‘On Golden Pond,’ directed by Mark Rydell, which came out in 1982. The star cast includes Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda, Doug McKeon, Dabney Coleman, and William Lanteau. The story revolves around two protagonists who are going through their dusky years.
The man has more health complications, and women are a bit better off than men. Among life and everything else, Henry Ford’s character is developing Alzheimer’s. Due to old age, he has already become cranky, and the thought of Alzheimer’s is taking a toll on his personality.
It is a sweet and honest movie. There is less chance that you will see better performances from the actors given in this one. This movie will also urge you to look at other movies that came out in the same time period of the 1980s. The movie production of that time is also impressive. ‘On Golden Pond’ was a balanced all-around movie. If you have not watched it, check it out here.
If you have already watched the movie, then in this list, we are going to watch some movies like ‘On Golden Pond.’ This list has more than 30 movies that are similar in plot or screenplay to the ‘On Golden Pond.’ Before you begin, grab some popcorn and some tissue paper because some of the movies on this list are emotionally heavy and may tear you out.
Also Read: 20 Anime Like Kengan Ashura
Movies Like On Golden Pond
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood is based in 1937. It revolves around four female friends from Louisiana who formed a covert sisterhood with one another by staying loyal. Through all of life’s highs and lows, they were in close proximity. Without giving any spoilers, a successful playwright’s daughter criticized her mother’s influence on her life in an interview with Time magazine.
The mother, Ellen Burstyn, who is fantastic, loses it and completely cuts the daughter out of her life. Other Sisterhood members are in charge of snatching Bullock and trying to make things right. Since then, the timeline in the movie cuts back and forth, with Ashley Judd portraying the younger Burstyn.
She experiences her Ya-Ya sister’s true intentions but she is prejudiced by, a resentful mother, a father, a real love who perished in WWII, and a family with a man she “settles” for. In order to heal the divide between Bullock and Burstyn, a secret that forms the basis of the patch-up, the plot creates a good balance between the character development and the story director’s vision. It will be a good watch.
- Released in: 2002
- IMDB Score: 6.1
- Runtime: 1 hr 56 min
- Cast: Sandra Bullock, Maggie Smith, Ashley Judd, Fionnula Flanagan, Ellen Burstyn, James Garner, Shirley Knight, Angus Macfadyen, and Many Others
- Directed By: Callie Khouri
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
War Room
The Kendrick brothers, director of War Room, continue to get better with each film they make. The narrative has a strong message and is beautifully written with some wonderful humor, in addition to being a brilliant overall plot.
Anyone in a troubled marriage should see this movie. Since professional critics often dislike anything, Christian, I’m sure they won’t have many positive things to say about this film. Not much better in theaters, but the production, narrative, and acting are all excellent.
Without giving anything away, the film revolves around a family disintegrating and realizing that a stronger force than them can in order to remain together.
However, for those of us with a nice message, this film delivers. Alena Pitts is the sweetest, and her eyes have the power to melt your heart. The movie was heavy on the message they wanted to deliver.
- Released in: 2015
- IMDB Score: 6.4
- Runtime: 2 hr 00 min
- Cast: Priscilla Shirer, T.C. Stallings, Karen Abercrombie, Alex Kendrick, Michael Jr., and Many Others
- Directed By: Alex Kendrick
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
The Straight Story
The Straight Story revolves around a man who learns his brother has suffered a serious stroke. The old and obstinate guy hops on his lawnmower and heads out to see him. He hasn’t seen his brother in ten years due to some pointless disagreement.
This movie doesn’t have sequences, it moves as the man is driving, and there isn’t even good music, so you don’t even need to see it for that. But there is a deeply serious message behind it.
You can really hear the protagonist’s journeys to the narrative’s deliberate pace. His past, including his interactions with his wife, kids, and brother, is shown repeatedly. What is, however, is that there are no flashbacks, further strengthening the impact.
- Released in: 1999
- IMDB Score: 8.0
- Runtime: 1 hr 52 min
- Cast: Richard Farnsworth, Sissy Spacek, Harry Dean Stanton, Donald Wiegert, Joseph A. Carpenter, Jane Galloway, Heitz, Everett McGill, Ed Grennan, Jennifer Edwards-Hughes, John Farley, Barbara Robertson, and Many Others
- Directed By: David Lynch
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
The Painted Veil
The Painted Veil has a compelling plot by Edward Norton and Naomi Watts. The actual self is under a façade of societal pressures and a film about atonement and salvation.
The narrative of most is that ‘love can bridge the gap between those with nothing in common’. Even if the script’s subject looks simple, this slightness gives the entire production a green flag.
The narrative follows Kitty and Walter’s lives. Kitty is the spoiled, wealthy daughter of an upper-class family. When Walter, an expert in infectious diseases, shows up in 1925 London, Kitty and him are forced together since her mother wants to marry her off to a rich man.
There is a scene between Norton and Watts in the epilogue. Everything from the acting to the scenery to the crushing feeling is amazing, including the lighting in most of the scenes which makes it a compelling watch.
- Released in: 2006
- IMDB Score: 7.4
- Runtime: 2 hr 05 min
- Cast: Naomi Watts, Edward Norton, Liev Schreiber, Toby Jones, Diana Rigg, Lü Yan and Many Others
- Directed By: John Curran
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Videos
Marjorie Prime
Marjorie Prime is based on the play and the movie. There are just a few performers in static sets, and they spend much of the other. The movie is set in 2050, Marjorie Smith is 85 years old and is facing acute symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
In order to help her condition, her son-in-law and daughter took help from a service called Prime. This service creates holographic projections and feeds them into memory so that they can recreate the memory.
She chose an old memory of her husband, Walter, who died 15 years ago. You have to keep in mind to experience it and the technology it explains.
The nature of memory, the gap between who we are and how others see us, our own sense of identity with its slow, dialogue-based pace.
The movie’s climactic sequence, in which “Primes,” holographic copies are long dead, talk with one another differently from the people they are imitating from how others portrayed them, is its crowning achievement. Even though the film’s ambiance was so gloomy and dated, you will be engrossed in it.
- Released in: 2017
- IMDB Score: 7.4
- Runtime: 1 hr 39 min
- Cast: Jon Hamm, Geena Davis, Lois Smith, Tim Robbins, and Many Others
- Directed By: Michael Almereyda
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
Breakthrough
This is John Smith’s flick. Chrissy Metz did portray the steadfast Christian mother of faith. I was pleasantly impressed by Topher’s open win over his church.
The plot focuses on John Smith, a 14-year-old Guatemalan kid who is adopted, and brought up in Lake Saint Louis. The parents Joyce and Brian Smith love him a lot. But John misses his birth parents and rebels against his teachers and parents.
There’s always a positive when music is in a way that makes sense to the narrative and isn’t just in the background. You learn about the family and a few of the important characters at the beginning of the novel.
The boy is adopted, but you cannot tell by looking at them. Feel that even though they are being squeezed, people can still feel unloved while cherished. Mike Collier did a fantastic job portraying a rescue worker who has his own religious beliefs.
- Released in: 2019
- IMDB Score: 6.2
- Runtime: 1 hr 56 min
- Cast: Chrissy Metz, Josh Lucas, Topher Grace, Mike Colter, Marcel Ruiz, Sam Trammell, Dennis Haysbert, and Many Others
- Directed By: Roxann Dawson
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Videos
Love, Simon
The film version of Becky Albertalli’s lauded book, Love, Simon, is warmhearted, truthful, and clever. Undoubtedly, many walks of life can connect to Simon’s narrative in some way since it is so universal.
It is quite challenging to accurately transfer a book to a movie, but after reading Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda. The plot focuses on Simon who is a gay teenage boy and his status is closed. He resides in Georgia with his parents, Jack and Emily, and sister Nora, who loves him. In school, he has three best friends Leah, Nick, and Abby who are the oldest of the bunch.
Simon is a faithful translation of such a well-liked book. This movie handles the coming out and homophobia; it’s what everyone should watch, not just what it’s like to be gay and how it feels to come out to family and friends.
Simon, in particular, is much above all expectations in terms of the cast’s performances. Bravo to Josh Duhamel, Tony Hale, Natasha Rothwell, and Jennifer Garner, who took the movie to new levels.
Greg Berlanti’s direction deserves it clear that it would not have been possible without him. It is a different movie and has good messages all around.
- Released in: 2018
- IMDB Score: 7.5
- Runtime: 1 hr 50 min
- Cast: Nick Robinson, Keiynan Lonsdale, Katherine Langford, Josh Duhamel, Jennifer Garner, Alexandra Shipp, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Miles Heizer, Logan Miller, Drew Starkey, Joey Pollari, Clark Moore, and Many Others
- Directed By: Greg Berlanti
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
Touched with Fire
In the movie “Touched with Fire,” the bipolar character Marco (Luke Kirby) shows Carla (Katie Holmes) an image that depicts what the world represents for him when he is not taking his medicine.
The image, which depicts a person with bipolar illness, is taken directly from a page of vibrant color mosaics of blue, red, and violet.
Emily Dickerson and Vincent Van Gogh produced some of the finest works of art despite suffering from an undiagnosed time. Although “Touched with Fire” is drama, it is really a character study of people who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
It portrays a situation and treats its subject carefully, along with the negative consequences this sickness has on others who care about and wish to assist them.
- Released in: 2016
- IMDB Score: 6.2
- Runtime: 1 hr 46 min
- Cast: Katie Holmes, Luke Kirby, Christine Lahti, Griffin Dunne, Bruce Altman, and Many Others
- Directed By: Paul Dalio
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Videos
The Descendants
With his adaptation of the novel The Descendants for the Big Screen, Alexander Payne returns to the spotlight. It features George Clooney as Matt King, a man whose ancestry is Hawaii’s history.
King was forced to make a crucial choice when a new rule that required him and his surviving family to give up their sizable piece of waterfront property was approved.
A family problem has arisen. He needs his two daughters, Scottie, a child who is swiftly making more enemies than friends, and Alexandra, a teenager in reform school, to work together to get through this situation.
They are appealing to Alexander Payne. Giamatti in Sideways, Broderick in Election, Nicholson in About Schmidt, and now Clooney. They all seem to be on. They keep running into roadblocks after roadblocks. On the field of adaptability, Payne also feels at home.
Music, a fusion of island vibes, contributes to the false impression of Hawaii that we on the mainland have. When in fact, it is just like every see palm trees, flower-adorned leis, and white, sandy beaches. Like everyone else, they must work and raise families. However, there is something unique about the plot.
- Released in: 2011
- IMDB Score: 7.3
- Runtime: 1 hr 55 min
- Cast: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Nick Krause, Patti Hastie, Matthew Lillard, Judy Greer, Hugh Foster, Beau Bridges, Kaui Hart, and Many Others
- Directed By: Alexander Payne
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
After the Wedding
There are secrets atop one another and memories above one another. It’s only a personal secret; it’s aware of the entire narrative. Isabel Anderson is the co-founder of an orphanage located in India. To meet a donor, CEO Theresa Young, must travel to New York.
She is a bit hesitant because of the Orphanage and did not want to travel. She also doesn’t want to leave Jai, a kid whom she found when he was an infant. She treated him like her own boy, on the other hand, Thresa insists she meet in person.
The video, shot in India, where the movie starts, has a real-world feel to it. The movie is about affluent Danes. Prosperity in Scandinavia and poverty in India are poles apart.
Jacob serves as the bridge between these two worlds. He travels between India and Denmark. He is dispatched to Denmark in order to persuade a wealthy businessman to sponsor the project in an orphanage in India. Exceptional main performers and a strong supporting cast contribute to the performance.
The incredibly gifted Sidse Babett Knudsen, who portrays Helene, the affluent businessman’s wife, deserves special recognition if I were to watch Ms. Knudsen provide a subtle and rewarding performance.
- Released in: 2019
- IMDB Score: 7.7
- Runtime: 1 hr 52 min
- Cast: Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams, Billy Crudup, Abby Quinn, and Many Others
- Directed By: Bart Freundlich
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
Stuck in Love
Josh Boone, writer and director, has created a masterfully blended number few are able to do. Three with the primal human connection: the estranged marriage, the seesaw of a mature relationship, and the naivety and anxiety of first love.
William Borgens, played by Greg Kinnear, is the archetypal What have you done for me lately novelist who hasn’t had a big success in a long time but doesn’t want anyone to know it. Jennifer Connelly, who plays his wife Erica.
Samantha and Rusty, played by Lily Collins and Nat Wolff, are forging their own particular paths through the bizarre environment they have inherited. Technically, the movie strikes a good mix of polished Hollywood laid-back indie vibes.
The bright illumination hides an earthy color scheme, and rustic furniture abounds in the location featured in several scenes, creating a countercultural atmosphere appropriate for this family of intellectuals.
- Released in: 2012
- IMDB Score: 7.2
- Runtime: 1 hr 37 min
- Cast: Greg Kinnear, Lily Collins, Logan Lerman, Jennifer Connelly, Nat Wolff, Liana Liberato, Kristen Bell, Glen Powell, Stephen King, Rusty Joiner, Patrick Schwarzenegger, and Many Others
- Directed By: Josh Boone
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Videos
What Maisie Knew
‘What Maisie Knew’ is about a child and was directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel. Onata April’s character Maisie needs better parents.
Both her mother, Julianne Moore, and her father, Steve Coogan, are conceited characters who love their daughter, Maisie, but are more concerned with their jobs than with their offspring.
Despite having a nanny and attending a prestigious private school, a world where things are fragile. Only were made for her care by her parents.
Successful or unsuccessful, you will see that in the plot of the movie. Although the acting in this film is superb, Julianne Moore’s performance stands out, in my opinion.
Moore has the guts to play a part in which her character is woefully unprepared to be a parent. Moore does her best to be a good mother, but she never puts in the necessary effort to succeed, which may be cringy for some audiences.
- Released in: 2012
- IMDB Score: 7.4
- Runtime: 1 hr 33 min
- Cast: Julianne Moore, Onata Aprile, Alexander Skarsgard, Steve Coogan, Joanna Vanderham, and Many Others
- Directed By: Scott McGehee and David Siegel
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Videos
Marriage Story
An insightful marriage dissolving and a family continuing together may be found in Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story. As big flashes by, Nicole, played by Scarlett Johansson, is heard praising Charlie, played by Adam Driver.
Charlie enjoys fatherhood so much that it almost makes him irritable. In film, he becomes easily teary. He is fiercely determined and unflappable about what he wants. These are just a handful of Nicole’s favorite things about him.
Learning how to live on your own comes next. Happiness is a subjective emotion that can’t be covered up by doing the dishes or forgetting your shopping list on the way to the store.
While Nicole’s family and house are something that smacks in the midst of everything, we learn very little about Charlie’s childhood.
The cast that is most impressive of the group is Adam Driver, who gave a sad performance that, rightfully so, will be the talk of awards season this year.
- Released in: 2019
- IMDB Score: 7.9
- Runtime: 2 hr 16 min
- Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, Laura Dern, Alan Alda, Ray Liotta, Julie Hagerty, Merritt Wever, and Many Others
- Directed By: Noah Baumbach
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Life Itself
The language in this film makes it a fantastic dramatic epic. Because it has developed and captured the spirit of a literary novel or movie, “The Book Thief” is a fantastic dramatic epic.
Despite the lack of character development in “Life Itself,” the connection to the characters since their conversation somehow defines them. You can usually sense where a movie is heading around halfway through. You genuinely have no idea what’s going to happen, and you ride a roller coaster while meeting some.
This is a wonderful, heartfelt movie. The music and score are excellent and occasionally beautiful—that is what makes it the finest, in my opinion.
- Released in: 2018
- IMDB Score: 6.9
- Runtime: 1 hr 57 min
- Cast: Oscar Isaac, Mandy Patinkin, Olivia Wilde, Olivia Cooke, Annette Bening, Laia Costa, Antonio Banderas, and Many Others
- Directed By: Dan Fogelman
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
Blue Valentine
“Blue Valentine” doesn’t make you cry and wince, the script’s blatant eloquence and the actors’ raw, unrehearsed performances would, but those tears would be ones of joy. Marriages ending in divorce are an issue that touches on all cultures, which is what gives this movie its genuine impact.
The plot revolves around Dean, who is not into romance and is working in a company that takes care of imports in Brooklyn. Cindy is a medical student who resides with her parents and grandmother in Pennsylvania. You’ll wonder how they got as Blue Valentine sets out the components of tragedy and allows you to piece from there. It doesn’t provide any remedies.
The movie uses a juxtaposition style, which is not always successful or simple. In this format, scenes from the present are juxtaposed with events from the past. The transitions, so smooth and painful to witness in the vividness of their release, are largely to Derek Cianfrance’s credit.
Dean and Cindy are embodied by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams with apparent care. It’s difficult to imagine that they don’t have some familiarity with some. They demand a high price for the annoyance, hatred, fury, guilt, and insanity they bring to the screen.
The music by Grizzly Bear, the supporting actors, and the imagery are all exquisite. But it’s not a romantic comedy, warning people to enter committed partnerships.
- Released in: 2010
- IMDB Score: 7.3
- Runtime: 2 hr 00 min
- Cast: Michelle Williams, Ryan Gosling, Mike Vogel, Faith Wladyka, John Doman, Eileen Rosen, Ben Shenkman, Enid Graham, Reila, Aphrodite, John Marshall and Many Others
- Directed By: Derek Cianfrance
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Videos
She’s Having a Baby
Elizabeth McGovern “she” of the title, while Kevin Bacon had one of his greatest performances in this movie. As the “best friend” who has an unrequited passion for his friend’s wife, Alec Baldwin is thin and repulsive.
The movie revolves around Jake and Kristy, from the day of their marriage till the day their kid gets born. Most of the narrative is given by Jake and there are many scenes that have his voice overs.
As Jake writes, one would have a deeper philosophical understanding: Jake only reconciles himself when events really occur.
If Kristy’s character had been given more attention, the film would have been much better. The best approach to achieve it would be to include some scenes between her and a close girlfriend to further establish her character.
There are plenty of bizarre moments when Bacon’s character imagines how he would react to certain circumstances, such as Scrubs, but few stick out. When he imagines his in-laws delivering sex advice, he has this great lawnmower scene.
- Released in: 1988
- IMDB Score: 5.9
- Runtime: 1 hr 46 min
- Cast: Kevin Bacon, Elizabeth McGovern, Alec Baldwin, Cathryn Damon, William Windom, Valerie Breiman, Holland Taylor, Bill Erwin, Isabel García Lorca, Paul Gleason, and Many Others
- Directed By: John Hughes
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Videos
We the Animals
It depicts a mother and father struggling to make ends meet while raising their three boys. In one way or another, both parents struggle with severe sadness and hopelessness; to them, life is a prison they can’t get out of.
The boys must learn how to exist in the world and their position in it on their own time. Imitate their father, who uses physical and emotional abuse of his wife as a coping mechanism for his inability to express his feelings and to educate his kids on how to be “MEN” to make up for his own feelings of inadequacy.
The subject addressed in “We the Animals” isn’t a lot of conversation in this film since the characters couldn’t possibly express ideas. Instead, it’s a story about the emotions that are of almost every are suppressed by the environment.
- Released in: 2018
- IMDB Score: 6.9
- Runtime: 1 hr 34 min
- Cast: Evan Rosado, Raúl Castillo, Sheila Vand, Isaiah Kristian, Josiah Gabriel, and Many Others
- Directed By: Jeremiah Zagar
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
The Orheim Company
The third movie adaptation of Tore Renberg’s partially biographical Stavanger book about Jarle Klepp is called Kompani Orheim.
Here, we learn the reason for his decision to adopt his mother’s last name—Klepp—rather than his father’s—Orheim. The wonderful teen tale “Mannensom Elsket Yngves” had Jarle performing in a band and coming to the brink of adulthood.
This movie begins with Jarle learning that his father has passed away, sending him back in time to the burial of his adolescence in the absurd 1980s. When he first learned that his parents were hiding anything from him, they were unable to conceal the truth.
All three flicks of “Jeg Reiser Alene” are arguably more endearing than the first, and it’s the third that will stick in people’s minds: Great play with conflicting emotions as a three-person household disintegrates.
The young Jale, portrayed by freshman Veborn Enger, is still willing to take up a position and shoulder responsibilities. Kristoffer Jones describes the father well. It is a good watch, which is underrated. It should be watched by everyone.
- Released in: 2012
- IMDB Score: 7.0
- Runtime: 1 hr 44 min
- Cast: Vebjørn Enger, Kristoffer Joner, Cecile Mosli, Eili Harboe, Rolf Kristian Larsen, Renate Reinsve, Andreas Cappelen, Tone Mostraum, Henrik Mestad, Vera Rudi, Lisa Loven, Kongsli, and Many Others
- Directed By: Jeremiah Zagar
Transamerica
With Bree’s arrival at her family’s house, TRANSAMERICA veering off into outright could have become monotonous despite its dangerous subject. Stanley is “this close” to realizing her longtime desire to become a woman but is hindered by her son, who is now 17 years old, being imprisoned. In order to take this final step, she must come to terms with her son.
She’s not thrilled about this because doing so would mean returning to a guy, and she’s not about to do that. The child is a complete nuisance. So she makes the decision to keep it a secret, pay for his bail, take him to Los Angeles, and then let him go.
In contrast to many road films, this one is about two aware of their lives more than any scene ever could. It is a road movie about two people who are in an unhappy relationship.
TRANSAMERICA is more accepting and kind than, although her quest for perfection is what makes people laugh in the movie. It does not leer at the way a freak of nature does. While it may not ultimately win the Best Actress Oscar, the lady attempting to succeed in the world while supporting her kid will in history.
- Released in: 2005
- IMDB Score: 7.4
- Runtime: 1 hr 43 min
- Cast: Felicity Huffman, Kevin Zegers, Graham Greene, Fionnula Flanagan Burt Young, Carrie Preston Elizabeth Peña, and Many Others
- Directed By: Duncan Tucker
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Videos
Marty
“Marty” is an incredibly fantastic film that employs social realism, a feat that was not in 1955. Like Ernest, Borgnine really shines. Marty, 34, and his mother reside in the Bronx but are originally from Italy.
He has a positive nature but is an introvert and is always getting a lecture to settle down from his family. All his sisters and brothers are already married and have children.
His Hollywood resume speaks for itself! Betsy Blair pulls off with “A Delicate Balance.” The entire film puts Ernest Borgnine under pressure to alter the direction of his dysfunctional surroundings, which were labeled by the negative links to his cultural stereotype.
In 1955, the American people responded favorably to Marty on television and in theatres. The story of a Bronx butcher who longed desperately for a living soul mate struck a common chord with the fear of loneliness. As it stands, the scenario sees Marty in the Stardust Ballroom, where he meets Betsy Blair.
- Released in: 1995
- IMDB Score: 7.7
- Runtime: 1 hr 30 min
- Cast: Ernest Borgnine, Betsy Blair, Joe Mantell, Augusta Ciolli, Esther Minciotti, Jerry Paris, Karen Steele, George Nardelli, Arthur Tovey, Edwin Rochelle, and Many Others
- Directed By: Delbert Mann
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Videos
The Book of Henry
The Book of Henry is a stunningly complex film on the pleasures and sufferings of being a human. Learn more about each of these wonderful novels that overplay their part. Similar to real life, there are starts and pauses in this that lure the audience in from the beginning and keep them interested until the very end.
This is a story of the Hudson Valley, where Susan, who is a single mother, is raising two boys, Peter and Henry Carpenter. Susan is a waitress and is working on a children’s writing book. Henry is a smart kid and uses his intellect to make some cushion of money by investing in the stock market.
Anyone involving the human spirit days, so for some who argue that the narrative could not be believable, just pick up the newspaper or turn on the television.
The story may seem a little formulaic and rather overdone, but I believe that the movie added its own unique flavor to it. In my opinion, the performers and the characters are from the film. The characters are complex and have many being forced into the story.
The Susan, Henry, and Peter families are harmonious, just as a family should. Naomi Watts strikes her portrayal of a bereaved mother with one remaining child. To go into depth about the narrative would be like, a book or novel. You just know it when you see it.
- Released in: 2017
- IMDB Score: 6.6
- Runtime: 1 hr 45 min
- Cast: Naomi Watts, Lee Pace, Jacob Tremblay, Tonya Pinkins, Jaeden Lieberher, Sarah Silverman, Maddie Ziegler, Dean Norris, and Many Others
- Directed By: Colin Trevorrow
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Videos
Kramer vs. Kramer
The fantastic drama “Kramer vs. Kramer” revolves around a mother who leaves the family of her husband. Now the boy is under his care. Ted is a workaholic and because of his hard work, he has been recently promoted, but soon after, his wife tells him that she is about to leave him soon.
They get to know one another better as he continues. When the boy’s mother and wife eventually returned, she demanded custody of the child. The drama in “Kramer vs. Kramer” is filled with witty and comical scenes. Dustin Hoffman received his first Best Actor Oscar.
Despite not being very dramatic, the tale was really emotional. The characters weren’t improbable for their part; they have qualities that endear viewers to them in any role they play, like Meryl Streep’s role as a mother who is honest about her past mistakes but is confident enough to defend her emotional motivations in order to win a fair and just battle.
Vivaldi’s music is expertly handled, and the movie includes a lot of little character details and intimate moments without becoming unfilled.
There’s little doubt that Streep and Hoffman won’t get back together, which is the movie’s main focus, but the interaction between the two characters manages to be close without ever seeming like it would develop.
- Released in: 1979
- IMDB Score: 7.8
- Runtime: 1 hr 45 min
- Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Justin Henry, Jane Alexander, and Many Others
- Directed By: Robert Benton
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Videos
The End of Love
This is the emotional journey taken by a father and his unexpected. After a loved one passes away, it can be difficult to manage.
Mark Webber is a struggling actor; his wife unexpectedly dies and leaves him with his infant son. Mark musters all that he can to raise his child and be a father. As the story progresses, he meets a single mother and learns that his decision can have some bad consequences.
Finding your way into a “new” reality and comprehending why others don’t understand it is difficult. The petite guy is cute, and the acting is excellent. The bond between Mark and Isaac, as well as Webber’s performance, is what makes this play so special.
The two have a fantastic, sincere chemistry that drives the majority of the movie. Other reviews described Mark as a struggling and rebellious single parent who was the sole focus of the film. He gets up again and returns to some kind of normalcy.
- Released in: 2012
- IMDB Score: 5.9
- Runtime: 1 hr 30 min
- Cast: Mark Webber, Aubrey Plaza, Amanda Seyfried, Jason Ritter, Michael Cera, Shannyn Sossamon, Issac Love, Alia Shawkat, Jake Johnson, Jocelin Donahue, Michael Bacall, and Many Others
- Directed By: Mark Webber
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Videos
Run the Tide
A narrative about two boys whose mother is due to be released spending time on what appears to be a history of the narrative never reveals what she really served time for.
The elder son chooses to pack up and leave just before his mother is released from prison because he doesn’t want to be around her and wants to spare his younger brother the suffering his mother caused him.
From there, the story of the family’s battle to overcome its division and the previous wounds, resentments, and struggles begins. This movie will undoubtedly appeal to and be appreciated by anybody who has battled drug addiction and recovered.
The remainder of the actors, including Taylor Lautner, delivered fantastic, sincere performances. His career shot up after working in the Twilight franchise alongside Robert Pattinson. Highly recommended for adult audiences and nice viewing.
- Released in: 2016
- IMDB Score: 5.2
- Runtime: 1 hr 40 min
- Cast: Nico Christou, Taylor Lautner, Kenny Johnson, Constance Zimmer, Johanna Braddy, and Many Others
- Directed By: Soham Mehta
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Videos
Wonder
This is an adaption of a young adult and children’s novel. The novel was an instant bestseller, and director Stephen Chbosky was committed to making sure that the film stayed loyal to the source material. There was nothing subtle about the narrative, and the book was as predictable as an Afterschool Special.
Auggie is a 10-year-old kid residing in Brooklyn with his mother and father, Isabel and Nate along with a sister, Via, and a dog, Daisy. Unfortunately, Auggie has “mandibulofacial dysostosis,” which is a deformity, and to maintain his fave, he has been operated on more than 27 times.
Children adore Chbosky’s miracle of a film, which also causes their parents and grandparents to blatantly cry. Even while we may have a general idea of where the film is heading, the journey itself is remarkable.
Stephen Chbosky expertly threads the needle by remaining loyal to R.J. Palacio’s original story while painting the storyline, characters, and action in bright hues to appeal to children and adults alike on a variety of levels.
This film is the Capra-corn of this generation. Without apology, it is sentimental. It uses your emotions to influence you. Everything revolves around right and wrong, around the morals we ideally learned as children and must relearn as we get more life experience.
- Released in: 2017
- IMDB Score: 7.9
- Runtime: 1 hr 53 min
- Cast: Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Jacob Tremblay, Mandy Patinkin, Davey Diggs, and Many Others
- Directed By: Stephen Chbosky
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
Saving Mr. Banks
The movie has memories of the author’s childhood, and the narrative is heartwarming as she collaborates with Disney’s Hollywood crew to produce a film she would be happy with. The story is based on 1951, Diarmuid Russell is an agent and is having financial trouble. He decided to go and meet Walt Disney in L.A., who asked him about the rights of Mary Poppins.
She is first shown as a sour-tempered woman who leads a lonely, secluded existence and needs money to save her home. Tom Hanks is a veteran, and he is an ace when it comes to delivering good performances.
Over the course of the film, we witness her mature as she works to mend her connections with her devoted father by coming to terms with both her own shortcomings and her failure to rescue him.
We also see a peek at the erasable Walt Disney, who created a fantastical world full of fiction to uplift both children and adults despite his own childhood deficiencies.
You’ve come to appreciate and understand the lady within PL Travers because of Emma Thompson’s talents. Walt Disney was brought to life by Tom Hanks in his portrayal of him. Saving Mr. Banks uses songs from Mary Poppins to transition to the author’s earlier life, which is a fantastic use of editing.
Colin Farrell did a fantastic job portraying Travers Goff’s inner sparkle and the misery of his inability to deal with life’s realities. This is a genuine experience that will make you smile in the end after making you cry and laugh.
- Released in: 2013
- IMDB Score: 7.5
- Runtime: 2 hr 05 min
- Cast: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman, Bradley Whitford, Colin Farrell, and Many Others
- Directed By: John Lee Hancock
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
Belle
As a little kid, Belle’s father takes her to visit the 1st Earl of Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson), who is the subject of the first chapter of the novel. He requests that they take care of her while he is away since he has been ordered to sail to the other side of the planet.
Since the child is the result of a scandalous inter-racial relationship between Sir Lindsay and a Negro slave, they first resist the concept. Belle’s father genuinely cares for his child. He begs his uncle to raise her in a way that is worthy of his rank and her ancestry because she has no other family but him to care for her.
They give in, and Belle grows up in their home together with a young girl who is their unrelated cousin’s ward. The narrative concentrates on the complex issue of slavery in the early 1700s while simultaneously tracing the development of a love so intense that it is now uncommon to find it in a time of social equality and liberty.
The sharp depiction of class division and the predicament of women who lack an inheritance and must find a spouse in order to live are both present. Additionally, it confronts the audience on issues such as the worth of human life, how we perceive people of color and the fortitude of those who toiled for social change.
- Released in: 2013
- IMDB Score: 7.3
- Runtime: 1 hr 40 min
- Cast: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson, Miranda Richardson, Penelope Wilton, Sam Reid, Matthew Goode, Emily Watson, and Many Others
- Directed By: Amma Asante
- Streaming Platform: Hulu
The Wedding Banquet
The main character in “The Wedding Banquet” portrays a glum expression for virtually the whole film. He wrinkles his forehead and appears to be deeply troubled by his thoughts. It’s quite obvious what that is right away.
Wai Tung resides with his gay partner Simon in Manhattan. He still has not come out in front of his parents. As he is in his late 20s, his family has started to worry about him and wants him to marry and continue his family name.
He dislikes his mother’s intrusive attempts to pair him up with someone so she may have a grandchild, which is what she wants. He doesn’t want to disappoint her or his father, yet he is terrified to do so.
The script was created by director Ang Lee and collaborators Neil Peng and James Schamus, and it’s a crackerjack tale packed with novel ideas. The wedding feast itself has so many fascinating elements regarding modern Chinese-American culture and the feeling that it appears like something fresh has been done in the film industry.
Young and old, men and women, straight and non-straight, Chinese and American, and more all offer different viewpoints on the characters and issues.
Lee is also an expert at having enthusiasm. No matter how sweet or vicious they are, his characters always manage to make you cry. Enjoy each scenario as it arises; Lee is captivating and enchanting even at this early stage of his career.
- Released in: 1993
- IMDB Score: 7.6
- Runtime: 1 hr 46 min
- Cast: Winston Chao May Chin Gua Ah-leh, Lung Sihung, Mitchell Lichtenstein, and Many Others
- Directed By: Ang Lee
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Videos
Trumbo
Trumbo was the best writer in Hollywood and earned the biggest salary. Trumbo was jailed despite the fact that it was lawful to be a Communist Party member because he refused to name names in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee.
In the supporting character of Frank King, a studio owner who has never misjudged the intellect of the audiences who swarm to his Grade B films, John Goodman excels. Cleo Trumbo, Dalton Trumbo’s wife, is portrayed by Diane Lane. She must represent the patient’s wife in the position, therefore, it’s not exactly a fantastic one.
She still succeeds in pulling it off. The fact that this film depicts a writer really writing is a plus. We see Trumbo repeatedly tapping away at his typewriter while under the influence of booze and Benzedrine.
In most films about authors, everything but writing is depicted. To see Bryan Cranston in this movie is very refreshing, as we all loved him in Breaking Bad as Walter White.
The writing is top-notch. John McNamara and Bruce Cook deserve a standing ovation for their dedication to historical authenticity and realism. The dialogue is excellent and keeps you interested. It makes you think and touches you emotionally in a way that very few films do these days.
But Jay Roach’s great directing makes it all work together. It takes a lot of skill to bring the personal and historical together in this way.
- Released in: 2015
- IMDB Score: 7.4
- Runtime: 2 hr 04 min
- Cast: Bryan Cranston, Diane Lane, Helen Mirren, Louis C.K., Elle Fanning, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Many Others
- Directed By: Jay Roach
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Videos
Rudderless
A fast-talking, fast-living advertising executive named Sam (Billy Crudup) divorced his wife due to his hectic schedule and continual back-and-forth. Josh, his college-age son, and Sam still get along well, but after Josh is killed in a campus shooting, Sam deals with the loss by drinking away his job and his condo.
Listening to Josh’s music and reading song lyrics in diaries gives Sam a perspective on his late son, whom he never had when he was still alive. He starts to learn how to play each song and is inspired to stop by the neighborhood bar’s open mic night so that he can perform one of Josh’s songs in front of a crowd.
Listening to Josh’s music and reading song lyrics in diaries gives Sam a perspective on his late son, whom he never had when he was still alive.
The abrupt change in tone could turn off some viewers who think Macy’s is pushing the script’s plausibility, but the majority of viewers will probably get the motivation for such a decision. But despite the sudden move to the left, Macy’s debut film, Rudderless, is nevertheless inspiring and moving.
- Released in: 2014
- IMDB Score: 7.4
- Runtime: 1 hr 45 min
- Cast: Billy Crudup, Laurence Fishburne, Felicity Huffman, Anton Yelchin, Selena Gomez, and Many Others
- Directed By: William H. Macy
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
Beasts of the Southern Wild
According to Beasts of the Southern Wild, the wild animals are in the Bathtub, an isolated section of the Louisiana bayou that is utterly shut off from the rest of contemporary society. Beasts of the Southern Wild is a singular vision that captivates audiences with its vigor, attitude, and feeling of life.
The picture is just so captivating, with superb acting, gorgeous photography, and amazing music. Through Hushpuppy’s eyes, Beasts of the Southern Wild comes to life, and it’s a sight to behold: occasionally magnificent, frequently disorganized, and dysfunctional.
Even if you are apolitical, it’s difficult to see the movie without having a political perspective. However, there is no stifling in this; fantastical moments and great writing juggle so much with ease.
The camera technique is unsteady, but so is a child’s mind. Their thoughts are continually shifting from one thing to the next, swinging back and forth like a camera.
Another approach to understanding the creative camera work is to think of Hushpuppy as striving to find her position in both the world and the camera’s vision. It is a slow movie but is suitable for conventional viewers.
- Released in: 2012
- IMDB Score: 7.2
- Runtime: 1 hr 33 min
- Cast: Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry, Jonshel Alexander, Lowell Landes, Levy Easterly, Pamela Harper, Gina Montanna, Amber Henry, Kendra Harris, and Many Others
- Directed By: Benh Zeitlin
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Videos
City Island
City Island is a classic dysfunctional family melodrama that takes great pleasure in fitting into that mold. The consistently excellent performances and the assured directing are what make this dark comedy appealing and enduringly unforgettable.
Vince Rizzo lives in the Bronx on City Island. He works as a prison guard and his family has many secrets. As the story moves on, he discovers that his illegal son, Tony Nardella, is 24 and is locked up in the same prison where he works.
Both films, which have similar underlying virtues in terms of acting and screenplay, are puzzlingly fascinating for works with such a simple plot and might be easily written off as haughty Oscar bait. Andy Garcia plays Vince Rizzo, a prison guard who has a hidden desire to become an actor.
Because of this, his wife Joyce, played by Julianna Margulies, thinks he is having an affair. Their daughter Vivian is covertly working as a dancer to pay for school, while their son Vince Jr. has a secret crush on larger-framed women.
As Vice’s long-lost son, Steven Straight portrays a brilliantly nuanced ex-con who is as perplexed by his new surroundings and the compassion of a purported stranger as he is disillusioned with society.
Each member of the Rizzo family gets sufficient screen time to develop into a fully realized character without overshadowing one member to the point where they become caricatures.
- Released in: 2009
- IMDB Score: 7.4
- Runtime: 1 hr 44 min
- Cast: Andy Garcia, Julianna Margulies, Steven Strait, Emily Mortimer, Ezra Miller, Dominik Garcia-Lorido, Alan Arkin, and Many Others
- Directed By: Raymond De Felitta
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Videos
Serena
This movie is more realistic than other Hollywood imitators, similar to how certain European movies have been. While bright automobiles and other “cool” accessories are occasionally employed to enhance perception, life isn’t always thrilling; sometimes, it might be somber rather than fast-paced.
The less glamorous aspects of depression are shown in this movie. Instead of showing you the problems firsthand, it provides you with a peek at them throughout the story.
Hollywood-style features like the main people being spotlessly clean are there, but theoretically, this movie looks to be a straightforward slice of life. We have already seen Jennifer in The Hunger Games franchise.
She portrays this intricate 1929 beauty with ominous realism. Bradley Cooper does a fantastic job with his role, and on-screen, he gains the attention of the audience.
The tragic lady at the center of the narrative is responsible for the negative effects she has on her husband and others close to him. Another movie that you should definitely check out is Burnt if you are a fan of him.
I believe that both the act and the writing do a fantastic job of capturing this drastic transition. Bradley and Jennifer are both skilled performers who never let you down. The plot of the whole movie and the vision of the director will keep you hooked to the screen.
- Released in: 2014
- IMDB Score: 5.4
- Runtime: 1 hr 50 min
- Cast: Bradley Cooper, Rhys Ifans, Jennifer Lawrence, Toby Jones, Sean Harris, David Dencik, Ana Ularu, and Many Others
- Directed By: Susanne Bier
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV
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