Let’s Broaden the Family of Films During the Holiday

On the biggest holiday weekend of the year for family movies, perhaps it’s time to broaden the concept of “family movies.”

The traditional family movie has been thought of as one that can be enjoyed by both young and old. But how about family movies for families that don’t have children? Or for families that prefer grit to schmaltz? Why not expand the traditionally narrow concept of family movies to include films that create a strong sense of family and those that center on relationships between parents and siblings?

All the following movies suggested for holiday viewing are available on home video.

Among the less-familiar films in the standard family movie category:

CBS-Fox’s “State Fair” (1945): This musical starring Jeanne Crain and Dana Andrews features the only film score written by Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Paramount’s “Sounder” (1972): The trials of a black family in Louisiana during the Depression, with Paul Winfield and Cicely Tyson.

MGM/UA’s “Yours, Mine and Ours” (1968): A widow (Lucille Ball) with eight children marries a widower (Henry Fonda) with 10 kids.

CBS-Fox’s “The King and I” (1956): Yul Brynner won the best-actor Oscar for his classic portrayal of the King of Siam. Deborah Kerr plays the English teacher he hires for his dozens of children. The Rodgers and Hammerstein score includes “Hello Young Lovers” and “Getting to Know You.”

MGM/UA’s “Meet Me in St. Louis” (1944): Judy Garland and Margaret O’Brien star in the story about upheavals in the life of a family in turn-of-the-century St. Louis. Many Garland buffs consider this her best musical.

Part of what makes a good family movie--comedy or drama--is one that creates a strong sense of family:

MCA/Universal’s “Parenthood” (1989): Steve Martin and Dianne Wiest head a huge cast in this modern family movie--as much drama as comedy--about rearing children and staying together.

Warner’s “The Color Purple” (1985): Strong family ties are a crucial element in this sentimental drama spanning several decades in the life of a Southern black woman (Whoopi Goldberg). Directed by Steven Spielberg.

MGM/UA’s “Mrs. Miniver” (1942): Strong, sentimental drama about a genteel British family coping with World War II. It won Oscars for best picture and best actress (Greer Garson).

RCA/Columbia’s “A Raisin in the Sun” (1961): Starring Sidney Poitier, this drama about an upwardly mobile black family considering moving into a white neighborhood may be a slightly dated look at race relations but still is occasionally powerful.

HBO’s “Hannah and Her Sisters” (1986): Woody Allen’s comedy-drama concerns the relationships of an artistic New York family, with Thanksgiving celebrations as the focal points. Best-supporting Oscars went to Michael Caine and Dianne Wiest.

Movies about relationships between parents and children may make for appropriate weekend viewing:

Paramount’s “Terms of Endearment” (1983): This sentimental look at a rocky mother-daughter relationship with Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger won Oscars for best picture and best actress (MacLaine).

MCA/Universal’s “Dad” (1989): In this often sappy drama about a son (Ted Danson) who has to care for an ailing father (Jack Lemmon), the son gets closer to Dad.

HBO’s “Nothing in Common” (1986): Tom Hanks and Jackie Gleason star in this funny-serious film about a father-son relationship.

RCA/Columbia’s “I Never Sang for My Father” (1970): Son (Gene Hackman) rebels against father (Melvyn Douglas) whose approval he’s always desperately sought. Many critics have called this one of the best movies yet about the relationship between adult sons and aging fathers.

Families without small children might want to watch an adult-oriented heartwarming movie, spiced with some racy elements:

MCA/Universal’s “Uncle Buck” (1989): John Candy plays a bungling bachelor uncle who has to take care of his brother’s kids for a few days.

Touchstone’s “Three Men and a Baby” (1987): In this blockbuster comedy, Manhattan bachelor-roommates (Tom Selleck, Ted Danson and Steve Guttenberg) suddenly find themselves custodians of a baby girl.

RCA/Columbia’s “Look Who’s Talking” (1989): The voice of Bruce Willis as a baby observing the romance of his single mother (Kirstie Alley) with a cab driver (John Travolta) brought lots of attention to this film.