One of our favorite ways to relax on a Friday night is to watch a fun movie together. Since we don’t watch tv except for 2 hours of qubo each week — and the occasional sporting event that FishPapa and the boys can’t miss — turning on the set to watch a movie is a big deal. We get everyone in jammies, pop some corn, dim the lights and and settle in for a good flick.
We own a mess of family films thanks to generous grandparents, and the rest of the time we check out videos and dvds free from our local library. The library system is fantastic. They are quick to stock new movies, so I just reserve them online and go pick them up when it’s my turn.
Sometimes finding a family-friendly title is a little tough. We have been known to turn something off fifteen minutes into it based on objectionable attitudes or language. As I am always looking for a good flick to try, I’ve found a few websites that are really helpful. The Dove Foundation andPlugged In Online both offer movie reviews to help parents determine if a movie is going to work for their family.
In case you’d like some inspiration, here are some of our favorites:
- Ratatouille, The Incredibles, Cars, Chicken Little and basically anything by Pixar has been exceptional.
- The Chronicles of Narnia
- The Lord of the Rings trilogy (Some of the fighting scenes may be too much for some children. Our boys love them! Parents should watch this first.)
- Star Wars (I don’t care for the modern films, episodes 1-3, but our kids are huge Star Wars fans.)
- Many of the classic Disney films such as Old Yeller, Swiss Family Robinson, and Davy Crockett
- The guys also enjoy old Roy Rogers films.
Can you tell I have four boys?
Share your favorite flick in the comments section and then go pop some corn for a fun movie night — tonight!
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi! I have boys too, and we also do friday night movies – lately here it’s been all about “Alvin & the Chipmunks”, although we are big pixar fans here too…
I LOVED Roy Rodgers growing up. I had a little cowgirl hat, boots, and shirt and would ride my little wooden horse while watching it. What a nerd!
Sometimes our favorite thing to watch is an episode of Little House on the Prairie. We have some of the seasons on DVD. They are always great for a laugh as well as showing good family values and character traits. Our son likes to see the farm animals and trains. We also like the Sarah, Plain and Tall collection for the same reasons. Our oldest is almost 3 so we’re mostly watching things like Curious George and Leap Frog.
We have three girls, ages 9, 6 and 4. Our favorite around here right now is “The Sound of Music”. We plan to try out a bunch more classic musicals this summer. Like Janell, we are also big “Little House” fans, and we particularly enjoy the pilot movie, which tells many of the stories from the book. We also love the Pixars, as well as Curious George and Charlotte’s Web (live action). And if you have girls, check out the American Girl movies – VERY well done, and they lead to a lot of interest and discussion about “the olden times”!
Ah, I remember the Alvin cartoons….
And, truth be told, even though it’s very boy heavy over here, we have watched an American Girl film, complete with Molly Ringwald. How wierd was that?? (It was for school.)