There's nothing worse than wanting to relax with a fun, light-hearted Movie with your family only to be bombarded with inappropriate scenes, crude language, or gross blood and guts. Thankfully, one film fanatic took to a Movie Suggestions forum to ask for family-friendly film suggestions, so you don't have to. These are the 10 best movies to watch with your parents that won't make for an awkward conversation at the dinner table.
1. The Truman Show (1998)
The Truman Show is a captivating movie that tells a fascinating story about a man trying to break free from a world constructed around him. It's about a man named Truman Burbank, played by Jim Carrey, who lives in a picturesque town called Seahaven. He is unaware that his entire life is being broadcasted live to a global audience as a reality TV show.
The movie is rated PG and doesn't contain any inappropriate, graphic, or sexual content, making it an ideal family-friendly film for all ages.
2. Grease (1978)
Grease is a romantic musical comedy set in the 1950s, following the summer love story of high school seniors Danny and Sandy as they navigate the social expectations and peer pressure of their respective cliques upon reuniting at school. While Grease may not be suitable for all ages due to some mature themes and language, it is a beloved classic that can be enjoyed by families with older children or adults.
The movie's catchy songs, vibrant choreography, and nostalgic setting make it a fun and entertaining musical. Rated PG-13, it's suitable for ages 13 and up, according to the MPAA.
3. The Martian (2015)
The Martian follows Mark Watney (Matt Damon), an astronaut stranded on Mars after his crew leaves him behind, believing he is dead. With limited supplies and no way to contact Earth, Mark must use his skills and resourcefulness to survive on the hostile planet while NASA works to mount a rescue mission. This is a super engaging, family-friendly movie.
It's fun to think about how you could use your resourcefulness to survive while stranded on another planet. It's rated PG-13 for some strong language, injury images, and brief nudity, but the nudity referred to in the rating is not actual nudity. There is a scene where Watney has to remove his space suit and perform a medical procedure on himself, but the scene is shot in a way that preserves his modesty, and no actual nudity is shown.
4. Meet The Parents (2000)
Meet the Parents is a comedy film about Greg Focker (Ben Stiller), a male nurse who wants to propose to his girlfriend, Pam (Teri Polo), during a weekend visit to her parents' house. However, his plans are derailed when he meets Pam's strict and intimidating father, Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro), who disapproves of Greg and his unorthodox profession.
Over the course of the weekend, Greg's attempts to impress Jack and win his approval lead to a series of comical misunderstandings and mishaps, resulting in a hilarious and memorable family vacation. This movie is rated PG-13 for language, drug references, sexual references, and innuendo, but there is no sex or nudity.
5. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Edward Scissorhands is a fantasy drama film about a young man named Edward (Johnny Depp) who was created by an inventor (Vincent Price) but left unfinished with scissor blades for hands. He is taken in by a suburban family, where he falls in love with the daughter, Kim (Winona Ryder), but is shunned by the community due to his unusual appearance and abilities.
As Edward struggles to fit in and find his place in the world, his gentle nature and artistic talent endear him to some and terrify others, leading to a series of tragic events. This movie is beautiful and packed with the familiar mystical charm of most Burton films.
It is, in my opinion, Burton's best live-action film. Rated PG-13 with no nudity or sexual content, it's a great watch for the whole family, especially around the holidays.
6. Pirates of The Caribbean: The Curse of The Black Pearl (2003)
Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a classic. It produced one of Johnny Depp's most iconic and career-defining characters, Captain Jack Sparrow. The film follows Sparrow as an eccentric swashbuckling pirate who teams up with a blacksmith named Will Turner (Orlando Bloom). The two try to rescue the governor's daughter Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), from the clutches of a cursed crew of undead pirates led by the infamous Captain Barbossa.
No one could have predicted that an 18th-century film about pirates would be one of the best movies to come out of Disney and Depp's filmography. This is a perfect adventure film suitable for viewing with your parents, as it's rated PG-13 for some moderate violence. There is no gore or particularly graphic or sexual content.
7. Harry Potter Franchise (2001-2011)
One movie enthusiast recommends the entire Harry Potter franchise. Considering this franchise is based on children's books, you can be confident that it doesn't contain inappropriate content. However, the series becomes increasingly darker as the series progresses, so stick with the earlier films if you're looking for something lighthearted.
Prisoner of Azkaban is a turning point, but Goblet of Fire is when things become explicitly darker, as the central characters embark on adolescence and are no longer little children anymore. Some of the films are rated PG, while others are rated PG-13.
8. Cast Away (2000)
Rated PG-13, Cast Away is a survival drama film that follows the story of Chuck Noland, a FedEx executive who gets stranded on a deserted island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean after a plane crash. With no means of communication or rescue, Chuck must learn to adapt to his new surroundings and find ways to survive on the island for years.
The movie explores themes of isolation, survival, and the human spirit as Chuck battles the harsh realities of his new life and tries to find a way back home. This is a beautiful tale of survival against all odds that will remind you to practice gratitude.
9. Home Alone (1990)
It's not Christmas without watching Home Alone with your family. This is a family Christmas classic that you must watch every year. Charming Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister is hilarious and inventive as he fights off bad guys when his family mistakenly leaves him at home when they go on vacation.
Home Alone is a great family movie because it has something for everyone: humor, suspense, action, and heart. It is also a movie that celebrates the importance of family, love, and the holiday spirit, making it a perfect choice for a cozy family movie night during the festive season. It has a PG rating, so you don't have to worry about any awkward scenes.
10. Holes (2003)
Shia Labeouf portrays Stanley Yelnats IV, a boy doomed to a lifetime of bad luck due to an eternal family curse. This leads him to be sentenced to Camp Green Lake, where he needs to perform grueling labor digging holes in the hot desert. The camp requires the boys to dig holes every day, supposedly to build character, but there is a deeper, more sinister reason behind the task. This PG-rated film is based on a novel of the same name.
This thread inspired this post.
This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.
Featured Image Credit: 20th Century Fox.
