Best Christmas movies for those dealing with a broken family this festive period | Films | Entertainment

Although Christmas is known as a time when families come together to participate in time-honored traditions and make new and lasting memories, that’s not always the case for everyone.

Whether that be because of a parental divorce, a family fallout, or even long distances, for many families, this time of the year is the time when what can go wrong does go wrong, and it’s no different in the movies.

With the big day just around the corner, The Daily Express has decided to round up some of the best festive films that depict a realistic family Christmas – with the hope of giving viewers, who may be living with a broken or dysfunctional family, the comfort of realising their family troubles and tribulations are in fact “normal”.

Read on to find out what Christmas classics had us laughing at our own family dramas…

Four Christmases

Starring Hollywood stars, Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn, Four Christmases follows a happily unmarried, childless couple Brad and Kate as they attempt to jet off on their annual holiday getaway to Fiji to avoid their two sets of divorced parents.

But when their flights out get cancelled due to bad weather and a news crew exposes that they’re stuck at home, they’re forced to make the rounds at all four households.

In the course of meeting each other’s eccentric family members, the one-distant couple gets to know each other more deeply, for better and sometimes for worse.

They’re made to reconsider their cosmopolitan, child-free lifestyle, but also whether they’re so alike after all.

This could be a good movie for those also in the same situation as both Brad and Kate and may want to laugh at the similarity in their current situation or even possibly learn a thing or two from the characters’ stories.

Home Alone

This film became a Christmas classic when it landed in movie theaters in 1990 and is still loved by fans today.

Home Alone launched Macaulay Culkin’s career with his iconic role as Kevin McCallister, who was accidentally neglected by his family over Christmas and forced to fight off robbers with his mind-boggling booby-trapping skills as his family tried their best to scramble home.

While the film’s opening scenes of bickering, bullying, and sibling quarrels are classic Christmas fare, we can only hope it’s rare that the youngest child of the family accidentally gets left home alone.

Nevertheless, the movie truly reflects the chaos that can occur during this period and the lengths families will go to ensure they’re together for the big day.

A Bad Moms Christmas

Starring the likes of Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn – A Bad Moms Christmas doesn’t leave a stone unturned when it comes to broken family dramas.

The movie, which is 2017 a spin-off of Bad Moms from the year before, follows three single mums as the gear up for Christmas day, all while juggling a family, a broken relationship, and the chaos of the festive period.

Things ramp up for the trio of single moms when their own mothers pay them a visit unexpectedly, which results in the three women rebelling against the huge burden of meeting their mothers’ expectations.

In the end, with festive stresses aside, the characters all realise the true meaning of Christmas, being togetherness, despite their situations.

Elf

Starring the talented Will Ferrell, Elf follows a young child who was put up for adoption by his parents but ended up escaping his orphanage via Father Christmas’ present sack.

As a result, Buddy is brought back to the North Pole where he is raised by Santa’s little helpers, but when he gets to big for the elves’ grotto Papa Elf (played by Bob Newhart) urges him to find his birth parents.

After finding out his mother, Susan, had passed away due to her ill health, Buddy’s focus turns to his father, Walter (James Caan) as he tries to win his heart over and raise the Christmas spirit around him.

In the end, Walter finally gives in to Buddy and lets him into his family home and they become a blended family with his new wife Emily (Mary Steenburgen), and their other son. Buddy also welcomes a child of his own, with Jovie (Zooey Deschanel).

How The Grinch Stole Christmas

His heart may be “two sizes too small” but The Grinch, famously portrayed by Jim Carey in 2000, also gives fans something to laugh about this Christmas, while also teaching them the importance of togetherness.

For those who haven’t watched this festive classic bases on the book written by Dr. Seuss’, viewers get to know the people of Whoville, who were nothing but sweet and did not have one evil thought in their collective minds – unlike the Grinch.

The Whovillians’ positive outlook on life irked the green and mean Grinch, who sought ways to destroy their happiness and he planned to steal Christmas.

With a heart that small, there would be no chance that the Grinch would find any room for happiness but as the film progresses fans watch on as Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen) teaches him what Christmas is really about and he finally changes his ways.

In the end, the Grinches heart grows “three times bigger” and he learns he doesn’t need to be miserable all year round and builds a strong relationship with his newfound friends in Whoville.

Step Brothers 

Another Will Ferrell classic, that sees him team up with Mary Steenburgen once again with the help of John C. Reilly and Robert Doback

While this film isn’t a Christmas classic, over the years it has become a firm favourite to watch at this time of the year.

Brennan (Will Ferrell) and Dale (John C. Reilly), are two middle-aged men who still live with their parents and are forced to stay under the same roof together when Brennan’s mother marries Dale’s father – which ignites a bitter sibling rivalry.

Towards the end of the film, Brendan, Dale and their family celebrate Christmas together.

After a particularly eventful night of sleep-walking and sleep-destroying presents, Brendan and Dale’s parents announce that they are getting a divorce and put it down to Brendan and Dale.

Now, Brendan and Dale have even more of a reason to hate each other, but both must put aside their differences and grow up if they want to put their dysfunctional family back together.

Many families, who have a blended family or who are going through a divorce, will likely be able to relate to the characters and their hilarious – but realistic – storylines.