17 Films And TV Shows Showing Adoption In Positive And Negative Lights

For many decades, child adoption hasn’t been only a difficult subject to engage with; it’s been a difficult choice to make for both biological and adoptive families. To be frank, our first memories of seeing the subject discussed on TV and in movies were more or less negative.

Biological parents were seen as untrustworthy; adopted kids were depicted as deeply disturbed, mischievous, and sometimes broken; and adoptive parents were usually portrayed as victims. However, as someone who has come in contact with a few adoptive parents, I can tell you that things are different.

There are numerous reasons why biological parents may decide not to raise their children. Furthermore, adoptive parents are not all "saviors" or destined to struggle with their adopted kids.

Adoption isn't a topic that people in Hollywood want to engage with, but when they do eventually, it often portrays it in a negative light. Even when it gets it mostly correct, it becomes too dramatized, making everything seem fake or exaggerated.

A good number of movies don’t truly portray how adoption is in real scenarios. Some of these films focus more on the adoptive family saving the child than on the challenges that the adoptee encountered and what they did to overcome them.

Obviously, Hollywood has a significant task to do in portraying adoption, adopted children, and both adoptive and biological parents in the right way. Here are some films and shows that get adoption completely wrong—as well as a few that are actually on the right track.

1. The Blind Side

The problem with this movie starring Sandra Bullock is that it shows the idea of the "white savior," which is so common in Hollywood films. The movie depicts the adoptive parent adopting the teenager, but regardless of who the adoptive parent is, overcoming the obstacles of a troubled childhood is an ongoing process for the adopted person.

Alcon Entertainment

2. Luce

The 2019 movie features Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, and Octavia Spencer, and it is all about an interracial adoptive family. The adoptive parents have been referred to as "smug" about choosing to adopt a Black child.

In reality, the consequences of their attitudes about their son's behavior would surface someday.

aidan___james

3. Juno

Juno is a good film, but it does a huge disservice to young moms who choose to put their babies up for adoption because, in reality, they do care—a lot. Still, Juno presents a happy ending and leaves viewers with the notion that every young girl who gives up her baby doesn't care, but that isn’t true.

marthawatches

4. Despicable Me

This is the first film in the franchise, and it is painfully unrealistic. Sure, a would-be criminal would have a harder time finalizing an adoption, as child services and adoption agencies ensure that children are adopted by safe and secure people.

Plus, you can’t just return children you've adopted, especially if you've gone through an agency.

Universal Pictures/Illumination Entertainment

5. The movie, 'Annie' (2014)

The events leading to Annie's adoption would simply not work today. No one hands a child to someone who shows no interest in her at all, let alone when they aren’t there to actually parent her more often.

There are systems that minimize questionable placements like that.

micheauxmission

6. Problem Child

This movie we watched as kids was okay, but as adults, we feel bad for Junior and anyone who thinks this was an accurate depiction of adopted kids. There are children in adoptive families with behavioral issues, and their lives before adoption could have contributed to that, but this is not the case for every child.

If a child behaves like that, they need therapy more than discipline.

allsmilestapes

7. The animated movie 'Storks'

The film may appear to be a heartwarming movie, but depicting orphans is actually sad. It portrays them as perpetually ostracized, suggesting that the only thing that saves them is being reunited with their real families.

For numerous children, that's not the case because not everyone is lucky enough to be reunited, and most of the time, it's not even the best-case scenario.

boxofficemovie_

8. Little Fires Everywhere

It is well-made and well-acted, but the problem is that one of the storylines revolves around the custody battle between a biological mother and an adoptive one. Both mothers love the baby and can enrich the child's life, but a choice had to be made.

In reality, it’s not that way, as open adoptions are not uncommon.

littlefireshulu/Instagram

9. Instant Family

The film features Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne, and it’s about a couple who wants to adopt through foster care. They decide to foster-adopt a child, and after discovering she has siblings, they take them too.

The whole process leads them to become a transracial family, and the movie touches on the complexities while also offering a lot of facts about foster care. However, the children’s birth mother wasn’t included.

Paramount Pictures

10. Kung Fu Panda

The franchise handles adoption unbelievably well, as Po is adopted as a panda and his dad is a goose, but Po has to deal with the emotional issues of being left behind by his biological parents. Then, his real dad shows up, and it’s suddenly okay for Po to have two dads.

Netflix

11. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip

The film deals with adoption quite poignantly, as it tackles some of the issues that adopted children face. Here, Dave listens to the chipmunks and makes their adoption official in court.

It’s a nice thing, and it's also a reality for many loving adoptive families.

movienerd54

12. Earth to Echo

The main character is a brave young boy residing in the foster system who is later adopted. It shows that not all foster kids are troubled or emotionally and socially stunted, which is a good lesson.

odiariodebrunaj

13. Elf

This is a goofy film where Elf tackles the emotional turmoil that an adopted person may feel regarding their birth parents. It also explores how those birth parents may feel when they are reunited with their biological child.

Adoption can cause a wide spectrum of emotions and feelings, and Elf puts that all on display without attempting to sugarcoat it, despite being such a feel-good film.

Warner Home Video

14. Secondhand Lions

The film showcases a child who is not legally adopted but is taken in and raised by his uncles. These types of situations are not unusual, but this is what happens when a child is orphaned or abandoned, and it should be normalized in movies.

nerdlocker

15. Lion

The film is quite amazing, and it’s about a 5-year-old who gets lost on a train. He is later adopted but still yearns to reconnect with his birth family.

He retains some vague memories and is able to find his real family. The film also illustrates that the search for birth parents does not have to be a negative experience for the adoptive parents.

dir_na_prabhakaran

16. This Is Us

The TV show nails the realities of adoption as it captures how beautiful and messy it can be while valuing the feelings and experiences of everyone involved. It is told from the viewpoint of the adoptees, which makes it unique and authentic.

Ron Batzdorff/NBC

17. Anne of Green Gables

The classic erases the birth parents and doesn’t touch on why or where. It doesn’t showcase any natural curiosity that many adopted kids have about their real parents, which is so unrealistic.

anneofgreengablesbra

Adoption is a sensitive subject to discuss. Adoption, as much as it is highly regarded and respected in American culture and beyond, is especially challenging.

Adoptive families, like non-adoptive families, are all unique and different. We come from various ethnic backgrounds, as well as socio-economic groups.

Adoptees are also unique and distinct. While some may be disturbed, they are not intrinsically or always portrayed as bad.