Top 5 Best Step Families in Film
Families are a funny thing. They can drive us so crazy, but at the same time we never stop loving them.
It’s the old saying that blood is thicker than water. But not always. I like many people in this day and age come from an extended family. Some are related by blood, some are not. Compared to a lot of other people (and Disney films) I had a great relationship with my step parents. For this Mother’s Day I thought it would be nice to honor the best step families on film. Let’s get started, but before we do there probably will be some SPOILERS in these entries.
Honorable Mention: Mrs. Doubtfire
This is a honorable mention because even though Robin Williams and Sally Field do divorce early on; she never gets married to Pierce Brosnan’s character. I always got the sense it would happen some times after the events of the film, but technically we don’t know. The reason I want to discuss this is because as a child of a divorced couple (one where Sally Field and Robin Williams happen to look and feel very similar to my own parents) the ending speech was a very touching speech growing up. Sure the film is fun, but I always found the speech to be so comforting as a child. They may not get back together, but you will get through it and still be loved. Look up the scene on YouTube if you need a reminder and some tissues when you remember about Robin Williams.
5) Juno
“Juno” is an unusual film in that it was incredibly well-reviewed and loved when it first came out, but if you ask many others nowadays you’ll probably get a full list of their critiques of it. Now so many of the things that were originally listed as what made it so original are now used to mock it. Personally I still really enjoy it. A large part of why this is on this list can be attributed to Allison Janney. As an actress she generally excels at playing really very real feeling characters. It’s hard to explain what exactly it is that just works so well about her. There’s a little bit of the opening monologue that explains what happened to Juno’s birth mother, but it’s never dwelled on. I’d say the part of the film that gets her on this list is the ultrasound scene. The total mother lioness that comes out in that scene is just fantastic and makes me laugh every time.
4) Love Actually
This is a bit low on the list as it’s one that I didn’t even remember that Liam Neeson was a step father. I know some people LOVE this movie and it’s a Christmas tradition. I like the film. It’s not one of my favorites, (DON’T KILL ME) but it’s a nice little film. One of my favorite stories was Liam Neeson’s with his son. It was pretty basic. His wife has just passed away and he’s struggling to cope. His wife’s son and him actually have a pretty solid relationship. He may be hurting, but he never let’s it affect his step-son. Most of the story ends up centering around his son and his attempts to tell this girl he has a crush on how he feels before she returns to America. The scene of the son running through the airport is probably one of the most famous. The real reason I wanted to add this is connected with the first sentence. I guess I forgot or maybe missed the line of dialog mentioning that he was his step-dad. However, watching the film itself it never feels like it. They just seem like a real, solid father and son and that just shows the best that step families can get.
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