Top 5 "Family-Friendly" Movies that Aren't Lame

Here is one of my recent entries from cinekklesia.

There exists a dichotomy in my movie-watching experience. On the one hand, I recognize that it is possible to produce an intelligent film without resorting to excessive violence, coarseness, and/or quasi-pornographic depictions of sensuality. On the other hand, I have to hypothesize that most of the movies I watch fall in the PG13- or R-rated realm. Why do I happen to find G- or PG-rated films subconsciously unappealing?

Perhaps I have a "realist" aesthetic, and let's face it: reality is ugly. Even the Bible, if fully and graphically displayed on the Big Screen, often would fail the Motion Picture Association of America's (MPAA) standards for "family-friendly" fare.

Thus, when I do find an intelligent movie that happens to be rated G or PG, I take note. Below is a brief summary of films from the past decade or so that you should be able to show to your children, parents, grandparents, minister, socially conservative neighbor, etc. without too much fear of causing offense or irreperable emotional harm. On the other side, the "serious" film connoisseurs within your circle also should find something to appreciate.

5. The Straight Story (G)

This G-rated film was directed by none other than David Lynch, the intelligent, eccentric, and usually not-at-all-family-friendly director of such fare as Blue Velvet and Mulholland Dr. This particular film is based on the true story of Alvin Straight, an elderly man who wants to make amends with an estranged brother that lives many miles away. Trouble is, Alvin is legally prohibited from driving a car. No problem: He'll drive his tractor instead! Touching and beautifully filmed, The Straight Story is a worthy iconoclast in Lynch's repertoire.

4. The Winslow Boy (G)

Another G-rated film from another director not known for family-friendly cinema (David Mamet), The Winslow Boy tells the story of a privileged child accused of theft by his military academy and of his family's subsequent struggle to fight the charge. The delivery is classic Mamet: overly verbose, thoughtful, and altogether intriguing.

3. Shadowlands (PG)

While too many Christians unquestioningly adore C.S. Lewis, often failing to recognize that he was, after all, human (and thus, flawed), he nevertheless remains a giant in the world of letters. Shadowlands tries to portray Lewis' transformation from stuffy, erudite Cambridge scholar to emotionally vulnerable husband and step-father. A friend of mine once critiqued this version of Shadowlands (the BBC produced an earlier version) for not exploring Lewis' theology in sufficient detail. That's a legitimate critique but also ironic, seeing as how the film tries to go beyond a simple, didactic recitation of Lewis' thought to a more nuanced, holistic portrayal of Lewis the man. Anthony Hopkins plays the lead, and not once does he eat another character (remember: family-friendly).

2. The Spanish Prisoner (PG)

What? Two David Mamet films in a family-friendly list?! Is this the same man who wrote the very salty Glengarry Glen Ross, legendary for its use of the f-bomb? Well, having directed both The Winslow Boy and The Spanish Prisoner, he deserves recognition. Of the "con game" genre, this film follows the travails of a brilliant scientist, whose lucrative research is on everyone's wish list. Who will steal his work? Who will protect him? Around and around it goes until the very end. Mamet is fond of the con theme (see House of Games and Heist), and The Spanish Prisoner is the best of the bunch.

1. Napoleon Dynamite (PG)

While it would be hard to dissect fully this monument of cinematic genius, Paul Marchbanks and I gave it our best shot. Made by some Mormons out of The Beehive State (yes, that's Utah's nickname), Napoleon Dynamite has no cursin' and no fornicatin' — perfect entertainment for an evening with the fam. Speaking of family, check out the lengths to which Napoleon will go to protect his kin:

"Hey, Napoleon. What did you do last summer again?"

"I told you! I spent it with my uncle in Alaska hunting wolverines!"

"Did you shoot any?"

"Yes, like 50 of 'em! They kept trying to attack my cousins, what the heck would you do in a situation like that?"

"What kind of gun did you use?"

"A freakin' 12-gauge, what do you think?"

'Nuf said.