Character-Building Family-Friendly Movie Nights

You can find a lot of these movies at your local library.

I like movies. Ha! Who doesn't? I also like clean and family friendly movies. Here, I give a list of: fun movie night inspiration, Plugged In's movie nights, a few of my favorite movie review sites, and a list of MY favorite movie night ideas!

Thanks to my sister Hannah for the awesome popcorn and picture idea!

Movie Night Tips

I love Pinterest! Here are a few movie-night ideas I've found and LOVE.

DIY Drive In Movie Night

Popcorn Cupcakes

Plugged In Family Movie Nights

Secondhand Lions - PG, 11+

I love to watch movies. Focus on the Family's Plugged In is known for Christian-based movie reviews. Well, they also have movie nights for both kids and teens; clean movies they recommend. The kids movies nights are generally for kids younger than 10, the G and PG teen movie nights are typically for kids 11+, and the PG-13 teen movie nights are for kids 12+. Their movie nights vary from comedies to dramas to sport films.

Their criteria for movie nights:

• The good MUST outweigh the bad. (It is rare to find a thought-provoking powerful movie without something inappropriate)
• It cannot be rated R.
• It most have an important theme and/or message.
• It should be well made and interesting.

Click here for their movie-night page.

The teen movie nights consist of a two-page paper that has a full synopsis, (I would recommend not reading the ending of the synopsis!) rating, notable cast, themes, cautions, Bible verses applying the to the movie, talking points, follow up activities, and a fun fact about the movie.

The kids movie nights include themes, cautions, story summary, family activities, and topic discussions.  The topic questions are age-appropriate for younger kids. (i.e. for The Jungle Book, "How is Kaa similar to the serpent in the garden of Eden?" The second page normally includes something fun, like a word search, coloring page, or fill in the blank.

What the top of Plugged In's Movie Nights looks like

My favorite teen movie nights are: The Count of Monte Cristo, Fiddler on the Roof, Sergeant York, Life is Beautiful, National Treasure, Secondhand Lions, and Remember the Titans. 

Secondhand Lions is probably the best under-rated movie I have ever seen. It has valuable lessons, it is completely age-appropriate, and it is a fun movie with an un-cheesy fantasy twist. (about 10 or so "minor" swear words)

Life is Beautiful is one of the sweetest films I have ever seen. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and it will make you smile. The first part is a sweet romantic-comedy and the second part is a bittersweet drama. You can either watch this in English or Italian with English subtitles.

Fiddler on the Roof... well, everybody loves Fiddler on the Roof.

LOOKING FOR A MOVIE BUT NOT SURE WHAT'S IN IT?

Common Sense Media

Although not Christian, Common Sense Media does have a lot of movies Plugged In doesn't. (mostly older movies) They also have A LOT of book reviews.

Each Common Sense Media review contains: a quality meter, similar movies, and an age range meter. Ages in green is "on" ages in yellow is "know your kid", and ages in red are "off". Of course, some movies aren't appropriate for kids at all. These are labeled in grey. 

Positive messages, positive role models, violence, sex, language, drinking/smoking, and consumerism  are rated from 0-5. 0 being none, and 5 being extreme. 

Dove Reviews

Meter for I Am David, PG

Although the Dove Reviews are Christian-based, they are not as "intense" as Plugged In. They include a synopsis, a Dove worldview, and content descriptions. The Dove worldview contains a short paragraph about WHY it received the Dove Family Approval Seal, or why it didn't. They offer two family-approved seals; one for kids of all ages, and one for kids 12+. The content descriptions are pretty basic, not nearly as detailed as Plugged In. But they do contain anything you need to know.

What I like best about Dove Reviews is their "Severity of Content". 0 means nothing, 5 means excessive. The categories are: sex, language, violence, nudity, and other. Anything more than a 2 does not get the Dove Family-Appoval Seal. 

I have seen (and loved!) a bunch of movies that are not Dove Family Approved, but are either true stories or contain good moral lessons. Lincoln, Les Miserables, Argo, and Red Tails are examples.

Although I do like the content guide, comparing a G-rated animated film to the true R-rated movie Argo are hard to gauge.

Christian Answers: Spotlight on Entertainment

Christian Spotlight on Entertainment offers a Christian-based review in an article format. They have moral ratings and movie-making qualities. Content guides are interwoven in reviews. Some articles may contain spoilers! Personally, I like the insightful reviews and the moral ratings best. It makes this site unique, but from a Christian review. 

The reviews I have seen are primarily kids, historical, and true stories (the only movies I watch) and the reviews weigh the positives and negatives. Some reviews contain "Relevant Issues", Q&A type discussion questions and articles. For example, Relevant Issues for the film The Boy in the Striped Pajamas include, "Murder in the Bible" "Why do good people suffer?" and "Origin of bad - Sin in the Bible". Attached is relevant articles.

They also have older films, and a lot of movies Plugged In, Dove, and Common Sense Media don't have.

Unlike Plugged In, I like how Christian Spotlight focuses more on message and moral rather than content. I'm not saying content isn't important, I'm just saying I believe in plugging your ears and closing your eyes, if the overall movie has noteworthy themes. 

Hallmark Movies

Need a good cry? Watch a Hallmark movie. I love Hallmark movies! Firstly they are clean. Second, they have powerful messages in a non-cheesy way. A few of my favorites are:

A true story - watch on YouTube

• The Lost Valentine (A reporter helps a widow find her husband who was declared MIA 60 years ago during WWII. A bit slow at times, but BRING YOUR KLEENEX!!)
• The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler (You can view this entire movie in parts or as a whole on YouTube. Based on a true story, Irena Sendler smuggled 2,500 Jewish children, one at a time, out of the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust. Each of the children, and Irena, survived the war. Best for tweens and up. Seeing desperate mothers give their children to a complete stranger of another religion is heartbreaking. Although dealt with appropriately, you will want to give your kids an extra kiss before bedtime. I strongly encourage you to view this film.)
• Beyond the Blackboard (Based on the true story of Stacey Bess, a young teacher who made a difference in the lives of her classroom children - who are all homeless.)
• Pictures of Hollis Woods (Based on the Newbery Honor novel, is the story of a young girl in foster care who finds a family. Bring your Kleenex.) 
• Front of The Class (Based on a true story of a man who overcome Tourette's syndrome and becomes a teacher!)

My List of Family Movie Nights

I won't include content guides or synopsis. Most are dramas, historicals, biopics, or true stories. All of the following movies have valuable lessons, and you can easily make your own movie nights. "See how that man helped that woman? What does the Bible say about helping others?"

* means Plugged In movie night, and you can find this on Plugged In's Movie Night page. For some non-PIMN, I added a "best review", either Common Sense Media, Christian Spotlight, or Dove. Links above.

Kids 

• Veggietales series - G
• Cars* - G
• Toy Story - G
• Finding Nemo - G
• All of the American Girl historical movies (Felicity, Kit, Samantha, Molly)
• The Princess Diaries - G
• The Princess Diaries 2 - G
• Stuart Little - G
• Ratatouille - G
• The Emperor's New Groove - G
• Disney's American Legends - G
• The Parent Trap - G
• Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron - G (my favorite childhood movie!)
• Mary Poppins - G
• The Sound of Music - G
• 101 Dalmatians - G

Tweens (10+)

• Secondhand Lions* - PG (A MUST WATCH, minor profanity)
• Newsies - PG
• Angels in the Outfield - PG
• Fly Away Home* - G
• Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story - PG (for horse lovers)
• National Treasure* - PG
• Holes - PG (profanity and violence)
• Facing the Giants - PG
• Valiant - G (this is an animated Disney movie about WWII homing pigeons. Best review on Christian Spotlight)
• Eight Below - PG (a true story, not for the squeamish)
• Soul Surfer - PG (a true story about a Christian surfer)
• Akeelah and the Bee - PG (some profanity, but great lesson)
• Cheaper by the Dozen - PG
• I Am David - PG (Best review on Christian Spotlight)
• Miracle - PG (a true story)
• Snow Dogs - PG (Comedy)
• Sergeant York* - G (A true story of a Christian soldier)

Tweens (12+)

• Life is Beautiful* - PG-13
• Left Behind - PG (based on the Rapture)
• It's A Wonderful Life* - G
• Radio - PG (true story)
• One Night With the King - PG (the story of Esther)
• The Blind Side - PG-13 (a true story about a football player)
• October Baby - PG (Christian)
• The Bible - TV-14 (Mini-series, lots of violence)

Teens

• Les Miserables (2012) - PG-13 (Best review on Common Sense Media)
• The Impossible - PG-13
• The Help - PG-13
• War Horse - PG-13
• Hidden in Silence - PG-13 (true story, Christian/Catholic film)
• Red Tails - PG-13

What are your favorite films? Let me know!