family pictures movie review

Family Pictures Review: Double the Families and Double the Fun!

It's never too late to reinvent yourself, and family is what you make of it.

Family Pictures is the third movie in the Jane Green sequence , and not only has Lifetime struck gold with their book-to-screen series but with this particular author.

She has 20 books and 17 bestsellers, and at this rate, Lifetime could make a movie about every last one of them and hold our undivided attention. They need to get on that expeditiously!

There are common themes of found family, second chances, finding and reinventing yourself, pursuing your dreams, and an unmistakable love letter to womanhood. In other words, they had me at hello and kept me with delicious drama and noteworthy actresses.

Related: Elisabeth Röhm Talks Lifetime's Family Pictures, Working with Justina Machado, & More!

Family Pictures gave us a double dose of those with Elisabeth Röhm and Justina Machado.

And Matt Passmore's smarmy Mark should've thought twice about marrying two women in the likelihood those two women would meet, since, by the end of the movie, they weren't having any of his shit.

I pity the fool who thinks it's a good idea to marry two women and have separate lives and families. Why would you willingly subject yourself to that much stress and work? Wouldn't you get tired?

Mark didn't even use a different last name or identity. He put zero effort into this double-life thing which makes it shocking he was able to get away with it for so long. Mark can join To Have and To Hold 's Joe in the trash bin; it's where they belong.

To give credit where it's due, his funniest and his most entertaining moment was how quickly he skedaddled out of the mansion when he heard Eve. You would've thought Satan himself was hot on his tail the way he hauled ass, and he left them all hanging from that point on.

He knew when the jig was up and when he needed to cut ties and bolt, but it's a special kind of cowardice to leave two families he claimed to love in the lurch as he ran from the law.

The epic moment of Eve seeing her dad in her new best friend's family photos would've been avoided if Sylvie (the selective helicopter parent) went with her daughter to New York as most parents do.

Where did she think Eve was staying in a different state on the other side of the country?

Eve: Is that your ... DAD?! Buck : Are you OK? Grace : Eve? Eve : My -- my dad is in your picture!

Mark was but a catalyst for the real love story during this movie. Yes, the real love story was between Maggie and Sylvie. Sorry, Diner Dude whose name I don't remember, it's the truth.

Mark's wives and secret lives could not be more different. Maggie was the one we followed closely, and I almost feel as though the story could've been more interesting if it focused on Sylvie a bit more, but Maggie is who required growth, so I get it.

Maggie was a classic example of someone who didn't necessarily forget where she came from but made it her life's mission to never go back, so she became someone else. Who she became was an uppity, Stepford who spent more time keeping up with the Joneses than paying attention to her kids.

Let's face it; Maggie was THE WORST. Moments into the movie and a girl was rolling her eyes and saying "f*ck, Ruthie Dunbar" more than once. How can one woman obsess so much over what another snooty woman says or thinks?

Related: Matt Passmore on Lifetime's Family Pictures, Playing the Bad Boy, & Much More!

Find a hobby! Maggie was all the more irritating for a while because of her past as a girl who grew up in a trailer park. You would've never guessed it as she paraded around in designer clothes and whined about inconsequential things that didn't matter.

Maggie : Did that taste like collagen? Mark : Yeah, a little bit.

It was apparent Mark didn't love her anymore, which was sad. They weren't having sex anymore, and he shuddered at the monster he created with this privileged Barbie who spent all of her time discussing new ways to impress their ritzy neighbors.

Why didn't he leave? Who knows?! He also lacked any form of connection with Buck and Grace, so it seemed as though he gave up on the entire family, but he never told them he did.

Mark was the most lovey-dovey and paternal with Sylvie and Eve. They were the picture-perfect family, so it came as a surprise to discover he was only married to Sylvie for a decade, and he wasn't even Eve's biological father.

Mark must have gotten off on rescuing Sylvie and Eve. They catered to his inner hero. He was the one who helped Sylvie kick her drinking habit, and he rescued Eve as a child and was concerned about Eve's bulimia.

Maybe once upon a time, he loved how he saved Maggie from a life of low-income, but she was far removed from the person over the years, and he probably didn't get that hero worship from her anymore.

The unspoken thing about addiction, however, is no one gets over their addiction -- at best, they redirect it towards something healthier. Sylvie gave up drinking, but she lost herself in Mark.

Related: One Day At A Time Saved By Pop, Renewed for Season 4!

Mark was Sylvie's new fix, and while most of the movie, Sylvie came across as the most centered and the backbone of both families, her flaws came in the form of the hold Mark had on her when he showed up.

Sylvie : You have kids, and you don't get to quit. Maggie : They're better off without me. I'm a mess of moms fails. Sylvie : Moms fail, and we try harder, and then we fail harder, but we don't quit.

Sylvie was fierce. She damn near reenacted the famous Cher scene from Moonstruck where she smacked that doof and told him to snap out of it. She was channeling Queen Edna Mode energy when she hopped on a flight, waltzed into Maggie's mansion, and told the hot mess of a woman to get herself together.

Sylvie was #Goals while Maggie was wallowing in the fact that her life had blown up in a matter of days, and she would have to slum it with the poor again. Sylvie didn't have time to wallow; she had a daughter who needed to go to rehab.

Related: To Have and To Hold Review: Just Throw the Whole Joe Away!

And the amount of strength was the best, but then Maggie accidentally siphoned it from her and Sylvie was reduced to this weakling who fell for Mark's shenanigans when he broke into their house after being on the run for MONTHS.

Anyway, Maggie needed this reality check so she could figure out how to get her life in order and woman up, but it sucked how it came at the expense of Sylvie.

The mighty had fallen when Maggie moved into the cabin left in her name. Boy, that place needed a lot of work. It wasn't even a charming cabin either; it was somewhere you reluctantly stay after you realized the pictures on Groupon were lies, but you already got a deal, and you're committed.

Related: Tempting Fate Review: Mistakes Were Made!

I'm not nearly as pretentious and bougie as Maggie, and I would have turned my nose up at that dump, but when your no-good husband has left you in the red and homeless, you don't have options.

Maggie also channeled her mother and rocked her job as a diner waitress. However, the sweetest moments were how she and Sylvie supported one another and chatted and became best friends over the months despite being on opposite coasts.

Laura : How are you doing? Are you OK? Maggie : I have a job, Laura. Not cancer.

As I said, the real love story of this movie was the one between Maggie and Sylvie, which is why Sylvie wavering when Mark returned sucked and why Maggie randomly finding love with Diner Dude was a waste. Although, it did lead to a steamy romp in a pickup truck.

Related: 13 Reasons One Day at A Time Needs To Be Saved

Was it hot? Yes. Am I judging Maggie for craving vitamin D after however long of not sleeping with her husband? Not at all.

Did a new romance need to be shoehorned into the story? Nah.

The more time spent with the ladies and their evolving friendship and kinship, the better it was. Mark exploiting Sylvie's feelings for him interfered with that.

Gosh, Mark was abysmal, and there was no end to it.

Mark [to Sylvie] : Come with me. You know I love you. You're my real wife.

Sylvie passed the badass brain cell over to Maggie around the time Sylvie let Mark sleep on the couch. From that point on, Sylvie was the one who slipped into weak moments with her sympathy for Mark and then surrendering to her addiction in his and Eve's absence.

Maggie wasn't playing around when she scrounged money up and cashed in on points to fly out to California. I would've done the same.

She knew Mark was a fugitive, an awful person, and Sylvie was susceptible to his manipulation and charm. She should've called the police on him. It's annoying how Sylvie wanted him to, I guess, spend the rest of his life running?

Related: Adriana Trigiani's Very Valentine Review: What Happens in Italy Doesn't Stay in Italy!

The real joke (other than the judge stating his sentence in years instead of months despite it being a federal crime) was how he was only sentenced to two years and got out in a year or less because of him playing nice with others and teaching prisoners how to read or something.

May we all be given the mercy of a white-collar crime committing, mediocre, wealthy man with no remorse in everything that we do.

But every time you thought Mark had reached the bottom of suckiness, he found a trap door and hurled himself through it headfirst.

Related: Good Trouble Season 2 Episode 2 Review: Torn

He had no reason to make promises he never intended to keep to Eve. He knew she was a bit fragile, and she had issues with her eating disorder. He didn't communicate with her any further, so he had no idea she ended up in the hospital and didn't think twice about it after the fact.

Eve's health crisis was scary. As a result of her eating disorder, her organs were more likely to fail in some capacity, so when the doctor said she had gone into cardiac arrest and later on said she was in renal failure, it wasn't a surprise.

It's a good thing she went to her "sister" while in New York. She would've died without Grace there to help her or Maggie there to support her. The family shots at the hospital were moving because of how it showed these two women and their children made the best out of a crappy situation and had become each other's family.

Maggie : Sylvie, this is the beach all over again with Eve drowning, but this time, there is no Mark to save her. There is just you.

I only wish we saw more of how the teens came around to the idea and accepted all of this.

The women and families are more powerful when they're together, and it showed. Maggie educated herself on accounting in her spare time (a great feat for someone who was frustratingly aloof to finances while married to Mark) and figured out Mark hid three million bucks.

I love that it was never a question of whether the money would be all hers if she found it. Even from the early days in their relationship, she was willing to share things with Sylvie; she was fair.

The women finding the money in the ugly painting was a great scene, but nothing was funnier than Mark trying to suss out the situation when he arrived at the cabin in a pretty nice car.

He left Maggie with nothing, and the bank took their house. How the hell was he surprised she and Buck moved into the cabin? Where else were they going to go?

If he was concerned about his families, he could've told them about the money. He never intended to share it with them, which is why he didn't say anything until they admitted they found it, and it's why he planned to run off with it while they were asleep.

His stepdaughter he claims to love could die without treatment, and he doesn't give a single damn. Ha! Mark probably started a new family somewhere else while he was away.

The ladies getting over on him and reigning supreme is the only acceptable ending for this movie, and the two women growing into a family and vacationing together was adorable.

-Related: Get Great Selection of New & Classic Movies with the Lifetime Movie Club via Prime Video Channels! -

Diner Dude added into the mix was so unnecessary though. The only man who should've been relevant in this entire film was Buck, and the poor kid barely had lines and screentime.

I'm not saying I would've preferred if Maggie and Sylvie fell in love instead, I'm typing it. Imagine how awesome it would've been; imagine!

While the random love story was unnecessary, Jane Green knows how to deliver the family feels, and I love her for it.

Over to you Lifetime Movie Fanatics! Would you love to see more adaptations of Jane Green novels? Do you have secret families out there? Did you 'ship Maggie and Sylvie?

Pssst! It's OK to admit you're watching these movies too, you know. Don't be afraid to join me in the comments!

Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You'll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X .

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Family Pictures (2019 Lifetime)

Cast: Elisabeth Röhm , Justina Machado , Matt Passmore

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Synopsis (via Lifetime)

In “Family Pictures,” Sylvie and Maggie are two strangers living on opposite coasts, leading very similar lives with husbands that travel for work too much and daughters about to leave the nest. But when their daughters befriend each other on a college tour, they soon discover a shocking secret that threatens to tear both families apart.

Sylvie (Justina Machado) is baking in her modest house, having some sexy time with her husband, Mark. Meanwhile, Margaret/Maggie (Elizabeth Rohm) is playing golf. She is super bitchy on the golf course, she also has a mansion. Both of these women have kids. Eve is Sylvie’s daughter and wants to move to NYC for college, and Grace is Maggie’s daughter, who lives in Connecticut and commutes to college. Oh yeah, these women have the same husband… THE SAME HUSBAND!

Mark is in over his head, with two families and all, and is working to move money around to support this WEIRD lifestyle choice. (Like who would choose to have two families and why would he think he could get away with this?) He, of course, doesn’t when Grace brings Eve home from a party, and he has to high tail it out of the mansion home for a “work trip,” but it is really to avoid seeing his daughter. This doesn’t prevent Eve from recognizing him in a family photo on the wall. She, rightfully, freaks out and shows Grace a picture of her and her dad on her phone.

Maggie is more concerned about keeping up appearances at her fancy country club luncheon than listening to Grace. (Who insists that her father is living a double life.) She does seem concerned when her credit card is declined, and a repo man comes and takes her family car.

The repo man also visits Sylvie and takes their car too. He keeps calling her Maggie, and Sylvie is like, “Ummmm, my name is Sylvie!” When Eve comes home and upset, Sylvie thinks it is because of her eating disorder. (She has bulimia.) Sylvie isn’t handling the stress well and almost relapses on her sobriety.

Both women call their husband, who is MIA. Little do they know they are calling the same man. The women do some light research. (Sylvie looks up the name the repo man was calling her, and Maggie looks at the pictures her daughter was trying to show her. They both realize that their husband is cheating on them. Maggie calls Sylvie, and they talk. They talk about the lies that he told them and how they felt like he would gaslight them when they would ask questions.

Maggie is falling apart, popping pills, and pushing away her kids. Sylvie is determined to get her daughter into treatment and fix their broken family. Sylvie gets on a plane and goes to Maggie, telling her that she needs money for her daughter’s treatment, and they need to find Mark. Sylvie gives Maggie a reality check and says her pill-popping ways are a slippery slope. It snaps Maggie out of it, and they head to the band to work things out.

Things don’t work out financially. Mark has liquidated all their assets, and there’s a lean on their houses. The women decide to work together to raise money for Grace’s tuition and Eve’s ED treatment. Maggie hosts an estate sale to unload all of her jewels. They also get a notice from the FBI about a house in upstate New York.

They go up to the cabin and learn more about each other. The wives also realize the differences in their relationship with Mark. Sylvie opens up about when she hit rock bottom, and her daughter was almost eaten by a reptile… A REPTILE! Mark saved her baby and won her over. Maggie was a poor kid whose mom worked in a diner, and she has spent her life trying to get away from that life, Mark was who saved her from that life… until now.

Maggie stays in upstate New York and is working at a diner. The chef at the diner, Quinn, asks her to go on a date with him, which she refuses. Sylvie is doing all the yoga and meditating while her daughter is in recovery.

Mark shows up at Sylvie’s house and is disheveled. Sylvie calls Maggie and asks what to do. Maggie tells her to call the cops. Sylvie tries to reason with Mark instead, and he only wants her to help him get to New York. He also blames getting married too young, but he promises he still loves her. Sylvie lets Mark stay on the couch for the night. Maggie is suspicious and books a flight to Sylvie’s house. When she arrives, she sees Mark and Sylvie playing house and calls the cops to arrest him.

Maggie is happy that Mark is in jail and tells Sylvie that she is his doormat and only used her to boost his ego. They argue and blame each other for their problems instead of MARK!!!! (Who, honestly, isn’t even that hot to be worth all of this drama.

Mark is found guilty of embezzlement, grand larceny, and fraud. He is sentenced to two years in prison.

As time passes, Maggie gets more comfortable with her cabin life. (and with Quinn, they have sex in his truck.) Sylvie is still struggling with managing Eve’s eating disorder. Which is not getting better because she “just wants her family back” (This is a problematic depiction of someone struggling with bulimia.) Eve doesn’t want to go to community college or rehab. She runs away from home and is heading to New York to get wasted and see her dad because he is getting out of prison early.

At a party, Eve and Grace see each other again. Eve drinks too much, and Grace tries to help her when she OD’s, but can’t. Without anywhere else to turn, Grace calls Maggie, who leaves the diner to help and finds Eve in bed without a pulse. She calls Sylvie (and 911). Maggie and Grace perform CPR on Eve and bring her back to life as the ambulance arrives on the scene. Eve has bradycardia, and her body is shutting down.

Sylvie shows up and is very thankful to Grace and Maggie for saving her daughter’s life. Sylvie asks Maggie to stay with her in the hospital, and they apologize to one another. Eve wakes up and is going to have to go on dialysis. (Eve is only concerned about where her father is.) Sylvie can’t afford to pay for Eve’s treatment. Maggie finds some money that Mark has been hiding. In the cabin.

At the cabin, the women laugh about their old lives. Maggie takes a knife to an opulent portrait of herself and finds money in the frame, three million dollars. They are rich now!!! When Mark shows up at the cabin, they tell him that they found the stolen money and he can’t have any of it. He steals the money while they are sleeping, but his push car won’t start. Sylvie and Maggie catch him and take the money back. They pay him off to go away forever.

With Mark out of the picture, the women make salad and rolls and go camping. They take a NEW family picture with a selfie stick……

Minority Report: Sylvie and Eve

Mark is such a poorly written character who left me with WAY too many questions.

This movie had so much potential! I think it was let down by its source material by Jane Green, not really bring on brand with the Lifetime movies that we know and love.

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Overall rating

🔪🔪 (2 Knives)

🍷🍷🍷🍷 (4 glasses of wine required)

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Published by Patrick Serrano

TV Movie Expert, Chicago actor, Freelance writer for hire, and host of Lifetime Uncorked podcast & YouTube Channel. View all posts by Patrick Serrano

This had me laughing out loud. So glad I found this. I fell asleep on it and wanted to know how it ended.

Thank you! Glad I could help.

Not a reptile…a RIPTIDE. Did you even listen to the movie?

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Family Pictures

Where to Watch

Justina Machado (Sylvie) Elisabeth Röhm (Maggie) Matt Passmore (Mark) Jackie Blackmore (Belinda) Chris Cope (Dave) James Pizzinato (Quinn) Larissa Dias (Eve) Georgia Bradner (Party Chick) Jason Burkart (Repo Man) Kayla Deorksen (Senior Court Clerk)

A low-income, recovering alcoholic hippie mom, and a wealthy, prissy socialite, become unlikely friends after they discover that they both share the same husband, who's also left them bankrupt.

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Family Pictures

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In "Family Pictures," Sylvie and Maggie are two strangers living on opposite coasts, leading very similar lives with husbands that travel for work too much and daughters about to leave the nest. But when their daughters befriend each other on a college tour, they soon discover a shocking secret that threatens to tear both families apart.

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Family pictures.

2019 Directed by Manu Boyer

Sylvie and Maggie are strangers living on opposite coasts, leading very similar lives with husbands that travel for work too much and daughters about to leave the nest. But when their daughters befriend each other on a college tour, they soon discover a shocking secret that threatens to tear both families apart.

Larissa Albuquerque Jackie Blackmore Justina Machado Elisabeth Röhm Courtney Richter Georgia Bradner Jason Burkart Chris Cope Kayla Deorksen Daniel Diemer Grayson Maxwell Gurnsey Matt Passmore James Pizzinato Bailee Reid Allison Riley Natalie Sharp Morgana Wyllie

Director Director

Producers producers.

Jonathan Shore Shawn Williamson Rob Lycar Jamie Goehring Emanuel Pereira

Writer Writer

Ilene Rosenzweig

Original Writer Original Writer

Casting casting.

Tiffany Mak Kerrie Mailey Rob Kelly

Editor Editor

Mark Shearer

Cinematography Cinematography

Paul Mitchnick

Assistant Directors Asst. Directors

Casey Chipera Paul Turner

Executive Producers Exec. Producers

Kim Raver Manu Boyer Jane Green Jocelyn Freid Kara Feifer David Fleming

Lighting Lighting

Cory Hodson

Camera Operators Camera Operators

Dale H. Jahraus Tamara Jones

Production Design Production Design

Nick Richardson

Art Direction Art Direction

Hanna Larman

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Tania Rahimikhoshavaz

Special Effects Special Effects

Composer composer.

Shawn Pierce

Sound Sound

Kevin Belen Eva Madden May Guimarães Kevin Morales Ben McDonald Jesse Barden

Costume Design Costume Design

Zohra Shahalimi

Makeup Makeup

Kathy Howatt

Hairstyling Hairstyling

Alyssa Myers

Alternative Titles

Retratos de Família, The Husband with Two Wives, Fotos de familia, Rodzinne tajemnice, Mon mari avait une autre famille !, Veszélyes családi képek, Foto di famiglia, Rodinné portréty

TV Movie Drama

Releases by Date

29 jun 2019, 10 feb 2020, releases by country.

87 mins More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by caitlin (-_•) // ╔ 2𝖑𝖊𝖌𝖎𝖙2𝖖𝖚𝖎𝖙. ╝ ★★★★★

sylvie : ‘ are you high? ’ maggie : ‘ obviously not high enough. i still see you! ‘

Review by Jack Black ★★★★★

Perfect movie...every lifetime plot all in one thank u...moved so fast and got right to the point no fluff!

Review by Emily Savill ★★

It was a Lifetime movie! Fun garbage, but I wish it was a little more unhinged.

Edit: I FORGOT TO MENTION THERE IS A COLLEGE PARTY WHERE A GIRL IS TEACHING OTHER GIRLS ABOUT GRAPEFRUITING SO THAT IS PRETTY ICONIC

Review by Pauline ✨ ★★★★

no but listen to me, this one is actually good!

Review by Joanne Holly ★★★

Too good for Lifetime.

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Set The DVR Now — Lifetime's Dropping Some Serious Drama With 'Family Pictures'

Lifetime, to me, is synonymous with the whole "based on a true story" vibe, and I'm not mad about it. The third film in a series based on novels by Jane Green, Family Pictures , premieres Saturday, so Lifetime fans may wondeR if Family Pictures is based on a true story or not. Here's what I can tell you.

The movie is part of the network's summer series in partnership with Audible in which they adapt bestselling novels to film. This final film of the three (the other two, Tempting Fate and To Have and to Hold , have already aired) has everything a Lifetime movie should have, minus the true story. As far as I can tell, this is a work of fiction, just as nearly all of Green's salacious novels are, but that won't make it any less worthy of your viewing time.

According to the description, Family Pictures follows Sylvie (Justina Machado) and Maggie (Elisabeth Röhm) who are complete strangers, living on opposite sides of the country. There are a lot of similarities between the two women, namely that they both have husbands who work a lot and daughters going off to college. Everything remains "picture perfect," until the girls befriend one another at a college visit. That friendship unravels secrets better left unknown.

What ultimately happens between the two families is something neither saw coming, and it'll change everyone's lives, not necessarily for the better. The network synopsis and book description are very similar, so I'd expect the movie to follow along closely with the novel's storyline and character journeys. Still, none if it was inspired by any particular person, place, or thing. Family Pictures comes from the brilliant mind of Green , who served as executive producer alongside Kim Raver in her directorial debut, Jocelyn Freid, David Fleming, Shane Salerno and Kara Feifer.

Tanya Lopez, EVP Movies, Limited Series & Original Movie Acquisitions, Lifetime and LMN told Deadline in an interview last year why Lifetime chose to buy the rights to three of Green's novels saying, "Jane Green’s novels are addictive, fun, juicy and wise – just like a great Lifetime Movie – so to bring the two genres together is incredibly thrilling."

Raver joined in on the excitement train adding, "Having been a massive fan of Jane’s books, it’s a dream come true for me and my producing partners to be able to bring these powerful female-centric stories to fruition at Lifetime!"

All the hype for Green's novels is real. Even if you're not a big reader, or you haven't snagged any of her books just yet, the film version is a great place to start. I won't spoil anything that happens once the two girls become friends, but know there's a ton of drama and it's indulgent and addictive in the best ways. With over 20 books written in over 25 languages, Green has mastered her craft beautifully — even if they're works of fiction. Family Pictures might not be a true story, but once you check out the film, I have no doubt you'll want to run the the local indie bookstore and snag a copy of the novel. Until then, set your DVR for Sat. June 29 at 8 p.m. ET.

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Family Pictures Reviews

No All Critics reviews for Family Pictures.

Watch Family Pictures

1 hr 28 min
6.1 (429)

In this made-for-TV drama, two college-bound girls become friends while on a college tour. The friendship between the girls leads to some very shocking revelations about their families, and the secret could tear their lives apart. Larissa Albuquerque, Jackie Blackmore, Georgia Bradner, and Chris Cope star.

Family Pictures is a 2019 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 28 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.1.

Genres Drama TV Movie
Cast Justina Machado Elisabeth Röhm Matt Passmore
Director Manu Boyer
Release Date 2019
MPAA Rating TVPG
Runtime 1 hr 28 min
Language English
IMDB Rating 6.1 (429)

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Family Pictures Reviews

3 hr 3 mins
Watchlist Where to Watch

A large family is drastically altered by the presence of an autistic child. Anjelica Huston. Randall: Jamie Harrold. David: Sam Neill. Nina: Kyra Sedgwick. Mack: Dermot Mulroney. Young Nina: Laura Bertram. Young Randall: Jared Cook.

Family Pictures

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We checked for updates on 246 streaming services on April 22, 2024 at 7:15:41 PM. Something wrong? Let us know!

Family Pictures streaming: where to watch online?

Currently you are able to watch "Family Pictures" streaming on Hoopla or buy it as download on Amazon Video, Vudu.

Where does Family Pictures rank today? The JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts are calculated by user activity within the last 24 hours. This includes clicking on a streaming offer, adding a title to a watchlist, and marking a title as 'seen'. This includes data from ~1.3 million movie & TV show fans per day.

Streaming charts last updated: 1:19:02 AM, 04/23/2024

Family Pictures is 7636 on the JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts today. The movie has moved up the charts by 3704 places since yesterday. In the United States, it is currently more popular than Happy Ending but less popular than Don't Click.

A low-income, recovering alcoholic hippie mom, and a wealthy, prissy socialite, become unlikely friends after they discover that they both share the same husband, who's also left them bankrupt.

Streaming Charts The JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts are calculated by user activity within the last 24 hours. This includes clicking on a streaming offer, adding a title to a watchlist, and marking a title as 'seen'. This includes data from ~1.3 million movie & TV show fans per day.

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Common sense media reviewers.

Language, drinking in affecting comedy about acceptance.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Mixed messages about women and girls (a set of mid

Kate is selfish and painfully blunt, but softens o

Viewers hear how violent a group of Juggalos is (t

Brief conversation about using two condoms for bir

Frequent strong language includes "f--k," "s--t,"

An adult handles stress by drinking; she gulps dow

Positive Messages

Mixed messages about women and girls (a set of middle school bullies is insulted for being "dogs" and "bitches," and one girl is said to have a "lazy eye"), but also very sweet messages about empathy, unity, importance of feeling like you belong, being true to yourself, understanding that most people feel like "freaks" inside no matter what they look like outside.

Positive Role Models

Kate is selfish and painfully blunt, but softens over course of movie, acknowledges her faults and need to be kinder. Adults are deeply involved with the young characters. Even though bullied middle school girl joins a socially reviled group with off-putting outward attributes, viewers see that the group accepts her as she is, cares for her. Some stereotyping, including middle school "mean girls" group. An adult woman calls them "dogs," says they don't have right to pick on others because they're so unattractive. At 11, Maddie is empathetic toward others: When told that it should make her happy to shop for a dress when there are poor kids who can't, she logically answers, "Why would that make me happy? It just makes me sad those kids are poor." A mom who thinks "karate is for boys" learns better. Characters are diverse in race, ethnicity, gender, body type.

Violence & Scariness

Viewers hear how violent a group of Juggalos is (talk of them stabbing each other and damaging public property, and viewers see them fistfighting), but they ultimately emerge as sweet eccentrics who drop everything to search for a lost kid. A bullied girl fights back against her foes by kicking one so hard she falls down; the kicker is then suspended from school. A woman is injured by a closing garage door.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Brief conversation about using two condoms for birth control (a character correctly says that it's safer to use just one) and some talk about dating. Two characters seem headed toward a romance at the end of the movie, but they never kiss.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Frequent strong language includes "f--k," "s--t," "bitch," "p---y," "ass," and "bulls--t." A middle school-age child is called a "loser," and others are called "dogs" and "freaks."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

An adult handles stress by drinking; she gulps down wine, shots, cocktails. One scene shows many cocktails being downed. A character shows up drunk at a school; she takes a Lyft there and is driven by a sober friend so she doesn't drive drunk. At a gathering of Juggalos, people smoke joints and share large bongs; a character talks about being addled because she's on a lot of drugs.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Family is about a selfish, blunt workaholic ( Taylor Schilling ) whose unexpected week with her middle school-age niece (Bryn Vale) changes her in important ways. The main characters learn to have empathy for each other and for themselves, and both make positive changes in their lives. A girl who feels like she doesn't fit in is bullied by a group of female classmates who are then spoken of in stereotypical terms (as "dogs," "bitches," and "mean girls"); the girl ultimately defeats them by kicking one to the ground (she's suspended for it). At the same time, the girl also finds a group of friends who accept her for who she is. Despite some iffy choices, those friends are eventually revealed to be kind-hearted, thoughtful, and caring (even if viewers see them shrieking, punching each other, and sharing giant bongs). In other scenes, adults guzzle wine and cocktails; they don't usually appear drunk, but in one scene a character does show up drunk at a school. Frequent strong language includes "f--k," "s--t," "bitch," "p---y," "ass," "bulls--t"; several characters are also called (or call themselves) "freaks." There's no sex or romance, but there's a brief joke involving condoms and suggestions of the potential for romance between two characters. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Kids say (1)

Based on 2 parent reviews

This is a 5 year old movie

What's the story.

Kate ( Taylor Schilling ) has her eyes on the prize at work and doesn't have a lot of time for FAMILY. But when her brother ( Eric Edelstein ) and sister-in-law ( Allison Tolman ) have to leave town for an emergency, Kate's the only one available to take care of her 11-year-old niece, Maddie (Bryn Vale). Kate figures she can hold things together as usual, despite a challenging period at work. But Maddie's a kid who needs help -- and, luckily, she finds it, thanks to Kate and a friendly group of local Juggalos (followers of the band Insane Clown Posse).

Is It Any Good?

It churns through plenty of cinematic clichés along the way, but ultimately this comedy gets to a place of genuine sweetness -- in a gathering of the Juggalos, of all places. Viewers will instantly recognize Schilling's Kate from the first scenes: She's tightly wound, all business, with no time for friends or family. "I have a habit of saying things that everyone is thinking, but then someone's always like 'Why did you say that?' so I'm usually in the place where I hate myself but also think I'm better than everybody else," she sums up to Maddie. We know, by the way, that Maddie will be the driving force of Kate's story arc, because of course Kate has to change by the time the credits roll, or why else would she be dressed in pristine white silk shirts and frowning? So change she does, and in all the ways you imagine she will -- but the magic of Family is that it's done with such artistry that it transcends the trite setup.

Maddie is a weird kid, but the movie's not laughing at her -- even though her true friends wind up being Juggalos who hang out in front of a mini mart playing a recorder. We feel the pain of her differentness from the kids at school, as well as her joy at finding a group that accepts her as she is -- and an aunt who can help her feel comfortable and supported in choosing to stand out rather than trying fruitlessly to fit in. Maddie's new friends, as Kate tells Maddie's worried mom, "play with their spit, and all their songs are about stabbing people, but once you get beyond that, they're really kind of sweet." And, without giving away the ending, it's true. No, it's not realistic, but Family gets at a real feeling: the wonder of finding your people. And clichéd as it is, it's awfully affecting.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how Family compares to other family-centered movies. Does the content seem more or less realistic than others'? How is this family different from other movie families?

Is it ever OK to use stereotypes as a way of portraying characters? Do you see any stereotypes in this movie? Do the characters ultimately affirm or upend their stereotypes?

How do the characters in Family demonstrate empathy ? Why are these important character strengths ?

How does the movie portray drinking ? Are there realistic consequences? Why does that matter?

Movie Details

In theaters : April 19, 2019
On DVD or streaming : July 16, 2019
Cast : Taylor Schilling , Brian Tyree Henry , Kate McKinnon , Bryn Vale
Director : Laura Steinel
Inclusion Information : Female directors, Female actors, Black actors, Lesbian actors
Studio : The Film Arcade
Genre : Comedy
Character Strengths : Empathy
Run time : 85 minutes
MPAA rating : R
MPAA explanation : language, some sexual content and drug use
Last updated : January 11, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

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Screen Rant

Spy x family code: white's most disgusting joke works for one big reason.

Spy x Family CODE: White features one of the most disgusting jokes in the franchise, but a genius twist subverts it to make it work for a big reason.

Warning: The following contains spoilers for Spy x Family CODE: White!

Spy x Family CODE: White 's clever animation style change turns a crude joke into comic gold.
The film's humor builds on past crude jokes from the series, showcasing a smart twist on lowbrow humor.
Spy x Family 's ability to subvert expectations with its humor shines in the Poop God sequence.

Spy x Family 's first feature film, CODE: White , managed to make the franchise's most disgusting joke work for one big reason. While the premise for Spy x Family lends itself to some pretty thrilling scenes for action fans, Spy x Family is, at its heart, a comedy. The way each member of the Forger family plays off each other can be absolutely hysterical, with their funniest moments being the highlight of the show. However, when the series made it to the big screen, one extended joke sequence surprisingly was more disgusting than expected.

In Spy x Family CODE: White 's finale, Anya is held captive by Snidel and his men to retrieve an important microfilm from her. However, since she accidentally ate the chocolate it was hiding in, Snidel orders two of his men to watch her and get the information when Anya, for lack of a better term, passes it out. This leads to Anya struggling to hold it in to prevent them from getting the microfilm in an extended joke that's surprisingly lowbrow for the series. However, it all pays off when Anya can't bear to hold it in anymore and begins to hallucinate.

In this alternate world, she's greeted by the mighty Poop God as he guides her to a land of toilets that they traverse by farting. It's a remarkably crude joke, but a rapid shift in animation-style subverts it to become comic gold.

Review: Spy x Family CODE: White Offers a Fun Adventure Even New Fans Can Enjoy

Spy x family's poop god joke works with a highly-budgeted shift in animation, directed by takashi katagiri, produced by wit studio & toho animation.

This fantastical sequence involving the Poop God takes the humor of Spy x Family to its most disgusting yet. However, a quick change in animation ultimately transforms it into one of the film's best jokes. The style feels like something fans would expect from Studio Ghibli with a highly-detailed fantasy world bolstered by colors that look fantastic on the big screen.

It's clear that a lot of the animation budget went into this sequence, and it paid off. The fact that fart jokes and toilet humor are being placed against a gorgeous looking environment makes for a brilliant juxtaposition that completely subverts viewers' thoughts on these jokes being considered the lowest form of comedy.

Spy x Family Proved It Can Be Smart with Crude Humor Before the Movie

Yor's unfortunate injury made for some of her funniest moments alongside loid.

What's interesting is the brilliant handling of the Poop God sequence shouldn't come as a major surprise for most Spy x Family fans. While the series doesn't resort to toilet humor often, it has dabbled with some crude jokes in the past. One of the most notable examples comes from the season 2 premiere when Yor gets shot in the butt following one of her missions as the Thorn Princess . The entire story's jokes revolve around her trying to hide her injury from the family. The humor comes from her expressions, doing her best to absorb the pain while Loid looks in confusion during their night out.

Spy x Family 's humor has made it one of anime's best recent comedies because it knows how to play with the audience's expectations. Whether it's Yor's unfortunate injury or the hilarious Poop God sequence, the franchise is capable of taking humor that most usually groan at and making it funny with a small change. In this case, CODE: White succeeded with Spy x Family 's most disgusting joke yet as it subverted an often-maligned type of humor and brought a smart twist to the table with an animation-style swap.

Spy x Family CODE: White is now playing in theaters from Crunchyroll, Sony Pictures, WIT Studio and Toho Animation

Source: Crunchyroll

Spy x Family Code: White (2024)

An additional story set in the Spy X Family universe, Spy x Family Code: White is an action-adventure comedy film directed by Takashi Katagiri. Loid's position in Operation Strix is under threat when his organization looks to replace him in the espionage mission. Creating what seems to be the perfect plan, Loid heads off with Yor, Anya, and Bond, help Anya create the perfect meal to impress her school's headmaster. However, the family accidentally set off a chain events that force them to save the world.

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