Animated movies do the sibling thing well too — Lilo & Stitch, Turning Red, Encanto — but there's something different about watching real humans navigate the same fights your kids are having. The eye rolls look familiar. The slammed doors look familiar. The moment where the older sibling realizes they actually care? That lands differently when it's not animated.

Live-action also tends to skew slightly older in its storytelling, which means it can hold the attention of the kid who's "too cool" for cartoons but still needs to learn that little brothers have feelings.

This is the gold standard for "siblings who can't stand each other become an unstoppable team." Carmen thinks Juni is an annoying little dork. Juni thinks Carmen is bossy and dismissive. They are both correct. And then their parents get kidnapped by a villain with a children's TV show empire and suddenly they have to figure out how to work together or lose everything.

What makes Spy Kids work is that it doesn't pretend the sibling friction disappears — it just shows that the friction is worth pushing through. Carmen and Juni don't become best friends overnight. They become people who choose each other. Big difference.

The sequels (Spy Kids 2, Spy Kids 3) are fine. The 2023 Netflix reboot is... fine-ish. The original is the one.

Criminally underrated. Two brothers who genuinely cannot stand each other find a mysterious board game in the basement that launches their house into outer space. Stakes escalate fast: broken robots, alien attacks, a frozen sister, and the dawning realization that maybe — maybe — you need the person you've been fighting with all week.

Zathura is based on a book by David Wiesner (same author as Jumanji) and it earns every minute of its runtime. The sibling dynamic here is genuinely raw — there's real resentment between these kids, not just cute bickering. Which makes the resolution feel earned rather than sappy.

Good for kids who think they're too old for "feelings" movies. This is technically a sci-fi survival film. The feelings are just hiding inside it.

Okay yes, Kevin's older brother Buzz is a genuine menace and the movie doesn't really redeem him. But the arc of Home Alone is Kevin learning that his family — annoying, chaotic, overwhelming — is actually something he desperately wants back. He wished them away. He got what he wanted. It was terrible.

That's a lesson that resonates with older siblings who have fantasized about a little-brother-free existence. Be careful what you wish for, buddy.

The sequel is fun. Everything after that is not worth your time. The 2021 Disney+ reboot is simply not good — skip it.

The 2003 Steve Martin version (not the 2022 Zach Braff reboot, which is fine but toothless) is a chaotic, funny, occasionally touching look at what happens when a large family gets pulled in too many directions. There's no single "little brother" arc, but the whole movie is about learning to see your siblings as people with their own needs and fears rather than obstacles to your own happiness.

It's also just a good hang. Funny, fast-paced, and the family feels real in a messy way. The sequel exists and is basically the same movie again, which is fine.

Vin Diesel babysitting a houseful of chaotic kids is exactly as funny as it sounds, but what makes this work for sibling dynamics is watching the older kids slowly take ownership of their younger siblings — protecting them, advocating for them, choosing them. The older sister goes from resentful and checked-out to genuinely stepping up.

It's not a deep film. It is a fun film that sneaks in some real moments about what family obligation actually means.

Hear me out. For older kids (13+), Knives Out is a masterclass in how family members can be so consumed by competition and resentment that they completely miss what actually matters — and how one person choosing decency over rivalry changes everything. It's not a "sibling movie" per se, but the family dynamics are so sharp and so recognizable that it sparks real conversation.

Also it's genuinely one of the best movies of the last decade, so.

Technically this is a mom-daughter movie, but the little brother Ryan is a key character — and watching Anna (Lindsay Lohan) go from treating him like furniture to actually seeing him as a person is a quiet but real thread through the film. Good for kids who need a nudge toward noticing the younger sibling they've been ignoring.

Wonder is primarily about Auggie, but the storyline following his older sister Via is genuinely one of the most honest portrayals of what it feels like to be the sibling who gets less attention. Via loves her brother fiercely and also resents the space he takes up — and the movie holds both of those truths without judging her for it.

If you have an older child who sometimes feels like the little sibling gets all the focus, watch this together. Based on the book by R.J. Palacio, which is also excellent and goes even deeper into Via's perspective.

Based on Screenwise community data, 92% of families are watching TV and movies regularly, and screen time averages about 4.2 hours per day across the week (4 on weekdays, 5 on weekends). So the question isn't really whether your kids are watching — it's what and with whom.

The split on streaming is interesting: 40% of families use Netflix with their kids and another 40% use it regularly as adults. Disney+ skews heavily toward co-watching — 50% of families use it together, compared to only 30% where kids watch independently. Amazon Prime is more of a mixed bag, with about 30% of families giving kids free access and 32% keeping it supervised.

The co-watching number matters here, because the movies on this list work much better as shared experiences. Watching Zathura next to your kids and pausing to say "wait, does that remind you of anything?" is a completely different experience than letting them watch it alone. Learn more about how co-watching builds connection

You don't need to turn movie night into a therapy session — but a few well-timed questions go a long way:

You don't have to name names. They'll make the connection.

Get more conversation starters for sibling rivalry

A few of these movies have content worth flagging:

None of these are edgy choices. They're all pretty solidly family-appropriate for their target age ranges. Ask about content details for any of these movies

Q: What's the best movie to watch when siblings are constantly fighting?

Zathura is the strongest pick for active sibling conflict — the stakes are high enough to feel exciting, but the core message (you need each other more than you know) lands without feeling preachy. Spy Kids is a close second, especially if your kids are in the 6–10 range.

Q: Are any of these movies good for really young kids, like 5-year-olds?

The Pacifier and Spy Kids are the most accessible for younger viewers. Zathura has a few scary moments that might be too much for sensitive 5-year-olds. Most of the others skew better for ages 7 and up.

Q: My older kid refuses to watch "little kid movies." What do I do?

Lead with Knives Out (13+) or Zathura — neither one reads as a "little kid movie." Zathura is a sci-fi survival thriller. Knives Out is a murder mystery. The sibling stuff is just embedded in a story they'll actually want to watch.

Q: Is the new Cheaper by the Dozen reboot worth watching?

The 2022 Disney+ version is harmless and has some good moments, but it's pretty forgettable. The 2003 Steve Martin version has more edge and more heart. If you're choosing, go original.

Q: My kid identified with the little brother in these movies, not the older sibling. Is that okay?

Completely fine — and honestly useful. Younger siblings watching Home Alone or Zathura from the little brother's perspective often come away with more empathy for themselves, which can actually reduce the dynamic where they poke the older sibling for attention. It works both ways. Learn more about sibling dynamics and screen time

Little brothers are annoying sometimes. That's just true. But the best live-action movies about siblings don't pretend otherwise — they show kids that the person who drives you the most crazy is often the one you'd do anything for, if it came down to it.

You don't have to lecture your kids about sibling appreciation. Just queue up Zathura on a Friday night, make some popcorn, and let the movie do the work.

Find more movies for sibling bonding · Explore family movie night guides · Ask about screen time and co-watching