The dismal reviews for the new film Bleeding Love, starring Ewan McGregor and his real-life daughter Clara, have reignited debate about parents starring alongside their children. Peter Bradshaw called it 'a complete toe-curling nepo vanity project'. While the parent-child dynamic can be a rich source of dramatic tension, such films rarely succeed.
Examples abound of Hollywood power players elbowing their kids into the picture. Adam Sandler has made two dozen films with his daughter Sunny, while Maude and Iris Apatow have largely worked under their father Judd Apatow or with their mother Leslie Mann. Will and Jaden Smith's collaborations, The Pursuit of Happyness and After Earth, felt like heavy lifting by Will to carry his son.
However, some parent-child films have worked. Forsaken (2015) succeeded because Donald and Kiefer Sutherland's real-life relationship bled into the knotty father-son dynamic. Similarly, Martin and Charlie Sheen's strained relationship felt authentic in Wall Street. Wild at Heart and Melancholia worked because strong directors like David Lynch and Lars von Trier demanded performances that transcended the familial connection.
There are exceptions, such as when a child is too young to form memories, like Angelina Jolie's daughter Vivienne in Maleficent, or when actors like Brendan and Domhnall Gleeson simply deliver great performances. But for the most part, nepotism on screen remains a cringeworthy affair.
