A family film is a film genre that, like a children's film, is suitable for young children, but with the difference that a family film has been carefully written, directed, cast and acted so that it will appeal to all members of a typical family (or if not typical, at least representing the cultural ideal):
* Father
* Mother
* Teens
* Small children
To meet these contradictory requirements, producers sometimes look for scripts whose plots depict problems that all these types of people might identify with.
An example is Beethoven (1992).
* It has a big cute dog named Beethoven who is responsible for slapstick comedy on the father and mother. The dog gets in trouble that is simple enough for the smallest child to understand.
* The father has business problems, briefly but thoroughly developed, with silly side-lights to keep the children from being bored.
* The teens love the dog and resent the unfeeling father.
* The mother has relationship problems: The father hates the dog, the children want the dog and feel unloved, the mother has to make peace, keep the house clean, the kids fed, the husband loved, and remain lovable.
* The problem is resolved when the father accepts the dog, and rescues him from evil mad scientists, with the help of the family.
* Thus, the dog stays happy, Father remains king of the hill (very satisfying for both adults and children), and the relationships are healed, solving the mother's problems.
Family films generally do not contain content that would be deemed unsuitable for children. In the United States, such films are usually conceived so as to guarantee nothing greater than a G or PG rating. However, there are some exceptions such as Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which received a PG-13 rating. Note that this rating does not distinguish between children's films and family films
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Subject: What is a Family Film 
Mon May 12, 2008 11:53 pm
