Dysfunctional Families in Hollywood Movies - Case Study Example

Dysfunctional Families in Hollywood Movies The Film Industry has gained immense attention over the years for beautifully portraying the different aspects of life. Our inner thoughts, expressions, ambitions which we are often deprived of in real life for various reasons gains prominence through the innumerable characters portrayed in the films that has marked the success of this industry. Hollywood, which has over the years, given birth to many memorable characters through their immaculate presentation has achieved undivided attention from all and sundry. ‘Dysfunctional Family’, has been one of the factors which have been visualized by us in a lot of Hollywood movies. These movies’ mainly highlight those characters who are little different from others or rather behave in a strange manner. These characters are mainly dealt with, in a humorous way which evokes laughter as well as makes it worth watching, as after all providing entertainment is one of the main goals of the film industry. These movies mainly centre on the fact how the life of these characters act as a hindrance to the growth of their families and in the process becomes the main subject of such movies. We can discuss the portrayal of these Dysfunctional families in Hollywood Movies with reference to few of its remarkable presentations. The Royal Tenenbaums: This film is one of the most famous works of Wes Andersen. The whole storyline revolves around a dysfunctional family. Gene Hackman is one of that Royal Tenenbauam who was the father of three children but was unaware of the fact as to how to raise them in a proper manner. However the three children achieved success in their life mainly due to a lady called Mrs. T. Anjelica Houston has played this role in this movie. However though they are successful they are to some extent neurotic. In the movie we find certain phases which evoke hilarity. Bill Murray is shown as a confused husband and also confusion seems to be there regarding the fact whether Danny Glover is Mrs. Tenenbaum’s fiancé or not. Royal, one of the main characters of this movie is shown to be a person who in his old age is seeking for attention from his family. This expectation of his however never materializes as his children are busier with their personal life and his wife Mrs. T is also planning to get remarried. He however manages to get the attention of one of the clans but that too for a few days. It is regarded as one of the brilliant films of Mr. Andersen and his rise as a mainstream director from being just an independent director proves it. (The Royal Tenenbaums) Meet the Fockers: This is a film which also deals with a dysfunctional family. When Gaylord Focker was given the permission to marry Pam, he traveled to Miami. Jack Tiberius Byrnes was Pam’s father and her mother was Dina. Greg went to Miami accompanied by Little Jack, his fiancé, Pam’s parents and also carried their dog along with him to make them familiar with his parents Roz and Bernie Focker. Roz was a sex therapist. But ironically the parents’ of Pam were very conservative. This very difference of their perception of life has enabled the story to give rise to situations which are not only hilarious but perfect presentations of comedy. This movie is a sequel of its first part, ‘Meet the Parents’. Jack’s suspicious nature and his efforts to expose Greg’s past life is the main theme of this story. Greg, however, is the main character of this movie. The very antics of his in the movie evoke laughter. He shaved his foreskin when he was a child; he also seduced his babysitter to an extent which made him lose his virginity. Roz’s habit of discussing sex with Greg which often made him feel embarrassed is another humorous side of this movie. (Meet the Fockers) The Munster Family: Marilyn stayed with the Munster family as she was studying in an American college. She did not stayed with her parents in Transylvania for this very reason. It has been anticipated by some that she at times has been referred to as Marilyn Mundane as her uncle and aunt adopted her. She was not an attractive lady. Though the Munster family to some extent was ashamed of her looks yet they never treated her rudely. Marilyn also did not have any clue that she did not have any boyfriend because of her family background. Though Marilyn’s thought process was in accordance with the culture of the Munster Family, she had a liking for macabre décor. She dressed herself in the American fashion which was not what her relatives followed purely because she thought that it will enable her to get rid of her ‘homeliness’. She was also of the opinion that those who considered the lifestyle of the Munster family to be ridiculous, they themselves were strange. In one of the episodes when Herman was transformed into a normal human being, Marilyn was literally shocked like the rest of the family. Though the series of episodes features Marilyn, we cannot consider her to be the protagonist. She is believed to be the character that was least developed; she was nothing but just a catalyst for the antics played by Herman and Grandpa in the series. However the storyline itself is sufficient to prove that the Munster family was completely different from that of a normal family. (The Munster Family) Little Miss Sunshine: The characters we come across in this movie are a reflection of peculiarity. It has been said ironically that probably the meaning of the word ‘dysfunctional’, if searched in the dictionary, one would surely come across the name of the Hoovers family. The head of the family is a character called Richard who is an unsuccessful motivational lecturer and also do not have a healthy relationship with his wife. His wife is Sheryl who is a chain smoker. Besides she is also a working woman whose idea of a meal is somewhat different from others. For her a meal which has been cooked at home meant a bucket full of chicken. Not only is she an indifferent character but her brother Frank also is an obnoxious character. He is a gay and had an intimate relationship with one of the graduate students. For his failure in developing this relationship, he also made a valiant effort to commit suicide. Every member of this family seems to have had some peculiarity in their nature. Even Edwin who is the grandfather is a drug addict. But he has one positive side in his character. He sincerely made an effort to guide Olive to sharpen her skills in order to win the contest, ‘Little Miss Sunshine’. Dwayne, olives’ brother also comes across as a very gritty character. He has decided that he will not be talking to any of the family members till the time he is appointed as a part of the Air Force. He also comes across as a person, who is disgusted with his family members, again a diversion from what prevails in a good family. Probably because of this negativity in their characters, the Hoovers Family goes through a disastrous period in the future. One of such incidents is the breaking down of the bus on which they were traveling in order to enable Olive to fulfill her dream but it remained as a dream only. (Little Miss Sunshine) Desperate Housewives: ‘Desperate Housewives’, a comedy-drama series by Marc Cherry is one of the biggest success stories of American television. The street of Wisteria Lane which is in the town of Fairview forms the setting of the show. The town however is considered to be fictional. The main theme of the storyline centers on the lives of a few women. It portrays their lifestyle as well as the series of events they go through. The problem in their family life, domestic struggles and the various problems that has engulfed their life forms the base of the theme. The apparently beautiful American society with their hidden problems is revealed through the characterization of these characters. The mysteries, crime offences and the secrets of the people who lived in the neighborhood make the story very interesting. This drama is a reflection of not one particular dysfunctional family but it deals with the problems residing in the American Society. However, it cannot be treated as a serious drama as the incidents are bought to the fore under the light of comedy. (Desperate Housewives) National Lampoon’s Vacation: This is a story which revolves around the Griswold family. A researcher by the name of Clark Griswold in order to provide more time to his wife Ellen and his two children Audrey and Rusty decides to visit the ‘Walley World’, a famous park in America. Though his wife wished to travel on air, Clark wanted to go by car so that all of them can travel together. After a series of mishaps when the Griswold family reached St. Louis they lost their way in a neighborhood on the Northern side. They were also compelled to pay for breaking the traffic rules. When they reached the West, they had to spend a night at that place. During this journey, Clark came across a young woman of voluptuous nature whose name was Christie Brinkley. Clark constantly kept on flirting with her and it almost led to an accident while he was driving. The relationship between Clark and Eddie was not healthy as during their stay in Coolidge, Eddie almost beat Clark for money. There are certain incidents of perversion in this story which however has been dealt in a comic manner. It is in short a series of misunderstandings, loss of temper and a revelation of unhealthy relationships. The Griswold family makes us familiar with another side of a dysfunctional family. (National Lampoon’s Vacation) The Simpsons: This again is a movie which is famous for its hilarity. This story begins with the adaptation of a pig by a person called Homer. Homer who used a silo to store the feces of this pig mistakenly dropped it in a lake. Later on a squirrel jumped and into the lake and died which further polluted the lake. When the Flanders and the Bart saw this, they gave the President five options to ensure that the lake is pollution free. He decided to enclose the lake and while this process was on the silo which Homer had dropped was spotted. This made the whole crowd furious and they burned the house of the Simpsons’. Somehow they managed to escape and fled to Alaska. Later the Simpson family saw an advertisement which provided them an opportunity to save the town. However, when Marge and the kids decided to do the same, Homer acted as the barrier. As a result the whole family left him and went away. Later on however Homer had the realization that in order to save his own life, he has to save his hometown. He succeeded in doing so and the whole family got reunited. (The Simpsons) The Family Guy: This story mainly deals with the adventures of Peter Griffin who is a catholic. His wife Lois is a piano teacher. They have three children Meg, Chris and Stewie. Meg is a homely girl and is less talked about. Chris is unintelligent and Stewie, their youngest son has great interest in sex and speaks in an accent which is similar to that of English accent of the higher class. This show mainly deals with the Griffin family and their exploitations. (The Family Guy) A dysfunctional family is one in which abnormal behavior, conflicts; difference of opinion is a very common factor. The future of such families becomes uncertain for this reason. A Dysfunctional family is a reflection of the combined complexities of the human mind. Unhealthy relationship between two adults, various kinds of addictions, mental problems as well as perversion are some of the common factors which lead to a dysfunctional family. What we learn at an early age is what we execute in the future. However children who have grown in unfavorable condition often find it difficult to break the shackles and lead a normal life. Jeff Biggers has said that the dysfunctional behaviors should not be treated lightly as they can be very severe. They normally never unite and they hardly know how to forgive. He has stressed on the fact that for a family in order to be termed as ‘functional’, it is very important that the members of that family interact with each other. It may not be possible all the time but if at least the urge to help each other is there then things will definitely head in a safe direction. At times the foundation of a family gets shaken in a moment of crisis. It is very important to handle such situations in a tactful way. Researches carried out over the years prove that often children behave abnormally when constantly they are deprived of their wants. In order to ensure a better future it is very important that children are given more respect and given more responsibilities appropriate to their age. Sexual abuse and addictions also has to be prevented. If all of us can join hands and take the initiative to solve this problem then surely we can ensure a better future. (Jamiolkowski, 10) In the above mentioned movies, we find the various aspects of a ‘Dysfunctional Family’ and more importantly the reasons which mark the formation of such families. In ‘Desperate Housewives’ we find the hidden problems of the American Society. Whereas in movies like ‘Little Miss Sunshine’, ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ and ‘National Lampoon’s Vacation’ we come across unhealthy relationships between the husband and wife. These movies also deal with issues like addictions, perversions, homosexuality, extra-marital relationships and abnormalities. In short, they provide us with a vivid description of the different kind of dysfunctional families that prevails in our society.  Works Cited 1. Andersons, Wes, The Royal Tenenbaums, perfs Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, American Empirical Pictures, 2001 2. Burns, Allan and Chris Hayward, The Munster Family, perfs, Fred Gwynne, Yvonne De Carlo, Al Lewis, Universal Studios, 1964 3. Cherry, Marc, Desperate Housewives, perfs Nicollette Sheridan, Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Cherry Alley Productions, 2004 4. Dayton, Jonathan and Valerie Faris, Little Miss Sunshine, perfs Abigail Breslin, Greg Kinnear, Paul Dano, Fox Pictures, 2006 5. Groening, Matt, The Simpsons, perfs Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Fox Pictures, 1989 6. Jamiolkowski, Raymond M. Coping in a Dysfunctional Family, The Rosen Publishing Group, 1998  7. MacFarlane, Seth, The Family Guy, Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green, Quebec, 1999 8. Ramis, Harold, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Chevy Chase, Beverly DAngelo, Imogene Coca, Mono, 1983 9. Roach, Jay, Meet the Fockers, perfs Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, universal Pictures, 2004 Read More