This week Why Him? — a movie starring Bryan Cranston as an overprotective dad and James Franco as the man who dares to have consensual sex with Cranston's adult daughter — opens in theaters.
Whether or not the film will be a box office success is still unclear. But one thing is for sure: It will definitely be entered into the canon of awkward in-law-meetings in popular entertainment. The flick seems to focus on the unsettling common narrative of a father hell bent on controlling his daughter's romantic prospects.
But the tension of the "meeting the parents" has been captured from all angles and perspectives in many modern movies. There's the daughter desperate to shield her significant other from her quirky family, like in My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Or the parent who tries to sabotage the union, like in Monster-in-Law. Sometimes the whole family gangs up on the poor significant other, like in the holiday film The Family Stone.
We've pulled together some of the most cringe-inducing instances of this trope onscreen and sought out the most awkward of these cinematic moments. Hopefully, you don't have to deal with anything quite so uncomfortable when it comes to introducing your family to your S.O. IRL. But in the event that you do: Consider these films a cocoon of solidarity. Good luck out there, you guys.
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Moonstruck (1987)
I guess it makes sense to get all the introductions over with in one sitting — fiancé, fiancé's brother who becomes the new fiancé...
Father of the Bride (1991)
There's really no hope for a completely warm and friendly in-laws meeting when the father in question is still literally picturing his adult daughter as a child playing make believe.
The Birdcage(1996)
Pro-tip for those tricky introduction dinners: If you're going for long-term relationship building, ask everyone to just be themselves. If you're going for painful hilarity, as one of your family members to dress up as the feminized version of themselves and pretend not to be your gay dad for a night to impress a bunch of right-wing conservatives.
Meet the Parents (2000)
A very literal interpretation of the fears of every man or woman who has ever been asked to a meet the parents dinner: a potential in-law armed with not just the desire to break-up the relationship, but the government-tested skills to do it.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding(2002)
Sometimes, in a culture shock situation, people need to be eased in. Poor Ian had to make do with the crash course.
Monster-in-Law(2005)
There are some in-law reactions you can't really prepare for. Prayer, manic medication and raiding the medicine cabinet for alcohol-laced cough syrup all fall under that umbrella.
Guess Who (2005)
A remake of the 1967 classic, Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?, this film proves people have been having awkward in-law meet-ups for decades.
The Family Stone (2005)
The mistake you see playing out here is meeting her family while she's meeting yours.
Falling in love with your girlfriend's sister while preparing to propose to said girlfriend while her sister, in turn, is kind of developing feelings for your brother can also complicate things. Obviously.
Why Him?(2016)
Yes, James Franco as a high-strung mogul is not the kind of person you'd be stoked to invite to Thanksgiving dinner. (Or is it? Thoughts, please.)
But Franco's tattoo of his girlfriend's family isn't that much creepier than a dad who thinks he has the right to control his adult daughter's love life. Just more permanent.
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