12 Most Nepotistic Movies Ever

Lymelife (2010)

Family connections: Like any of us can really tell the Culkin boys apart! Luckily those canny little whippersnappers have used their spooky family resemblance to bag each other film jobs. Here, Rory and Kieran Culkin play brothers in a film that also stars movie family members Emma Roberts and Alec Baldwin.

The Karate Kid (2010)

Family connections: Young Jaden Smith – son of Will and Jada Pinkett – bagged his first lead role proper in this hit remake thanks to his lovely dad. See, Big Willie is the producer of said ‘80s re-do, and kindly turned it into a vehicle for his son to make his mark on the movie world.

The Godfather: Part III (1990)

Family connections: Francis Ford Coppola gave the role of Mary Corleone to his daughter Sofia after Winona Ryder departed for Edward Scissorhands . Sofia had already played a starring role as the baby in the christening scene of the first Godfather…

Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)

Family connections: Siblings John and Joan Cusack play a secret agent and his secretary in this classic spy flick. Evidently knowing your co-star so well works in terms of chemistry – the duo spar with each other verbally in some hilarious face-offs.

Wall Street (1987)

Family connections: Charlie Sheen chose daddy dearest Martin Sheen over Clint Eastwood to play his dad, ensuring that the chemistry between the fictional father and son had an extra edge to it.

Whos Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

Family connections: Husband and wife Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton appeared in this Oscar-winning drama together two years after they got married (the first time). Other couples have tried a similar thing, mostly in films that turned out to be total turkeys.

Donnie Darko (2001)

Family connections: Jake and sis Maggie Gyllenhaal pair up as on-screen brother and sister, and scrap like there’s no tomorrow. Apparently Maggie loved the opportunity to explore her relationship with her bro. “To work together,” she says, “we really demanded a lot from each other and challenged each other to go to places we wouldn’t otherwise go.”

The Dark Knight (2008)

Family connections: Director Chris Nolan recruited his brother Jonathan to help him resurrect the Dark Knight in this outstanding sequel. Together, they created one of the most successful follow-ups ever, with TDK taking a $1bn worldwide box office. No wonder they’re working together again on the upcoming Batman 3 .

The Evil Dead (1981)

Family connections: Sam Raimi relied on family members to help bulk out his micro-budget first feature, namely calling on brothers Ted and Ivan to take roles. It was to be a winning formula that Raimi has repeated ever since.

The Guys (2002)

Family connections: Sigourney Weaver and husband Jim Simpson co-starred together in this post-9/11 drama about a fire captain who loses eight men in the World Trade Center suicide bombings and must write eulogies for them. Simpson directed, while the pair’s daughter Charlotte Simpson played their daughter.

The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)

Family connections: Brothers Jeff and Bea Bridges stretch their acting skills to play siblings who are professional musicians. Michelle Pfeiffer is the lovely thing they hire as a singer, and who helps them to get through their issues.

That Thing You Do (1996)

Family connections: First-time director Tom Hanks kept it in the family with That Thing You Do , casting his son Colin in a small part, while his daughter also took a non-speaking role. He gave the big roles to professionals of course...