Modern cinema has shifted from presenting blended families as "perfected" units—like the iconic The Brady Bunch
But in the last decade, directors have actively deconstructed the "evil stepparent." Consider (2017), where Kevin Costner’s father figure is not a villain but a complicated disciplinarian trying to connect with a step-daughter who refuses his last name. Or consider Marriage Story (2019), which, while focusing on divorce, spends significant time on the anxiety of introducing new partners to children. In that world, Laura Dern’s character, Nora, notes that the archetype of the "incompetent father or monstrous stepmother" is a legal fiction, not a reality.