What is a family film? Which movie would you pick if you had to please everyone? It’s a tough question — almost a paradox. Is this a family with young kids? Maybe you throw on The Brave Little Toaster and try to catch up on sleep while they aren’t looking. Are the little monsters now 11 and 12? Are they ready for Ocean’s 11 and Ocean’s 12? And what about the classics? Your parents might have instilled in you a love of the classics, against all odds — but do you think your kids will be able to sit through Seven Samurai when they’d rather be watching a colorful Pixar film or playing an iPad game? How can a slow-paced classic keep up with brightly colored Pixar film or an iPad game?
These were the types of questions we tried to answer while coming up with a list of 50 “family films” aimed at the family men and women among our audience. We tried to select movies for parents with a wide range of children, from toddlers (Incredibles) to teens (Forrest Gump). The litmus test was that the movie had to be something an adult might watch by themselves. Now some (Matilda, Hook) might not follow in the strictest sense, but our bias was toward films that will engage the entire family and don’t devolve into incomprehensible slapstick with plots only a toddler truly appreciates.
If the film is chosen well, movie night can be some of the best bonding a family has. Everyone exhausted and comfortable, relaxing and taking in something they can all mull over and talk about until next week’s film. Here’s your queue.
Up
Say what you will about animated films, but Up deserved every bit of its Best Picture nomination. We’ve never encountered another movie that had audiences both weeping and laughing in just the first 15 minutes.
Amazon DVD / Amazon Video / iTunes
