(Credit: Netflix)

Are you also one of those people who have to be with their families on holidays? And we mean out of compulsion. Ahh, the mess holidays make, when families during the holidays turn into a whole new genre by themselves.

One minute you’re helping with decorations, and the next you’re questioning every life choice that led you back to your relatives’ living room, where you’ll be interrogated about your “love life”. And yet, year after year, we all show up. That’s the magic and the madness of the holiday season. But don’t worry, we have the perfect solution, and it’s called ‘Netflix’.

You see, Netflix gets the family tension and mayhem during holidays better than anyone. As an anecdote, the platform has collected films that don’t pretend families live on marshmallows and peace treaties. It has a special section; the movies from which lean into awkward reunions, ancient grudges, new beginnings, family kerfuffles and, most of all, emotional mess (better known as drama) that feels comforting when it’s happening to characters instead of you.

You can watch these with your family and appreciate the good parts. Or you can watch them alone and feel grateful for the silence. Both are valid holiday experiences. The point is the connection, or the break from it, and these films get that balance right. So, here you go.

Five Netflix family holiday movies to binge

Best. Christmas. Ever! (Mary Lambert, 2023)

Starting with a contradiction to the whole vibe, but don’t get confused with the name of the film. To better understand this, imagine a friend who seems to have the most flawless life on Instagram; this film will hit instantly. Charlotte lands at the home of Jackie, a woman who presents her life like it’s curated by angels, and Charlotte cannot stand it. Her husband and kids settle in like it’s a vacation, but Charlotte walks around that house with detective-level suspicion, convinced that Jackie’s perfection has cracks hiding somewhere.

The fun begins when those cracks actually show. Charlotte digs into Jackie’s picture-perfect routine and discovers details that shift her entire attitude. Instead of being a petty snooper, she starts realising that Jackie’s life isn’t as glossy as it looks. If you secretly love the “told you so” attitude but pretend to disown it, this one is designed for you. The film has everything from humour to suspense to mess to the revelation of secrets. It isn’t trying to change your worldview, but it definitely reminds you that no family is as effortless as it pretends to be… especially during the holidays.

Family Switch (McG, 2023)

Every family goes through that phase where talking feels impossible, and Family Switch takes you through that exact feeling. The Walkers can’t connect at all. The kids feel unseen, the parents feel unheard, and the whole house just wants to get through the day somehow. It’s painfully familiar but also exactly why the film works.

But then, the swap happens. One strange night at an astronomy event, and everyone wakes up in the wrong body. Jess ends up dealing with teenage issues she thought she had left behind, Bill gets dragged into school stress he never respected, and the kids suddenly realise that adulthood is mostly confusion dressed up as responsibility. Watching everyone go through each other’s routines is both funny and oddly accurate. Kind of like a Freaky Friday situation, and if you found that amazing, this one is even better.

Father Christmas Is Back (Mick Davis & Philippe Martinez, 2021)

Does your family have that one person no one is prepared to deal with? If the answer is yes, Father Christmas Is Back is a film for you, as it runs straight toward that headache. Four sisters gather at a Yorkshire mansion for the holidays and already carry years of irritation. To make it worse, their father walks in. He, by the way, is the same man who vanished from their lives decades ago. The moment he enters, things get worse, and you can practically feel everyone clench inside the frame.

But don’t confuse the plot with the performances of the actors because they are impeccable, which thus makes their dynamic. There is no fake warmth or polite talk. All you’ve got is just four women trying to keep the holiday together while old resentment keeps crashing the party. April Bowlby, Elizabeth Hurley, Talulah Riley, and Naomi Frederick play the sisters with a level of believability that makes you feel like you are sitting in the room with them. And you have Kelsey Grammer as the father, which is like a cherry on top.

Happy Christmas (Joe Swanberg, 2014)

Holiday films are usually about cheer and happiness, but Happy Christmas goes right for the awkward family tension you pretend isn’t happening. It’s that very specific December mood where guests arrive, and suddenly the house feels slightly off balance, even though no one says a word. The film sits right in that space.

Jenny moves into her brother Jeff’s home, hoping for a reset, but she walks in without a clue about how much strain she brings with her. Jeff and Kelly try to stay calm, yet every scene hints at how tired they are of managing everything around her. Jenny isn’t dramatic, just directionless in a way that pushes the whole house off rhythm. What keeps the film interesting is how Kelly finds a spark in the middle of this mess. Their new book idea pulls her out of her routine, and the energy shifts. It’s not a grand holiday transformation, just a quiet nudge toward feeling human again.

Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas (Tyler Perry, 2013)

Family visits get unpredictable fast, but this film doesn’t even pretend things will stay calm. It gives you that exact feeling of walking into a house where every person has a different agenda and no one is ready to say what’s actually bothering them. That’s the baseline mood here, and it only gets funnier once Madea enters the frame. Lacey is trying to hold her life together with a secret marriage and zero strategy to hide it. Madea clocks the truth instantly and reacts like she’s watching premium entertainment.

Then you have Eileen arrive with her own opinions, the Christmas Jubilee needs organising, and every interaction feels like a timer waiting to go off. The film is completely into loud reactions and blunt honesty, which is exactly why it works. Madea’s presence turns every scene into commentary, and the family ends up revealing more than they planned without the film turning heavy.