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troperville

Think of the most dramatic, traumatic and tumultuous event in your life. Now completely disregard it, because it doesn't even compare to a large family gathering.

In fiction, the most life-changing events must happen at family gatherings. No family is immune, but especially not at a reunion or funeral. You can double the chance of chaos if the family happens to be black. If you are planning any sort of family gathering, you should always expect shocking revelations, death, divorce or even attempted murder. You can also expect a brief mention of a Noodle Incident, or it will become one (but only if there's a sequel). If this makes family gatherings sound dangerous, don't worry. There is always reconciliation in the end. And everyone comes out of it learning valuable lessons about life, love and the value of family.

Related to Picture Day and Dinner and a Show.

Tyler Perry is rather fond of this trope.

Examples:

Film

This Christmas
Madea's Family Reunion
Soul Food
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins
Meet the Browns
Death at a Funeral (both versions)
National Lampoons Christmas Vacation
Four Christmases
Home For The Holidays
Everybodys Fine (big time): One daughter is secretly questioning her sexuality while the other is divorcing her husband. Meanwhile, one of his sons is mildly unhappy while the other is dead, likely due to a drug overdose.
Nothing Like the Holidays
When Do We Eat?
Our Family Wedding
Guess Whos Coming To Dinner
- and its Race Lift remake, Guess Who
The Family Stone
What's Cooking?: four families (African-American, White, Latino, and Asian) celebrate Thanksgiving in Los Angeles. There's adultery, someone comes out, some gunplay, a pregnancy, and there's plenty of ruined dinners (literally and figuratively) to go around!
Jumping The Broom

Theatre

The Lion In Winter

Visual Novels

Umineko no Naku Koro ni is the story of the family reuinion of the Ushiromiya Clan, complete with Closed Circles, murder mysteries, ritualistic sacrifice and Groundhog Day Loops, as expected of a part of the When They Cry series.