dean Craig... more
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The Virgin Suicides
Kirsten Dunst, Kathleen Turner
The film is a 1999 American drama written and directed by Sofia Coppola, produced by her... more
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Happiness
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Molly Shannon
Happiness is a 1998 American comedy-drama film directed by Todd Solondz. The lives of three... more
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Mommie Dearest
Faye Dunaway, Diana Scarwid
Mommie Dearest is a 1981 American biographical drama film about Joan Crawford, starring Faye... more
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Rachel Getting Married
Anne Hathaway, Debra Winger
Rachel Getting Married is a 2008 drama film directed by Jonathan Demme, and starring Anne... more
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Dogtooth
Alexander Voulgaris, Christos Stergioglou
Dogtooth is a 2009 Greek drama film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. A husband and wife keep... more
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Flowers in the Attic
Kristy Swanson, Louise Fletcher
Flowers in the Attic is a 1987 psychological horror film starring Louise Fletcher, Victoria... more
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The Family Stone
Rachel McAdams, Sarah Jessica Parker
The Family Stone is a 2005 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Thomas Bezucha.... more
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The Ref
Kevin Spacey, J.K. Simmons
The Ref is a 1994 American black comedy film directed by Ted Demme, produced by Don Simpson... more
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The Rest Of Us
Heather Graham, Sophie Nélisse
The Rest of Us is a 2020 American drama film directed by Aisling Chin-Yee. Two mother-daughter... more
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Home for the Holidays
Robert Downey Jr., Claire Danes
Home for the Holidays is a 1995 comedy-drama film directed by Jodie Foster and produced by... more
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The Grifters
Annette Bening, John Cusack
The Grifters is a 1990 neo-noir film directed by Stephen Frears, produced by Martin Scorsese,... more
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Inheritance
Lily Collins, Simon Pegg
Inheritance is a 2020 American thriller film directed by Vaughn Stein. After passing away,... more
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Orange County
Chevy Chase, Ben Stiller
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Tokyo Story
Setsuko Hara, Chishū Ryū
Tokyo Story is a 1953 Japanese film directed by Yasujirō Ozu. It tells the story of an aging... more

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I'm Thinking of Ending Things
Jessie Buckley, Toni Collette
I'm Thinking of Ending Things is a 2020 American drama film directed by Charlie Kaufman, based... more
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The Big Sick
Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan
The Big Sick is a 2017 American romantic comedy film directed by Michael Showalter, from a... more

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