Good Family Movies on Amazon Prime

You need not stick with the familiars like Forrest Gump (1994), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), and Marley & Me (2008) for family movie night. The charm of these films are incontestable, but this genre can have more to offer. There are some family movies that open up a helpful dialogue about complex issues related to mental health, corrosive family dynamics, and contentious moral issues.

A few of these family movies on Prime can also be the perfect way to unwind together after a day of office or classes due to how undemanding, wholesome, and cosy they can be.

Here are five feel-good family movies to watch on Amazon Prime to add to your family movie night roster.

Ta Ra Rum Pum (2007)

This Siddharth Anand movie was the aftermath of the success of the Saif Ali Khan-Rani Mukerji duo in Hum Tum (2004).

The film follows the journey of Rajveer ‘RV’ Singh (Saif Ali Khan) and Radhika Rai (Rani Mukerji). They build a family through the ups and downs of RV’s exciting career, where he goes from a car racing team’s pit crew member to a race car driver himself. We follow the heartrending arc of a family riding high on financial success until an accident overturned their economic state.

Though, fret not. Even though the film explores the issue of downward economic mobility and its painful consequences, the happy ending and the buoyant performances of Jaaved Jaaferi, Rani Mukerji, and Saif Ali Khan soothe your anxiety after the turbulent rollercoaster the film takes you on.

Kapoor & Sons (2016)

A film embodying the dysfunctional trauma trope, Shakun Batra’s Kapoor and Sons is a must-watch family movie for teens and adults who love-but-don’t-love their parents. Any nuclear family with strained family bonds may see glimpses of their own situations in the film.
Emotionally charged dialogues and great cinematography lead to memorable scenes of the Kapoor clan, consisting of Rahul Kapoor (Fawad Khan), Arjun Kapoor (Siddharth Malhotra), Harsh Kapoor (Rajat Kapoor), and Sunita Kapoor (Ratna Pathak Shah).

The movie is commendable for its individual character development and the collective journey of the family back to itself. It explores themes of sibling rivalry, homosexuality, and grief associated with a dying grandfather (Rishi Kapoor)—all with humour and tenderness to warm the heart. When you finish this film, you will want to pick up your phone and call your grandparents, for sure.

Tholvi FC (2023)

Good family movies in Malayalam are known for their unique storytelling and cinematography. Whether we look at offbeat Malayalam films or movies with recycled themes, the inventive representation is refreshing.

Tholvi FC is one of the underrated additions to Malayalam cinema. It follows the journey of the Kurivila family, which encounters obstacles typical of a middle-class family.

At the forefront of the film is the eldest son, Oommen (Sharaf U Dheen), whose perpetual struggle to find a business idea that investors will love can be relatable to many. Thambi (George Kora), the younger son, is unable to inspire his football team as a coach. The father, Kuruvila (Johny Antony), cannot recover from a bad investment in crypto. His brilliant performance revitalizes the struggling father trope.

With all these individual struggles, the movie focuses on how a dysfunctional family fights not to fall apart when everything in their life is in shambles. When you watch this as a family, you will feel love and appreciation for each other.

The Truman Show (1998)

This Wanda Vision-eque style of movie is unlike any other family movie on this list. It’s about the life of Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey), who unknowingly lives his seemingly ordinary life within the realm of a reality TV show set. His neighbors, coworkers, college crush, best friend, and even his wife are actors who are being paid to play a role in his life.

This psychological comedy is simultaneously a fun watch and a complicated masterpiece that can lead to lengthy dinner table conversations.

You will either talk about the goofy confusion Truman experiences throughout the film as the aura of reality falters within the show set. Otherwise, The Truman Show can introduce teenagers to essential issues such as privacy, control, and the voyeuristic nature of reality TV shows.

Beautiful Boy (2018)

This film is based on the true story (and two memoirs) of journalist David Sheff and his son Nic Sheff. David (Steve Carell) and Nic (Timothée Chalamet) have a tumultuous relationship exacerbated by the son’s drug addiction. But despite the specificity of this conundrum, their touching conversations apply to any family that experiences a degree of distance when the child grows up and is struggling with something they feel their parents won’t “get.’’

David’s unwavering support for his child and Nic’s resistance to this support is a dynamic many Gen-Z kids may relate to.

The diner scene with David and Nic is an amalgamation of two seemingly antithetical filmographies of the two brilliant actors. It will tug at the heartstrings of any family with adult kids.