The 10 Best Family Movies With Great Acting, Ranked (2024)

A family-friendly film has the difficult task of appealing to multiple generations of audience members while also promoting a heartwarming message at the end of the film. Family movies may vary in ratings, but they are generally safe to watch for people of all ages. Because of that, it can be easy to dismiss these movies as not being as artistic or well-acted as films that are not made to appeal to mass audiences of all ages - but that would be a mistake. There are plenty of family films that have great acting.

A family movie is not quite the same as a kids' movie, which is meant to appeal specifically to children. These films are meant to be enjoyed by everyone and the performances in these films are extremely admirable. Some of the performances in these family movies were nominated for major acting awards. Here are ten essential family films with great acting.

10 'Home Alone' (1990)

Directed by Chris Columbus

1990's Home Alone is one of the most beloved family films ever made. When the large and noisy McAllister family is on an airplane to Paris for Christmas vacation, Kate McAllister (Catherine O'Hara) realizes that the family forgot one of their kids at home. Viewers are treated to little Kevin McAllister (Macaulay Culkin) spending Christmas alone and fending off burglars who have figured out that the home is only occupied by a mischievous little kid.

There is a reason why Macaulay Culkin was the most sought-after child actor in the 90s: he was really, really good. A child actor with this much raw talent is hard to come by. Home Alone was not his first film, but it was the film that launched Culkin into superstardom. He wasn't the only striking performer in the film. Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern bring cartoonish villains to life and Catherine O'Hara anchors the film with a grounded performance of a stressed-out mother.

Home Alone

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PG

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Release Date

November 16, 1990

Director

Chris Columbus

Cast

Macaulay Culkin , Joe Pesci , Daniel Stern , John Heard , Roberts Blossom , Catherine O'Hara

Runtime

103 minutes

Main Genre

Comedy

Writers

John Hughes

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9 'Mary Poppins' (1964)

Directed by Robert Stevenson

Disney's 1960s movie musical adaptation of the novel series Mary Poppins, the story of a magical nanny, is a wonderful example of a family film that has something for everyone. It has wonderful musical numbers, colorful set pieces, memorable characters, and moving performances by Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke as Bert the Chimney Sweep. The entire movie feels like consuming a spoonful of sugar. It's medicine for the soul and fun for the whole family.

Julie Andrews is, as always, captivating onscreen. She plays the titular Mary Poppins and does a wonderful job of exuding joy for her job and taking care of children. The film has a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes with several modern reviews commenting on Julie Andrews' iconic performance. In a career of legendary performances, it says a lot that Mary Poppins is considered one of her most memorable characters.

Mary Poppins

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Release Date

August 27, 1964

Director

Robert Stevenson

Cast

Julie Andrews , Dick Van Dyke , David Tomlinson , Glynis Johns , Hermione Baddeley , Reta Shaw

Runtime

140

Main Genre

Comedy

Writers

Bill Walsh , Don DaGradi , P.L. Travers

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8 'Hugo' (2011)

Directed by Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese's Hugo is an ode to child cinephiles and how cinema has always felt like magic. Based on the novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret, the film follows a 12-year-old boy named Hugo (Asa Butterfield) who loves to work with gadgets and clocks. He is an orphan who hides out at the train station fixing clocks. He meets a friend named Isabelle (Chloë Grace Moretz) and her godfather, Georges Méliès (Sir Ben Kingsley).

Not only is this heartwarming story featuring some elements of real film history, but the performances are incredibly charming. This is a star-studded cast, including its young stars, Moretz and Butterfield, who bring real heart to their characters. Both play orphaned children and shed light on the unique loneliness that comes with that. Couple that with Kingley's mustachioed Méliès and this is one talented trio pulling the audience through the magic of very early filmmaking.

Hugo

PG

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Release Date

November 22, 2011

Director

Martin Scorsese

Cast

Ben Kingsley , Sacha Baron Cohen , Asa Butterfield , Chloe Moretz , Ray Winstone , Emily Mortimer

Runtime

127 minutes

Main Genre

Adventure

Writers

John Logan , Brian Selznick

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7 'Mrs. Doubtfire' (1993)

Directed by Chris Columbus

Mrs. Doubtfire has an outlandish plot that is ultimately a hilarious and heartwarming ride. Robin Williams is to thank for that. Robin Williams plays a voice actor whose immature behavior pushes his wife (Sally Fields) to ask for a divorce. He has visitation rights with his kids on Saturdays, provided he has a stable job. He wants a job and wants to see his kids, so he dresses up as an old woman to be his wife's housekeeper so he can spend time with his kids.

It sounds extreme, but Robin Williams makes it work. Williams wasn't the first choice for the part, but it is impossible to think of anyone else pulling this off. Williams is perfect in the role! Not only is Robin Williams a force to be reckoned with, but Sally Field's role as his beleaguered ex-wife trying to move on from their divorce is incredibly empathetic. Instead of a harried, workaholic wife, she comes across as a woman at her wits' end who is simply trying to do what is best for her family. The audience grows sympathetic to her character due, in part, to Williams' character also seeing her in this light. These are masterful performances, prosthetics and all.

Mrs. Doubtfire

PG-13

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Release Date

November 24, 1993

Director

Chris Columbus

Cast

Robin Williams , Sally Field , Pierce Brosnan , Harvey Fierstein , Polly Holliday , Lisa Jakub

Runtime

125 minutes

Main Genre

Comedy

Writers

Anne Fine , Randi Mayem Singer , Leslie Dixon

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6 'The Wizard of Oz' (1939)

Directed by Victor Fleming

One of the most iconic films ever made, The Wizard of Oz is a cheery fantasy film that has brought families together for decades. An average teenager in Kansas is transported to the fantastical world of Oz. She takes the famous Yellow Brick Road with her new friends to meet the Wizard and asks for his help to return home and help her friends with their requests. It is heartwarming, silly, and colorful (no, it was not the first color film) and it has endured the test of time.

Judy Garland cemented herself as an icon with her portrayal of Dorothy. There are countless stories of Garland's mistreatment by studios, film executives, and cast members while filming The Wizard of Oz. The teenager was going through a great deal of distress when the cameras weren't rolling. It is thus doubly admirable (and tragic) that Garland was able to fight through the abuse she was facing to bring so much innocence and heart to Dorothy's journey through Oz.

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5 'Stand by Me' (1986)

Directed by Rob Reiner

It is a controversial pick for a family film because of its R rating, but Stand by Me is considered a classic for children of the 80s and 90s. The content is dark, but its power as a coming-of-age film has endured due to the performances of the talented kids in the movie. Based on a novella by Stephen King, Stand by Me follows four boys who go on a hike to find the body of a missing child. That's not exactly the standard plot for a family-friendly film!

The four boys are played by Jerry O'Connell, Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman, and River Phoenix. The film was nominated for a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar and two Golden Globes, but critics poured over the performances of the likable young men. The New York Times pointed out that the four boys were "individually likable" in their endearing roles, which helps carry the movie.

Stand By Me

R

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Release Date

August 8, 1986

Director

Rob Reiner

Cast

Wil Wheaton , River Phoenix , Corey Feldman , Jerry O'Connell , Kiefer Sutherland , Casey Siemaszko

Runtime

89

Main Genre

Adventure

Writers

Stephen King , Raynold Gideon , Bruce A. Evans

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4 'The Goonies' (1985)

Directed by Richard Donner

The Goonies is a beloved child-led film from the 1980s that families continue to watch together. A group of boys tries to save their homes from foreclosure by finding the hidden treasure of a pirate named One-Eyed Willy. This adventure comedy is all about friendship as the boys band together on their sometimes dangerous journey in search of a legendary treasure that may or may not be real.

The Goonies was a launchpad for several young actors who went on to have amazing careers. Josh Brolin, Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, Martha Plimpton, and Ke Huy Quan all starred in The Goonies. For many of those young actors, this was the first job in film that they ever had. Their potential is evident with their performances being a huge reason the film is so enchanting. Believe it or not, The Goonies is loosely based on real events. Perhaps the realism behind the story helped the actors ground their performances through such a wild adventure.

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3 'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.' (2023)

Directed by Kelly Fremon Craig

Judy Blume's novel Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret is a coming-of-age classic for young women. For years, Blume notoriously shot down requests to adapt her novel into a film. Writer and director Kelly Fremon Craig managed to be the one person to convince Blume to trust her with her work. This was a wise decision on Blume's part because the film Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret is nearly perfect! One of the most perfect parts of this film is actress Rachel McAdams playing Margaret's mom.

Rachel McAdams is a fantastic actress with an incredible range. This is, after all, the same woman who brought Regina George to life. She plays a mother trying her best in Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, and it might just be the best performance of her entire career. She is so natural and believable as Margaret's mother that it feels like the role she was meant to play.

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

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2 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' (1971)

Directed by Mel Stuart

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a delightful family film. A poor boy named Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum) wins a golden ticket to visit the chocolate factory of an eccentric candy mogul named Willy Wonka. He and his grandpa are awarded a group tour through the factory. As the tour goes on, the other kids become selfish in their desire for candy and get kicked out of the factory in a variety of musically interesting ways until Charlie and his grandpa are the only two left standing.

Roger Ebert said this is "probably the best film of its sort since The Wizard of Oz. It is everything that family movies usually claim to be, but aren't: delightful, scary, exciting, and, most of all, a genuine work of imagination". It is a genuine work of pure imagination, and Gene Wilder's playful, darkly comic yet soulful portrayal of Willy Wonka has a lot to do with that! No shade to Timothée Chalamet, but Gene Wilder IS Willy Wonka.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

G

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Release Date

June 30, 1971

Director

Mel Stuart

Cast

gene wilder , Jack Albertson , Peter Ostrum , Roy Kinnear , Julie Dawn Cole , Leonard Stone

Runtime

100 minutes

Main Genre

Family

Writers

Roald Dahl , David Seltzer

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1 'E.T.' (1982)

Directed by Steven Spielberg

1982's E.T. is a wonderful family friend about family and one's desire to be "home". Home is where the heart is, whether that heart belongs to an alien or a human! E.T. is an alien who was left behind when his alien family came to Earth to collect forest samples. Elliott, a human boy, finds him and tries to help E.T. go home while evading capture by government agents.

The cast of E.T. is another who's who of young actors who would go on to have amazing careers. Drew Barrymore plays the adorable younger sister to Elliott, played by the delightful Henry Thomas. Thomas was so good as a young actor that his audition tape for E.T. continues to circulate online as an impressive display of his natural talent. In the video, Thomas cries while delivering a passionate monologue trying to save E.T. from government testing. At the end of the audition, Spielberg audibly tells him, "Okay, kid, you got the job."

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

PG

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Release Date

June 11, 1982

Director

Steven Spielberg

Cast

Henry Thomas , Dee Wallace , Robert MacNaughton , Drew Barrymore , Peter Coyote , K.C. Martel

Runtime

115 minutes

Main Genre

Sci-Fi

Writers

Melissa Mathison

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