Family drama movies are one genre that often hits too close to heart with the issues explored in the stories. Either fictional or non-fictional they are some wholesome and heartwarming stories that can be put on and watched together with your own family members. Therefore, we have curated some of the best films that you can check out right now.
10 Best Family Drama Movies to Watch
Gulmohar
In this film, the Batra Family has just four days left to vacate the 34-year-old house, in this time they explore the meaning of family and home, as some secrets are spilt. And they question if it is the house that keeps a family together or if it’s the people.
The cast of the film includes Manoj Bajpayee as Arun Batra, Sharmila Tagore as Kusum Batra, Amol Palekar as Sudhakar, Suraj Sharma as Aditya, and Kaveri Seth as Divya among others.
Watch it on Disney+ Hotstar.
Encanto
The Disney animated film was an instant classic, that focuses on family relations and even resonates with many real-life family dynamics. Encanto tells the tale of the Madrigals, an extraordinary family who live in a wondrous, charming place called Encanto.
Each child has been blessed with a magic gift unique to them – except Mirabel. But when the family’s home is threatened, Mirabel may be their only hope. You can watch this film on Disney+.
The Kids Are All Right
This unconventional family drama stars Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson. In the story, the two siblings who are raised by two queer mothers, are set to find the sperm donor.
But once he is found, he rather becomes an odd member of the family which lead to some redefining in the present relationships & inevitable changes that might break the family or bring everyone together. It questions the notion of the ideal family and how each family’s dynamic can be different yet at the core, it’s the mutual love for one another.
Watch it on Amazon Prime Video.
Beautiful Boy
Beautiful Boy follows the story of a father and son duo, where the son is dealing with addiction and the father is trying to figure out the best way to help him. Starring Steve Carell, Timothée Chalamet, Maura Tierney and Amy Ryan, the film is based on the memoirs Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction by David Sheff and Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines by Nic Sheff.
Watch it on Amazon Prime Video.
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is a coming-of-age drama film starring Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Juliette Lewis and Darlene Cates in the lead roles. The film follows the story of Gilbert Gilbert (played by Johnny Depp), a grocery store clerk who after his father’s death, has to care for his mentally-disabled brother Arnie (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his morbidly obese mother.
While already living a hard life, his situation is suddenly challenged when love unexpectedly walks into his life. The explores the family dynamics of a dysfunctional family where a child has to become an adult for his family.
It was considered a box office bomb initially but gained a following later on as many critics praised the performances by Depp and DiCaprio. The film is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.
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Captain Fantastic
Starring Viggo Mortensen, Frank Langella, Kathryn Hahn, and Steve Zahn, the film tells the story of a family that lives in nature, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. But when the mother passes away, the father is left with his 6 children and a pressing need to introduce them to city life.
It forces the father to re-examine his ideas on freedom and family when his in-laws threaten to take away the custody of the kids. It is an emotional story that makes you feel conflicted whether what’s truly right for the kids and the family.
Watch it on Amazon Prime Video.
The Descendants
Based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings. The film stars George Clooney in the main role, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Beau Bridges, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard, and Robert Forster. It explores the story of an absent dad who had to take care of his two troubled daughters when his wife gets caught in an accident.
The more time he spends with them, he realizes the things he has been missing and how his own kids are strangers to him, unravelling some secrets and heartfelt feelings that bring them together eventually.
Watch it on Apple TV+.
The Parent Trap
Although the classic Disney film is a remake of the 1961 film of the same name and an adaptation of Erich Kästner’s 1949 German novel Lisa and Lottie, everyone must have seen this film, starring young Lindsay Lohan in a double role. It tells the story of identical twins and their divorced parents who kept it a secret until the twins find each other at a camp. Leading to a plan to bring them together again and become one happy family.
Watch it on Disney+ Hotstar.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
This reimagined classic Carlo Collodi tale is directed by Guillermo Del Toro and Mark Gustafson. The characters are voiced by Gregory Mann, David Bradley voices Master Geppetto, Christoph Waltz as Count Volpe, Ewan McGregor as Sebastian J. Cricket, and Tilda Swinton as the Wood Sprite/death, among others.
Set in Italy during the reign of Benito Mussolini, the film shows that a puppet is carved from the wood of a tree that grew over a young boy’s grave. When the boy’s father, Geppetto, wishes for a child to be returned to him, he gets a bit more than he bargained for with Pinocchio, a scraggly and unfinished wooden mannequin who happily injects an element of pure chaos into his new father’s life.
Watch it on Netflix.
This Is Where I Leave You
Based on the novel of the same name by Jonathan Tropper, it stars Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Adam Driver, Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll, Kathryn Hahn, Connie Britton, Timothy Olyphant, Dax Shepard and Jane Fonda in this emotional yet hilarious family drama.
The story follows four siblings who aren’t really doing great in their individual lives and find themselves stuck together in their family home when their father dies. Confronting their history and the frayed states of their relationships among the people who know and love them best, they ultimately reconnect in a chaotic manner which eventually falls into place.
Watch it on Amazon Prime Video.
Which of the above-mentioned films do you find the best? What more films do you think should be added to the list? Let us know in the comment section below.