The holiday season is upon us, Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner, and for many of us it’s time to whip out the family films and settle down for some bonding time. But what happens if heartwarming Disney-style flicks aren’t really your style? Are there ‘family’ films for those of us that prefer a little more action, mayhem, and adventure in our ‘family’ fare?
Well the answer is YES, there are!
And here is a quick list of some of those fun ‘family’ films you’ll find outside the traditional family-film box:
Dune (1984) – Directed by David Lynch – Starring: Kyle MacLachlan, Francesca Annis, Kenneth McMillan, Sting, Brad Dourif, Jose Ferrer, Sian Phillips, Jurgen Prochnow – Genre: Science Fiction
Why It’s a ‘Family’ Film: This big, epic, weird, dark, sometimes confusing, othertimes more confusing, adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic science fiction novel is all about the family. The Atreides and the Harkonnens are two dueling families from different worlds, all fighting over the same thing – rights to the most important substance in the universe (The Spice). Though really The Baron Harkonnen has some crazy hard on for destroying The Duke Leto Atreides before they even get to who is in control of The Spice. These families just do not like each other at all (and if you read the book series the turny twisty complex relationship between the Atreides and Harkonnens leads to all kinds of craziness).
Stand-Out Family Moments: Duke Leto and his son Paul discussing the move to Arakkis and Leto telling Paul how proud he is of him. Leto basically sacrificing himself for Paul and the Lady Jessica’s (Paul’s mom) survival. Paul being all proud of his sister Alia for harassing the enemy leaders.
The Godfather (1972) – Directed by Francis Ford Coppola – Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Abe Vigoda, Talia Shire – Genre: Crime Drama
Why It’s a ‘Family’ Film: Seriously? This is the Family film of family films. This family cooks and supports and kills for each other. This family believes in each other and bleeds for each other and avenges each other like nobody’s business. The Corleone clan basically rises and sets on the basic principle that family is everything, and you do everything for family. The Godfather II is also incredibly excellent, and the soundtrack for both will stick in your head for days (but skip Godfather III, because it’s awful and you’ll wish it had never been made to sully the franchise).
Stand-Out Family Moments: The Corleone family taking gory, horse-head-y revenge on the movie producer who won’t cast the Don’s godson in a film. Son Michael getting revenge with a bathroom gun on the men who tried to kill his father, Don Corleone. The entire ridiculous bloody violent beautifully choreographed sequence when the Corleone Family ties up loose ends and takes out those that have betrayed them.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) – Directed by Steven Spielberg – Starring: Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Denholm Elliot, John Rhys-Davies, Alison Doody – Genre: Action Adventure
Why It’s a ‘Family’ Film: This is the father/son flick most father/son flicks wish they could be. Not only do we get the dashing and delightful Indiana Jones on another exciting adventure, this time he’s joined by his somewhat estranged father, Henry Jones Sr. They argue, they fight nazis, they find the holy relic to top holy relics. Sure Dr Jones Sr can’t stop calling Indiana ‘Junior’, much to his dismay. And sure they slept with the same hot but nefarious woman. In the end they are still father and son and they still love each other and believe in each other and want to see each other succeed in their quests.
Stand-Out Family Moments: Every moment between Indy and his dad is adorable. Indiana saving his dad’s life with the water from the Holy Grail is pretty cool as well.
Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) – Directed by Richard Donner – Starring: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Rene Russo, Chris Rock, Jet Li, Joe Pesci – Genre: Action Crime Thriller
Why It’s a ‘Family’ Film: Family has exploded (sometimes almost literally) all over the place in this fourth installment in the Lethal Weapon franchise. Riggs is expecting his first child with long-time girlfriend (but not wife … yet) Lorna. Murtaugh is juggling kids in college, kids getting pregnant, and wives with successful, yet secret, careers. The bad guys are working to free their bad guy relatives from prison, with the help of a counterfeiter whose family they are helping to sneak into the country. Sure there are lots of gun fights and fist fights and the kind of action sequences these films are known for, but they are surrounded on all sides by much more family-centric content.
Stand-Out Family Moments: Murtaugh bonding with Hong over being the head of the family. Detective Butters telling Murtaugh he’s secretly married to his daughter, while high on laughing gas. Lorna demanding Riggs marry her while they are in the delivery room about to have a baby. The end scene where the cast full on yells at the screen “We’re family!”
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) – Directed by Tobe Hooper – Starring: Marilyn Burns, Allen Danziger, Edwin Neal, Gunnar Hansen – Genre: Horror
Why It’s a ‘Family’ Film: Hear us out on this one, cause we’re sure you are thinking we’ve lost our minds a bit. The thing is, though, that while The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is dirty and sweaty and gory and frightening, it is also – at it’s bloody violent center – a movie about family. It starts with a brother and sister out on an adventure with their friends. It ends with the friends and the brother dead and the sister barely hanging on with her life and sanity after falling victim to a family of psychopathic serial killing cannibals. Sure, Leatherface and his clan are not the family you want to invite for holiday dinner, but they are, still, when it comes down to it, family.
Stand-Out Family Moments: Leatherface and clan tie up Sally and offer her to Grandfather, who is just barely holding on to life but can still manage to sip up some fresh human blood when it’s provided for him.
