A good movie sticks with you, lingering like a good conversation that you keep coming back to. A bad movie can also stick with you, but it’s more like having a bad meal that leaves you with indigestion. And sad to say, there’s a lot more indigestion out there than the good stuff, which includes bad family dramas.
There’s more than a handful that rank a big fat goose egg on Rotten Tomatoes. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the five best and five worst family dramas, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
Best: The Wizard Of Oz (1939) — 98%
It probably comes as no surprise that this film classic ranks as the best family drama on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s widely acknowledged as one of the greatest films ever and appears on most “best film” lists. Released in 1939, The Wizard of Oz blew audiences away with its use of Technicolor (we all know that scene when Dorothy walks out into Oz).
The film has stayed relevant throughout the decades as new generations are introduced to ruby slippers and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". The Wizard of Oz won 2 Academy Awards for Best Score and Best Original Song and tops the Rotten Tomatoes list with a freshness rating of 98%.
Worst: Mac And Me (1988) — 0%
Just as the best films stay with us long after we leave the theater, the worse movies also tend to linger. Mac and Me attempted to capture the magic of E.T., but fell ridiculously short.
It was a box office flop and highly criticized for its blatant McDonald’s and Coca-Cola product plugs. As with anything that is widely panned, Mac and Me has attained a bit of cult following, in a so bad it’s fun to watch kind of way. It also a freshness rating of 0% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s almost impressive how awful this movie is.
Best: Inside Out (2015) — 98%
The first Pixar entry on our list is Inside Out. As staunch Toy Story fans, we're a little miffed that it didn’t make the list, but our one consolation is that Pixar often toes the line of comedy and drama. While Toy Story is definitely a comedy, Inside Out falls more on the side of drama.
The story follows Riley as she copes with the emotional turmoil of moving across the country. With voice talents like Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, and Lewis Black this entry on our list with a Rotten Tomato rating of 98% fresh, packs an emotional wallop that speaks to the whole family.
Worst: Folks (1992) — 0%
The next clunker on our list is dramedy about a successful businessman whose dementia suffering father and his mother come to live with him. Sounds like comedy gold, right? There’s a lot of injuries, a fire, and a destroyed marriage. Just reading about the plot is depressing.
Tom Selleck starred and eventually earned a Razzie Award for worst actor. This film has a 0% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Best: Coco (2017) — 97%
Coco is the second Pixar film on our list. Using Día de Los Muertos as the holiday backdrop, the film focuses on young Miguel. His family has banned music from their house and Miguel wants nothing more than to be a musician. Miguel ends up in the Land of the Dead and learns about the importance of family.
Coco is a gorgeous and lush film that hits at the heart of tradition and honoring family. Coco won 2 Academy Awards, including Best Animated Feature Film and has a fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes of 97%.
Worst: Pinocchio (2002) — 0%
This Italian version of Pinocchio was the vehicle of Roberto Benigni. After Benigni’s Oscar wins for the film Life is Beautiful, complete with chair hopping shenanigan’s that either endeared or annoyed viewers, he went on to make Pinocchio. While the original Italian version went on to be nominated for several awards, the English-dubbed version was very poorly received.
Breckin Meyer dubbed Roberto Benigni as Pinocchio and is admittedly an odd choice. Nothing against Meyer who is a fine actor in his own right, but his voice combined with Benigni’s portrayal of the “child” Pinocchio is just all-around odd. All of this adds up to another 0% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Best: Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937) — 98%
Snow White was Disney’s first feature film and also the first full-length cel animated feature film ever. At the time Disney was thought to be foolish for investing so much in an animated film but the joke was on everyone else once the film released. It was widely adored and called a work of art by many. The film did so well that Disney immediately invested in additional animated feature films.
Interestingly enough Snow White’s success was the push Metro-Golden-Mayer needed to begin developing The Wizard of Oz. Snow White often shows up on the top 100 film lists and has a freshness rating of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Worst: The Nutcracker (2009): — 0%
The Nutcracker is synonymous with Christmas and ballet. The 2009 reimagining of The Nutcracker in 3D — okay let’s just stop right there. Nutcracker and 3D really shouldn’t appear in the same sentence. But that is just the start of this film’s offenses. Critics basically hated this film and implied that children would have nightmares after viewing.
The director decided against having any ballet in the film which just feels wrong. The sad part is that the film has a great cast including a young Elle Fanning, Nathan Lane, and John Turturro, but that still couldn’t stop the 0% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Best: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) — 98%
E.T. was produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and is, at its heart, a coming of age film. The main character, Elliott (admit it, you read that in E.T.’s voice) finds an alien in his backyard. The two develop a friendship, rooted in the shared kinship that comes from navigating the murky waters of childhood and a new planet, respectively.
Spielberg has said that the film’s story was drawn from his own parents’ divorce and there is a sense of the loss of innocence by the end. E.T. resonates with kids and adults alike and has a Rotten Tomatoes freshness rating of 98%.
Worst: Constellation (2005) — 0%
The last entry on our list is the 2005 film Constellation. The cast includes Gabrielle Union and Zoe Saldana, but this is yet another move that holds a 0% freshness score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The film is about how a young woman’s death brings her family back home and stirs up all kinds of emotions. Not all reviews were negative for this film, but ultimately some considered it more Hallmark fodder than big-screen material.