Dysfunctional Families
Perhaps because it's something nearly all of us can relate to (apart from The Bradys), messed-up families have always been a popular subject for filmmakers in all genres. Whether you're playing it for laughs ('Arrested Development', 'Go For Zucker'), drama ('Kramer vs Kramer', 'Nil By Mouth'), or thrills ('The Quiet Family', 'Olivier, Olivier') the family dynamic is a deep well of ready-made love/hate relationships, seething resentments and hidden secrets. What more could a filmmaker, or a film-watcher, ask for!
I'm Losing You (1998)
5.2/10
Director: Bruce Wagner
Starring: Rosanna Arquette, Frank Langella, Andrew McCarthy, Elizabeth Perkins, Amanda Don...
Adapted from his acclaimed novel Bruce Wagner directs this unsettling look at a wealthy L.A. family dealing with death and dysfunction. Frank Langella... Read more
One True Thing (1998)
7/10
Director: Carl Franklin
Starring: William Hurt, Meryl Streep, Renee Zellweger, Tom Everett Scott, Nicky Katt
An exceptional, moving drama about a tough, cynical New Yorker (Renee Zellweger) whose mother (Meryl Streep) becomes afflicted with a serious illness.... Read more
Festen ( The Celebration ) (1998)
7.5/10
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Starring: Thomas Bo Larsen, Henning Moritzen, Paprika Steen, Ulrich Thomsen
A hugely dysfunctional family arrives at a secluded hotel for a 60th birthday party for the family patriarch. Suffice it to say, things don't go as ch... Read more
Elizabeth (1998)
7.5/10
Director: Shekhar Kapur
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Joseph Fiennes, Christopher Eccleston, Richard At...
Before the Golden Age, Elizabeth was a passionate and naive girl who came to reign over a land divided by bloody turmoil. Amid palace intrigue and att... Read more
Orphans (1997)
7.1/10
Director: Peter Mullan
Starring: Rosemarie Stevenson, Stephen McCole, Gary Lewis, Douglas Henshall
Three brothers and their handicapped sister convene in their hometown of Glasgow for their mothers funeral. The siblings later seperate to each deal w... Read more
The House of Yes (1997)
6.7/10
Director: Mark Waters
Starring: Parker Posey, Josh Hamilton, Tori Spelling
Focuses on a supremely dysfunctional family. When Marty (Josh Hamilton) brings home his waitress girlfriend for thanksgiving weekend it becomes clear... Read more
Addicted To Love (1997)
6.1/10
Director: Griffin Dunne
Starring: Meg Ryan, Matthew Broderick, Kelly Preston, Tcheky Karyo
An edgy romantic comedy about obsession and revenge. Meg Ryan and Matthew Broderick fall for each other while spying on their respective jilters, who... Read more
The Ice Storm (1997)
7.5/10
Director: Ang Lee
Starring: Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Henry Czerny, Adam Hann-Byrd, Tobey M...
Acclaimed director Ang Lee ("The Wedding Banquet", "Sense and Sensibility") turns his camera on American domesticity in 1973. This adaptation of Rick... Read more
The Myth of Fingerprints (1997)
6.1/10
Director: Bart Freundlich
Starring: Blythe Danner, Roy Scheider, Julianne Moore
An emotionally mixed-up family get together for Thanksgiving and spend the weekend demonstrating why they've never got on with each other. Roy Scheide... Read more
Nil By Mouth (1997)
7.4/10
Director: Gary Oldman
Starring: Ray Winstone, Kathy Burke, Charlie Creed-Miles
Gary Oldman draws on his own dysfunctional working-class London background for his impressive writer/director debut, which casually puts you in the mi... Read more