6 Movies Starring Real Life Parents and Children, In Honor of ‘After Earth’ Starring Will and Jaden Smith

Will Smith is back in After Earth. It’s a dreadful film as you can read in my full review. But sitting through this painfully boring movie gave me plenty of time to think. And since the film stars Will Smith and his son Jaden it got me thinking about other parents who have starred in movies with their real life offspring.

Read our review of After Earth here.

So here’s your list… Films starring real life parent and child.

Movie #1 – Paper Moon

Year – 1973

Ryan O’Neal stars a small time drifter in this 1974 gem from Peter Bogdanovich. When he is guilted into transporting a recently-orphaned girl who may or may not be his child (played be real life daughter Tatum O’Neal) he finds himself begrudgingly taken by her charm. But wait, by “charm” I don’t mean that she’s cute or precious. No, she cusses, smokes and (it turns out) is a better “con-man” than he ever dreamed of being.

It was shot in black and white (a bold choice for a studio picture) and that, combined with its use of ambient sound rather than a traditional score, helps the film capture its Depression Era feel. The film manages to be charming, funny, heart-wrenching and touching without ever becoming maudlin or overly sentimental.