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I really want to laugh with my kids and am really tired of all the serious and violent stuff. I would love recommendations for comedies that my kids and I will enjoy. Some we liked were ''What about Bob?'' , ''Rat Race'' and ''Father of the Bride'' one and two with Steve Martin anon
Mrs. Doubtfire Bowfinger Groundhog Day Splash Roxanne Daddy Day Care Best In Show About a Boy (not really a comedy, but has a happy ending)Hope that helps m
Other sure-fire hits at our house: School of Rock, The Three Amigos (extremely dumb and silly but fun), and The Court Jester (an oldie with Danny Kaye). Blazing Saddles is another favorite, but your kids have to be sophisticated enough to understand the lampooning of the racists (and their use of the N-word). And you have to like fart jokes. So, you have to be both sophisticated and unsophisticated, which describes us well. Like to Laugh, Too
We have a Family Movie night most weeks, but we're running out of ideas for movies that will please the 7 and 10 year old daughters, as well as the jaundiced parents. We are kneejerk anti-Disney types; the alltime favorite of both parents and kids is the Marx Brother's ''Duck Soup''. Next would be Miyazaki's ''Totoro''. I'd love to know your favorites. (The website only has movies for younger kids.) In exchange, here is a partial list of some we've enjoyed:
Duck Soup (and almost everything by the Marx Brothers) My Neighbor Totoro Galileo (and the others from the Devine Science Series) Cassatt (and others from the Devine Artists Series The General (Keaton) The Yearling Three Musketeers Captains Courageous Captain Blood Princess Bride Shrek Ice Age Ever After The Secret Garden (1993) A Little Princess The Railway Children Wallace & Gromit Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle Bugs Bunny's What's Opera, Doc, etc. Beethoven Lives Upstairs (and others in the series) Fly Away Home James & The Giant Peach Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Honey I Blew Up (etc)...the Kid Lassie Come Home National Velvet Beauty and the Beast (Cocteau. Disney tolerable too) Peter Pan (Mary Martin version) Some of the Veggie Tales Mary Poppins Wizard of Oz Brave Little Toaster Wind in the Willows Secret of Roan Inish Yellow Submarine A Christmas Story Sound of Music (boy, it's long) The Music Man (sort of) Bringing Up Baby(Extra points if you can come up with something in color, but classics are fine too!) Thanks, Natasha
''That Darn Cat,'' ''The Parent Trap,'' and ''Pollyanna.'' (Over & over again.)We've also enjoyed:
''Kirikou'' French West African cartoon(sp? I believe there are subtitles or it may also be in English), Fly Away Home, My Dog Skip, Shiloh, The Adventures of Otis & Milo (Milo & Otis?), The Black Stallion, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, All the Peanuts Movies, Dunston Checks In, Little Women, Black Beauty, ET, many Charlie Chaplin movies, The Neverending Story, and the countless Ramona videos.Hope this is helpful. Enjoy! Sharron
any Haley Mills movie: Parent Trap, The Moon-Spinners, Summer Magic, Castaways, Pollyanna, That Darn Cat Escape to Witch Mountain Return to Witch Mountain The Gnome-mobile (has the Mary Poppins kids in it) Son of Flubber The Absent-Minded Professor Freaky Friday Shaggy Dog Swiss Family Robinson Mary Poppins Bedknobs and Broomsticks Old Yeller Newsies Heidi Journey of Natty Gann Candleshoe (another with Jodie Foster when she was young) Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken The Happiest Millionaire Herbie Goes Banannas Herbie goes to Monte Carlo Herbie Rides Again Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Amy Anne of Green Gables (trilogy) Apple Dumpling Gang Johnny Tremain No Deposit No Return Pete's Dragon Shipwrecked The Snowball Express Three Lives of Thomasina Annie Man From Snowy River Return to Snowy River Now You See Him, Now You Don't One and Only Original Family Band
We also really liked many of the Rogers and Hammerstein musicals like Seven Brides for Seven Brothers or Carousel. One of the biggest family favorites was The Court Jester with Danny Kaye. There are also some Roald Dahl adaptations of Matilda and The Witches that I think are good. I hope this helps. Happy Watching. Jennette
Never Cry Wolf (based on the Farley Mowat book) The Education of Little TreeThanks for your list!! Jennifer
Nightmare Before Christmas Harvey Miracle on 34th Street Anything with the 3 Stooges Monsters, Inc. Pippi Longstocking The Black Stallion The Black Stallion Returns Stuart Little Ghostbusters Man of the House (Chevy Chase) Mouse Hunt Iron Giant (one of the best!) The Secret of Nimh The King and I (Yul Brynner) My Fair Lady Toy Story Toy Story 2 (amazing, a good sequel) The Quiet ManI could go on all day... nancy
Baraka Microcosmos Pippi Longstocking films older silent films, like Wind, with Mary Pickford Panther Pachali, by S. Ray (This is a trilogy, the first part is about an Indian boy's childhood) Egg (beautiful Dutch film about a small town baker--has subtitles, but very minimal dialogue) My Life as a Dog (many Scandinavian-made films are appropriate for kids-- subtitles are the problem) National Geography documentaries (BPL has several, including a beautiful one on Nepal) Prince Achmed (experimental shadow puppet film c1920s Germany) Swiss Family Robinson Doctor Doolittle Around the World in 80 Days (also very long)Looking forward to seeing more suggestions-- Claire D.
The Trouble with Angels (in color, w/ Haley Mills, very funny) other Marx Bros. movies such as A Night at the Opera and Horsefeathers. Some of the Abbot & Costello movies, such as the Frankenstein one.Dianna
Flubber (original and remake) Nutty Professor (original) The Love Bug Herbie Rides Again What's up Doc (Ryan O'Neal, Madeleine Kahn) Help A Hard Day's Night Dr. Doolitte (original) Roman Holiday Ghostbusters The Man From Snowy River Galaxy Quest Sabrina (original) Bedknobs and Broomsticks That Darn Cat (original) Parent Trap (both versions) PollyannaHope that helps! Mollie
Mr. Hulot's Holiday, Mon Oncle, Jour de Fete, and Traffic.Enjoy! --Dana
A couple of years ago I watched October sky A coming of age movie. Here is a link to a description. http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/9902/18/review.octobersky/ I watched it with a 4 year old and a 7 year old. It was over the 4 year olds head but the 7 year old enjoyed it. Melinda
It is too addictive making this list. I must stop and get the house cleaned up. Thank you for the fun question, I have enjoyed reliving my childhood by making this list. I too am looking forward to everyone else's recommendations, here are some of mine:A Little Romance, Searching for Bobby Fisher, The Little Princess, Harvey, Max Dugan Returns, The Rescuers, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Willie Wonka and The Chocolate Factory, The Neverending Story, The Sound of Music, The Music Man, The Muppet Movie, The Man from Snowy River, The Parent Trap, Swiss Family Robinson, Pee Wee's Big Adventure, The Journey of Natty Gann, The Goonies, Popeye (w/ Robin Williams), Heidi, My Fair Lady, GiGi, ET, Pete's Dragon, Old Yeller, Little Women, The Red Balloon, Babe, Where the Red Fern Grows, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, National Velvet, Treasure Island, Charlotte's Web, Tom Sawyer, The Black Stallion, Fly Away Home, The Little RascalsMovie and Book Lover
Here are a few suggestions:- Little Women (the Susan Sarandon one is only about 8yrs old) - Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea (with Megan Fallowes from about 15yrs ago) - the David MacCauley movies that go with his books (''Pyramid'', ''Roman City'', ''Cathedral'' and ''Castle'') are pretty good too - flipping through the channels one day I saw a newer version of Treasure Island with Jack Pallance as Long John Silver the part I saw was pretty good - do they like musicals? ''The Sound of Music'', ''Singing in the Rain'', ''West Side Story''I hope some of those work out for you. Rose
How about Shirley Temple movies? I enjoy these even now! Vivienne
My kids (boys 11 and 7) love Monty Python. Also ''O Brother Where Art Thou'' (though we skip the cross-burning scene). Leslie
That's a terrific list you have there, but I detect a serious lack of musicals! Here are some of our family's favorites (I have daughters too):in color and no particular order:
Meet Me in Saint Louis, Singing in the Rain, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Help!, Funny Face, E.T., Fairy Tale, Easter Parade, the King and I, Pleasantville (not for the 7-year-old)in black and white:Bringing Up Baby, Sabrina, the Thin Man series, Chaplin shorts...Laura
Good family movies:The Navigator, The Labyrinthe, and there is one that I can never remember the name of ..., it is sort of science fiction, about people living in an apartment bldg that is in the path of a developer who wants to tear it down. The tenants are a quirky bunch, Jessica Tandy is one, Rosie Perez another. They are ''invaded'' by small creatures who ''fix'' things. The folks at the video store will have to help you out with the title, but it is a sweet movie.
I found the best family movies were made in the 50s. Often corny and overdonen but, thanks to censorship, they are almost always family fare. Two of my favorites are Trapeze with Burt Lancaster and the Pink Submarine with Tony Curtis. Janet
purplenini described a movie about a group of people living in an apartment building, which is supposed to be torn down for development, who are helped by miniscule sentient UFOs- it is called ''Batteries Not Included.''
I did not see these ones already listed so here they are:The live action version of Cinderalla, yes it's Disney, but it is the Roger's & Hammerstein's songs, AND the racial make up of the cast is superb. Cinderalla is African American, the Prince is Fillipino, his mother is played by Whoppi Goldberg and his father is a white man, and there are no explinations offered. Definitely worth seeing.
The entire collection of Farie Tale Theatre movies, produced by Shelly Duval. I have still seen them at the video stores. The 10 year old might be a little on the older side for them.
Some one described a great movie about an apartment building slated for demolition, but she couldn't remember the name, it is Batteries Not Included.
Thanks for everyone's list. I will have lots of good stuff to watch for quite some time. -Shastine
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