Tis the season! Here are six dysfunctional holiday movie families to spend your Christmas holiday with!
6 Dysfunctional Holiday Movie Families to Spend Christmas With
The holidays are a time for giving, receiving, and spreading Christmas joy to loved ones – even those who drive you up-the-wall insane throughout the year. But whatever qualms you might have about gathering with the in-laws are widely misconstrued, and these holiday movie families will leave you counting your blessings before the turkey’s even in the oven.
The Griswolds (National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation)
If there’s one family whose vacations have never known peace, it’s the Griswolds. Patriarch Clark (Chevy Chase) dreams of having the perfect Christmas, but a spanner is soon thrown into the works with bickering in-laws, an oversized tree, an egocentric boss, and the impromptu appearance of Cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid).
In fairness, Clark seems to welcome chaos with open arms, much to wife Ellen’s (Beverly D’Angelo) dismay. One thing is for sure though, Christmas with the Griswolds would certainly be a story for the ages.
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The Engels (Krampus)
Krampus might not appeal to everyone, but the Engels manage to capture the side of the holidays we try so hard to keep behind closed doors. Christmas isn’t always festive cheer, or holiday joy; it can often be a stress-induced nightmare filled with last minute shopping trips, a full day’s labor in the kitchen, and visits from high maintenance, egocentric family members who are more than happy to kick their feet and have you fuss over them.
But that’s all part of the Christmas experience, right? Although it’s maybe not quite as bad as the Engels, everyone loves a good debate over whichever board game was unwrapped that morning.
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The Stones (The Family Stone)
The Stones are the epitome of dysfunctional. That’s all there is to it, really. This family will nitpick relentlessly until they finally crack their target, especially youngest daughter Amy (Rachel McAdams).
While Krampus delivers a satirical approach to the holiday season, The Family Stone hits a more emotional note – but manages to incorporate a near slapstick theme, which ties in extremely well with the nature of the film. Despite their flaws and inability to remain civil, there isn’t anything this family wouldn’t do for each other.
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The McCallisters (Home Alone)
Just the mere size of the McCallister family is enough to look the other way. First of all, who decides to pack their suitcases the night before a vacation? And second of all, what on Earth was Peter McCallister (John Heard) doing to afford such luxuries?
It’s hard to believe this family shares anything other than contempt for one another, until they realize little Kevin (Macauley Culkin) has been left, you guessed it, home alone. Granted they take extra precautions to keep the troublemaker by their sides in the sequel, but it’s their collective disorganization skills which ultimately sends him packing to a whole different city.
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The Kranks (Christmas With the Kranks)
As far as dysfunctional families go, the Kranks aren’t all that bad. They just want a vacation. And we can’t fault them for that. Their daughter has flown the nest; the world is their oyster, but thanks to some persistent neighbors, Luther (Tim Allen) and Nora’s (Jamie Lee Curtis) bid for relaxation turns into an utter nightmare.
In hindsight, this couple aren’t dysfunctional in the slightest; it’s the nosy neighbors we should be concerning ourselves with – who are undeniably responsible for the mishaps befalling the Kranks.
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Brad, Dusty, Kurt, and Don (Daddy’s Home 2)
Blended family gatherings are either a wholesome delight or a total disaster – and Daddy’s Home 2 serves to be the latter, with comical joy sprinkling on top. Throwing this quartet under the same roof is like poking a sleeping bear, and it is hilarious to watch unfold.
And then John Cena clambers into the mix as a doting dad, reluctant to join co-parenting forces with Mark Wahlberg’s Dusty. But hey, at least the kids have a somewhat functional role model in Linda Cardellini, right?