# Movies, shows, and books about big families? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 25, 2018, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-shows-and-books-about-big-families/811141 "2018-03-25T00:17:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-shows-and-books-about-big-families/811141/1 "2018-03-25T00:17:04Z")
I’m looking for books, movies or tv shows that feature large families with five or more kids. I don’t particularly like comedies, though as you’ll see below I’ve seen a fair amount. And musicals are right out. Like: Brothers & Sisters Bloodline (I realize the 5th sibling is dead, but we occasionally see her, so it counts) Dirty Sexy Money Harry Potter Anne of Green Gables Daughter of the Forest The Conjuring Meh: The Brady Bunch Cheaper By The Dozen Yours, Mine, and Ours Captain Fantastic The Little Friend The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio Angela’s Ashes Pride and Prejudice The Beans of Egypt, Maine The Fosters (I liked the first season or two…) Based on what I’ve liked, and what I haven’t, what can you recommend in the way of fiction with five or more siblings? The siblings can be adults or children; full, half or step-siblings. Oh, and it’d be awesome if anyone can think of any more **horror** with a big family. You’re Next is close, but I believe there are only four siblings. Thank you 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-shows-and-books-about-big-families/811141/2 "2018-03-25T00:41:23Z")
What’s up with Anne of Green Gables? I was a big fan as a kid. I don’t remember a big family, just Anne and her two foster parents. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-shows-and-books-about-big-families/811141/3 "2018-03-25T00:51:26Z")
Which Cheaper by the Dozen are you referring to? The Steve Martin movie is nothing like the Clifton Webb movie, which is very different from the nonfiction-ish book. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-shows-and-books-about-big-families/811141/4 "2018-03-25T01:32:44Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > What’s up with Anne of Green Gables? I was a big fan as a kid. I don’t remember a big family, just Anne and her two foster parents. When she grows up she has has seven kids with Gilbert, starting in book 5, Anne’s House of Dreams. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-shows-and-books-about-big-families/811141/5 "2018-03-25T01:35:02Z")
> [@Kropotkin](#): > > Which Cheaper by the Dozen are you referring to? The Steve Martin movie is nothing like the Clifton Webb movie, which is very different from the nonfiction-ish book. Either. Both. I didn’t get much out of them, though I found Martin’s take less jerkish than Webb’s. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-shows-and-books-about-big-families/811141/6 "2018-03-25T04:20:32Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > When she grows up she has has seven kids with Gilbert, starting in book 5, Anne’s House of Dreams. Gotcha, thanks. I figured it was in a book I hadn’t read… “Just the Ten of Us” was an American sitcom in the 80s (they had 8 kids) but I never see it in reruns. And it’s a comedy of course. The show “Shameless” is a dramedy. The original version is British but the American version is quite popular. They have 7 kids . ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-shows-and-books-about-big-families/811141/7 "2018-03-25T11:28:26Z")
[**Spencer’s Mountain**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spencer%27s_Mountain) ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-shows-and-books-about-big-families/811141/8 "2018-03-25T12:20:03Z")
Eight is Enough (6 kids) Seven Brides for Seven Brothers ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-shows-and-books-about-big-families/811141/9 "2018-03-25T13:11:20Z")
There are eight kids in _Eight Is Enough_. There’s the program _Step by Step_ with six kids. By the time of the book _The Arm of the Starfish_, we learn that Meg and Calvin (from _A Wrinkle in Time_) have seven kids. If you’re including reality shows, there’s _Jon & Kate Plus Eight_ (later _Kate Plus Eight_) and _17 Kids and Counting_, which became _18 Kids and Counting_, which became _19 Kids and Counting_. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-shows-and-books-about-big-families/811141/10 "2018-03-25T13:14:50Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > There are eight kids in _Eight Is Enough_. D’oh! Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-shows-and-books-about-big-families/811141/11 "2018-03-25T13:25:34Z")
Parenthood. 1989. Directed by Ron Howard. A great, great movie with Steve Martin. It’s funny, sad and very touching. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-shows-and-books-about-big-families/811141/12 "2018-03-25T13:29:12Z")
Here’s a website listing 187 books about families with more than five children: > **[Books That Feature Large Families (301 books)](https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/39385.Books_That_Feature_Large_Families)** > > 301 books based on 69 votes: Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr., Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor, Ca... Oh, and there’s the movie _The Sound of Music_. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-shows-and-books-about-big-families/811141/13 "2018-03-25T13:30:49Z")
Even at the end of the movie _Parenthood_, the family only has four kids. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-shows-and-books-about-big-families/811141/14 "2018-03-25T14:15:18Z")
_Game of Thrones?_ The series started with 5 official Stark kids. _Started_. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-shows-and-books-about-big-families/811141/15 "2018-03-25T15:12:14Z")
_Party of Five_ had five kids. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-shows-and-books-about-big-families/811141/16 "2018-03-25T15:24:21Z")
Oh yeah Reality shows. “Sister Wives” has 13 kids and now a grandkid. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-shows-and-books-about-big-families/811141/17 "2018-03-25T15:52:07Z")
I haven’t seen/read enough of your list to guess whether you’d like this, but have you read the **All of a Kind Family** books? They are a series of chapter books featuring a poor New York Jewish family in the early 1900s. Btw - I loved the Cheaper by the Dozen BOOK when I was a kid. Never saw either movie, so I don’t know how it compares. I recall that one of the most interesting parts (to me) was the way the parents applied the principles of industrial efficiency to managing their family. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-shows-and-books-about-big-families/811141/18 "2018-03-25T15:54:51Z")
_The Hotel New Hampshire_, by John Irving, is about a family with five kids (though not every character survives to the end of the novel). ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-shows-and-books-about-big-families/811141/19 "2018-03-25T16:52:57Z")
> [@campp](#): > > [**Spencer’s Mountain**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spencer%27s_Mountain) The novels _Spencer’s Mountain_ and _The Homecoming_ by Earl Hamner, Jr., the movie S.M. starring Henry Fonda and James “Book-'em-Dano” MacArthur, the made-for-TV movie _The Homecoming_ and the TV series _The Waltons_ are all fictionalized works based on Earl Hamner’s childhood in rural Virginia. The real Hamners had eight kids, but there were fewer in the adaptations. The Henry Fonda movie, for some reason, was set in Wyoming. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2018, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-shows-and-books-about-big-families/811141/20 "2018-03-26T13:11:00Z")
Sydney Taylor’s All-Of-A-Kind Family starts with 5 daughters, and at the end of the first book their mother has a son. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-shows-and-books-about-big-families/811141.md?page=2)