Because sometimes it’s nice to have somebody else doing the entertaining. And if you’re anything like me, you will end up watching most of the film with your kids, so it has to be at least somewhat interesting to an adult mind. My mother, by the way, thinks I’m crazy for sitting in front of the screen with my daughter, but maybe she would have felt differently if we were watching movies like the following:
Grease. So your kid needs to understand the concept of boyfriends and girlfriends and be able to tolerate their parents singing along (I know every word to every song of this movie) but as long as you got those bases covered, you’re good to go.
Freaky Friday. There is something incredibly satisfying about watching a mother and daughter switch places with your own kid. Also, when it comes to watching movies, there are three words that are of tantamount importance. Always. Watch. Original. There is no way the 2003 version even holds a candle to the 1977 classic.
The NeverEnding Story chronicles the potential fall of the mythical land of Fantasia, the very existence of which is threatened by The Nothing, an evil creature created by human despair. Totally weird mid-80′s fantasy science fiction that foreshadows The Lord of the Rings/Avatar style films of today.
The Bad News Bears is a perfect kids sports movie for both sexes with a nice father/daughter thing thrown in for good measure. And with Walter Matthau and Tatum O’Neal in the lead roles, you’re sure to score a home run (sorry, I couldn’t help myself…)
Ponyo is a beautiful animated fairy tale about a little sea creature-turned-human who is adopted by an incredibly forceful and resilient mother and her son. But of course, the sea threatens to take over the world and it’s up to the kids to make things right. Directed by the incomparable Hayao Miyazaki. None of his movies, by the way, are to be missed.
Yellow Submarine. Also animated, also trippy, but this time it’s a musical and you probably already know all the words, even if you never saw the film. What kid doesn’t love the Beatles, at the end of the day?
Speaking of musicals, if you haven’t seen this one yet, and gloried in the talents of Kevin Kline and the beyond brilliant performances of the entire cast, you basically haven’t lived. (The trailer kind of sucks for this one, so I’m showing you one of the great songs instead…)
The Fantastic Mr. Fox. Wes Anderson at his animated best. This is a rare case in which the film is truly an improvement upon the original book.
Hello Dolly. Barbara Striesand. Walter Matthau. Gene Kelly directing. Louis Armstrong in a cameo. What more could you want?
The Bear can be difficult to watch, but it does address pretty much all of the important stuff about respecting our environment and the other beings in it, forgiveness, love… The bears, who’s actual voices and sounds are all used in the film, give academy award worthy performances and we all left this film with a renewed respect for the natural world around us.
So that should get you guys through the weekend. Worse case scenario, you can always just watch all the Harry Potter movies back to back, which is what my daughter is doing right now (one a day… I don’t think my nerves would survive a marathon…)
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