Movie Night

With over 180 on our list of favorite movies for movie night, it sounds like we are a bunch of couch potatoes. Actually, just on Fridays. In our home, we have Homemade Pizza & a Movie Night with a big bowl of Popcorn with a Pop almost every week. Occasionally we throw in a date night here and there. I have been compiling this list of family favorites for years. Although I cannot be responsible for what justifies a good movie or not in your home, I do hope you can glean some inspiration from our family favorites.

Choosing a Good Family Movie

Discerning Readiness

When picking a good family movie, we use discretion based on each of our children and their readiness. For instance, what is okay for my teen, may not be ideal for my five-year-old. Remember, little minds are forming and their brains can’t distinguish fact from fiction at a young age. The brain treats it all the same. So, we don’t want to traumatize our littles when their brains aren’t ready to even discuss what they have seen. You know each of your children best. Is one more sensitive to images and nightmares? Does another act out what they don’t know how to process? Use these clues to judge readiness for a certain movie.

The fast-forward and mute buttons are used often in our home. Although we love to use the plethora of opportunities Hollywood provides us with to teach our children about worldviews and hidden agendas so that they learn to think, we want to do it at the right stage of their development. Depending on the child, I will also ask them to shield their eyes if I feel something is a little too visual or contains scary imagery. Undoubtedly, I still have memories of my mom flashing the television in her pink bathrobe when I was young. Thanks, mom.

Filtering Subscription Services

If you don’t want to have to worry about unexpected scenes, images, profanity, violence, or other unnecessaries, check out filtering services you can attach to your Amazon Prime, Netflix, or other TV or movie subscription. Amazingly, they filter out the things you don’t want to see or hear for you. VidAngel or ClearPlay are two great services where you can filter everything from entire categories like sex or violence, sub-categories like graphic violence, down to filters for specific words or scenes. It’s like having a mom with a giant pink bathrobe on the ready so you don’t have to be.

Sites that Help Parents Make Good Movie Choices

Our children are bombarded with messages every day. We can’t shelter them from everything, but we can teach them how to live in the world, but not be of it. Let’s give them the gift of learning how to assimilate and process the messages they receive instead of passively taking them in. We try and choose movies that promote honor, morality, character, as well as godly values. Sometimes a movie doesn’t meet all these characteristics, but we can use them as springboards for great family discussions. Clearly, I am sorry if any of our movie choices offend you. For this reason, I recommend checking into a movie before viewing it to see if it is right for your family. Feel free to check out ratings and reviews on Plugged In, Common Sense Media, or Movie Guide, and then make your choice.

Dialoging with your Children

Be Aware and Prepared with an Answer

Movies are a great way to engage and help lead your children’s hearts. So many times, we sit back and “veg out” thinking our minds are on shutdown mode. Truthfully, our subconscious minds are taking in information if we know it or not.

Ultimately, the best way to engage your brain, and the minds of your children, is to prepare them for what they are going to see and what to look for. For example, bring up character qualities to look for or probe with questions such as, “In this movie, you will see how the children respond to their parents. Are their actions and words honoring? Will it go well with them? What are the results? Why does God want us to honor our fathers and mothers?” Have some Scripture references ready such as Ephesians 6:1-3 to discuss why God’s Word is our foundation and ultimately why everything He says is to set us up for victory. He is the best Dad!

Teachable Moments

Instead of putting a movie down when something is offensive, use things as teachable moments. For Instance, I will ask, “What is a way they could have done that in a more honoring way?” or “How is what you are watching different than what you are learning in our home and what do you think the fruit of it will be?” Additionally, I will even ask them what a movie did in their spirit. Was it edifying or teaching them things they can use in life? What was it about the movie that stuck out to them or what was their takeaway?

Evidently, even I watch movies that have some iffy content, but sometimes there is a powerful takeaway that edifies me. Our children have the same Holy Spirit and my goal is to connect them to Him.

Live the Talk

Can I just be real for a moment? Children can sniff out hypocrisy a mile away. Just beware parents, don’t require from your children what you also are not willing to do. Our children can be our greatest teachers. We can also make them our allies as they will want to guard their hearts more when they see us guarding ours. Respectfully, I have been convicted by my children with movies they questioned that I was watching. Ultimately, what we don’t transform, we transfer. Technically, our job as parents is to protect and train our children, care for their needs, teach them to think, and live the example before them. Not perfectly, but humbly. What we allow in moderation, they will do in excess. Just be aware.

Keep Movie Watching Fun, Not School

Unfortunately, kids are not going to like watching movies together if every movie turns into a family discussion (especially if it is during the movie…guilty). Ultimately, how you handle it is key. Maybe wait for a car ride and bring up a question. Before bed, ask about something specific that stood out to you and how that scene affected your child. The idea is to have conversations with your children. Deuteronomy 6:7 implores us as parents to diligently teach our children the things of God and “talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”

Favorite Family Movies by Category

With six children ages 6-20, it can be difficult to find a movie that can appeal to everyone. We think, over our 24 years of experience, we have come up with a pretty good list. Compromise is key as well as allowing everyone to have a chance to pick their favorites. Although I am not saying every movie on these lists is everybody’s favorite, they are all movies we have enJOYed at one time or another as a family. There are times we pull our older children away for a more grown-up movie night, as well as have a time with just our littles. Most of the time we gather for a movie that we will all enJOY.

Animated

• Sing 1 & 2
• The Prince of Egypt
• The Boxcar Children
• Spirit
• Charlotte’s Web
• Encanto (magic)
• How to Train Your Dragon Trilogy
• Inside Out
• Finding Nemo (death)
• Land Before Time (death)
• The Croods
• The Peanuts Movie
• Secret of NIMH (scary imagery)
• Toy Story
• Lady and the Tramp
• Robin Hood
• Up
• Ratatouille
• The Incredibles
• Cinderella (1950)
• Beauty and the Beast (1991)
• Song of the Sea (Celtic mysticism)
• The Secret of Kells (Celtic mysticism)
• Torchlighters Series
• The Aristocats (1970)
• An American Tale
• Pilgrims Progress (some scenes may be scary to children)
• Bambi (death)
• Peter Pan
• Robin Hood
• Twas the Night Before Christmas

Movies for Older Children

• Jumanji (some inappropriate humor and scary concepts or images, death)
• Lord of the Rings Trilogy (the battle scenes can be a bit much, death, and scary images)
• E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (some 80’s language and rude humor, scary concepts)
• The Black Stallion (peril at sea, snake scene)
• Secondhand Lions (violence, guns, dysfunctional family issues)
• Harry and the Hendersons (Bigfoot comedy from the 80’s)
• Goonies (some 80’s language and rude humor, kidnapping)
• Pirates of the Caribbean (skeletons, some scary images and music, and death)
• Seven Days in Utopia
• Finding Normal
• The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn
• Field of Dreams
• The Secret: Dare to Dream
• The Princess Bride (some violence and death)
• Hugo

Social Justice, Historical, & Spiritual Conversational Movies for Older Children

• Amazing Grace
• Braveheart (death and war, love scene)
• 12 Angry Men (1957) (murder)
• Sight (Communism, perseverance)
• To Kill a Mockingbird (adult issues)
• Tuesday’s with Morrie (preparing for death)
• The Blind Side (gangs and some language)
• Gone With the Wind
• The Book Theif (death, violence)
• End of the Spear (death and violence)
• Monumental
• Conversations with God
• Chariots of Fire
• The Shack
• Hidden Figures
• Unplanned (sensitive issue, graphic death of an unborn baby)
• Fried Green Tomatoes (drinking, domestic violence, racism, death)
• The Patriot (death, war, revenge)
• The Biggest Little Farm
• Emma
• Shane
• Sergeant York

Faith-Based Family Movies

• The Chosen
• Unsung Hero
• Sight
• Courageous (scary gang images, police chase, and some violence as well as death)
• War Room (mugging scene, arguing, stealing)
• Facing the Giants
• Flywheel
• Jimmy (kidnapping, guns, drug talk, death)
• Soul Surfer (shark attack and blood)
• The Ultimate Gift
• Faith Like Potatoes
• The Runner from Ravenshead
• Little House on the Prairie series
• The Andy Griffith Show
• Pilgrims Progress (animated classic but images of satan can be scary)
• The Last Sin Eater (for older audiences- death and scary images)
• Time Changer
• Mom’s Night Out
• The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry
• Remember the Goal
• The Lost Medallion (some scary images)
• Overcomer
• Monumental
• End of the Spear (death and violence)

Disney Classics

• Darby O’Gill & the Little People (scary images and magic)
• The Absent-Minded Professor
• The Lovebug
• Apple Dumpling Gang
• Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
• Freaky Friday (magic)
• Music Man
• Mary Poppins (magic)
• Mary Poppins Returns (magic)
• Pollyanna
• Summer Magic
• The Gnome Mobile
• The Parent Trap (1961 & 1998)
• Davy Crockett
• Pete’s Dragon
• Old Yeller
• The Three Lives of Thomasina
• Swiss Family Robinson
• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
• Toby Tyler
• Follow Me Boys
• Flight of the Navigator

Old Classics

• Captains Courageous
• Bundle of Joy
• Roman Holiday
• The Philadelphia Story
• The Andy Griffith Show
• It’s a Wonderful Life
• White Christmas
• Miracle on 34th Street
• Sound of Music
• Fiddler on the Roof
• Wizzard of Oz (scary imagery, witches)
• My Fair Lady
• Funny Face
• Singing in the Rain
• Oklahoma
• Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House
• It Happened on 5th Avenue

Movies for the Whole Family

• The Greatest Showman
• Never Ending Story (some scenes may contain scary images for some and death)
• Star Wars (some images may be scary for young children, death)
• Little Women
• Little Men
• A Dog’s Purpose
• Mr. Popper’s Penguins
• Tuck Everlasting
• Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
• Love Comes Softly series
• Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (magic)
• Nanny McPhee (magic)
• Peter Rabbit
• A Week Away
• As Luck Would Have It
• The Secret Garden
• The Chronicles of Narnia (some scenes may contain scary images for children, magic)
• Cinderella (2015)
• Enchanted (magic)
• Ella Enchanted (magic)
• Princess Diaries 1 & 2
• Miss Potter
• Homeward Bound
• Because of Winn Dixie
• Finding Neverland (death)
• Christopher Robin
• Ever After
• The 100-Foot Journey
• Anne of Green Gables
• National Treasure 1&2
• The Identical
• A Dog Named Christmas
• Muppet’s Christmas Carol
• The Polar Express
• Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
• It’s A Wonderful Life
• The Man Who Invented Christmas
• Let It Snow
• It Happened on 5th Avenue

Date Night for Mom & Dad

A Heart to Heart

Be Proactive in Your Movie Watching

Let me just preface that when it comes to a good movie, that can be a pretty subjective statement. Let’s just be upfront. If I had my preferences, movies wouldn’t have graphic images, foul language, unnecessary agendas, or scenes thrown in to bring up ratings. But then, that is just not reality. You could spend the rest of your life boycotting Hollywood and looking for everything offensive. Or, you could use the fast forward button or better yet, subscribe to a stream clean service like VidAngel or Clearplay to filter out the bad stuff like I mentioned above.

Keep an Open Mind

I love movies. Yes, dare I say it, even some movies that are rated R. There are some amazing stories that just wouldn’t be realistic if we made them clean cut. War has blood. Criminals Kill. People have sex. Now granted, I don’t want to watch it all, but I still can enJOY the story. Titanic was a beautiful movie even with a few scenes in fast forward. Ultimately, Braveheart will still be a historical favorite even if I close my eyes through the battle scenes.

Let’s just be real here. Now, I am not saying I watch everything. Don’t hear what I am not saying. There are just some movies and movie themes that I avoid altogether. Undoubtedly, I get a red flag in my spirit, and I listen to it. You can take any freedom and twist it. Ultimately, I want to honor God with what I watch and I will remove something from my library if He asks. In general, we talk through everything. Even the bad things.

Be Your Own Judge

This is not a list of perfect, clean, family-friendly movies. Not every movie is a happy ever after. Unfortunately, I have a friend who yelled at me when I recommended one of my favorites, Far From the Madding Crowd, because it didn’t have a Hallmark ending. And another who is still trying to forgive me because a main character died too early on in a movie and it traumatized him. There would be no story without these facts, and sorry to say, life is rarely happy ever after. There is still good nuggets to mine in these flix. Plus, they make for great date night conversation afterward.

My Rose Colored Glasses

Needless to say, there are a few movies under favorite date night movies that have language, sex scenes, violence, or blatant agendas. Either we Clearplay them or fast forward. Keep in mind, if you know me, I am one of those irritating people that sees life through rose-colored glasses, finds the prophetic voice in any story, and will love a movie based on one scene that spoke to my heart. Ultimately, I love people and their stories and what makes them do what they do. The human spirit is fascinating to me. Stories are what life is made of and I love a good story.

Favorite Date Night Movies by Category

Romance

• About Time (this is my favorite movie because I love the relationships, but there are some sex scenes and language- Clearplay this one)
• Old Fashioned
• Far From the Madding Crowd
• Pride and Prejudice
• Sense and Sensability
• Becoming Jane
• The Notebook (great on Clearplay)
• Message in a Bottle (great on Clearplay)
• Safe Haven (great on Clearplay)
• Redeeming Love
• P.S. I love You (great on Clearplay)
• The Holiday (I fast forward several scenes and rewind and replay others-Clearplay)
• The Last Holiday
• The Majestic
• Mamma Mia & Mamma Mia Here We Go Again (Fun musical…remember I have those rose-colored glasses)
• Return to Me
• Me Before You (great agenda conversation)
• Win a Date with Tad Hamilton
• As Luck Would Have It (with Allen Leech)
• Jodah Akbar (English subtitles but fantastic love story-very clean-reminds me of King David)
• The Christmas Card
• Let it Snow
• The Family Man
• Phenomenon

Action/Adventure

• Count of Montecristo
• Top Gun
• Top Gun Maverick
• Sahara
• The Lost City
• Lonesome Dove series
• Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
• Mission Impossible
• Italian Job
• Spider Man series
• Marvel Avengers series
• The Princess Bride (romance and adventure)
• The Lord of the Rings trilogy
• Secondhand Lions
• The Matrix

Historical

• Downton Abbey
• Braveheart
• God’s and Generals
• Gettysburg
• The Patriot
• Amazing Grace
• Joseph
• Far and Away
• The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society
• The Book Thief
• Shenandoah
• Pearl Harbor
• Titanic
• Swing Kids

Mystery/Thriller

• Sherlock Holmes (both Cumberbatch BBC & Robert Downey Jr. versions)
• Rebecca (1940 & Netflix version with Lily James)
• Vertigo
• Rear Window
• The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
• Now You See Me 1 & 2
• The Village
• Flightplan
• Where the Crawdads Sing (sex scene)

Comedy

• Jumanji
• Fun with Dick & Jane
• Bruce Almighty
• Evan Almighty
• Hitch
• Waking Ned Devine (older classic)
• The Holiday (I love this movie purely for the scenes between Iris, Arthur, and Miles- Clearplay candidate)
• Wild Hogs (Some totally unnecessary scenes at the waterhole…just say’n)
• The Bucket List
• What Happened In Vegas? (I fast forward through the whole beginning part in Vegas, but the lessons they learn after are priceless in a hilarious way)

Drama

• Dead Poet’s Society
• Meet Joe Black (great on Clearplay)
• Gifted Hands
• Unsung Hero
• Sight
• The Blind Side
• The Shack
• The Imitation Game
• The Man Without a Face
• Age of Adeline
• My Life
• Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
• 5 People You Will Meet in Heaven
• For One More Day
• Tuesdays with Maurie
• The Light Between Oceans
• Big Fish
• Fried Green Tomatoes
• Seven Days in Utopia
• Finding Normal
• The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn
• To Sir, with Love
• Field of Dreams
• The Secret: Dare to Dream

Also Great with a Movie Night…

In everything you do -eat, play, and, love- may it always be Seasoned with Joy!