"Toni Collette seems to have had a beautiful run with the trope. Whether it is through playing the eccentric influential family mom in Little Miss Sunshine or dealing with her inner struggle as a housewife living with a dissociative identity disorder in United States of Tara, the Australian actress is an unstoppable force as she explores the complex inner mechanisms of a dysfunctional family.
Don't get me wrong, though. Not all these movies focus primarily on the negatives and the chaos of familial relationships. Some of these movies handle the subject delicately by being a consistent source of quirky comedy and poignant drama. And film and television have seen a surge in depicting the trope because of how well-received it has turned out.
And perhaps no other actress has shown such an impressive range in portraying the flaws better than Collette. The actress brings a sort of gravity to the films by carrying her deeply broken and fiercely determined character."
