Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

Why its here:
The romantic comedy was at its apex in the late 80s/early 90s, with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan its crown prince and princess. I love the genre myself and have seen many examples I might recommend, but this one -- Sleepless in Seattle -- was simply the perfect choice for us.  I'm not sure I realized just how well it might go over or how good it was; but Sleepless has to be the best of the genre -- a near-perfect serving of style, warmth, humor, and absurdity.

Specs:
About an hour and a half, rated PG

Our family's average rating on a scale from 1-10:

An 8.88! moving it into a tie for second place overall (along with Roman Holiday and just behind It Happened One Night).

More about the film and our reaction to it:

Its hard to explain in a blog post what makes a movie like this so good and so acceptable for family viewing. By the way, although, it was perfectly appropriate for our family, others should note that there is some frank (and, frankly silly) dialog regarding Hanks' dating endeavors. It would be easiest to just direct you to the IMDB parents guide for details.  So, no it's not perfectly tame; but it is pretty tame.  It is also extremely sweet, but never actually sappy.  I'm not sure exactly how they pulled that off. . . . Such is the magic of the film.

The film is magical; it knows it and it doesn't try to be realistic. Its a bit silly and almost weird. In less skillful hands, Meg Ryan's near-stalking of Tom Hanks might have felt objectionable. But instead, we cheer for her.  There are other elements, too, that feel just a bit strange for a romantic comedy. For instance, we all know that Hanks and Ryan have great chemistry, but in this flick, it wouldn't matter if they didn't, because they are not actually together in it. That's odd indeed.

Although ostensibly about romance, the movie is truly about something bigger and funnier than just two people meeting and dating. It is more about the promise of love, and the hope of finding it, than it is about any realization. Thus, it seems so perfectly positioned to steal the hearts of a family -- where all is not lovely dovey and mushy.  The kind of love in Sleepless is more familial; more about bonding, making do with what life has dealt and, of course, hoping.

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A League of Their Own (1992)

Why its here:
How can you fail with Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, baseball, and WWII-era Americana? You can't and this film doesn't. A very fun and also moving depiction of a fascinating little slice of time. . . . But you can set that all aside. The truth is, the main reason we watched is so we could show the boys the iconic "there's no crying in baseball" scene.  :)

Specs:
2 hours; rated PG

Our family's average rating on a scale from 1-10:

8.38

More about the film and our reaction to it:

The bones of the film are well-known: during WWII, when American men were in high demand for for the war effort, American women stepped up in many many ways. One of which -- that I don't think was widely known before this movie shed light on it -- was by playing baseball games to supplement thae lagging sports/entertainment 'industry', suffering in the wake of the war.

Hanks plays a washed-up, strung-out former coach who gets roped into helping one of these teams of women in the "all girl league." Davis, Petty, Madonna, O'Donnell and other comic talents play the players. The movie, directed with typical Penny Marshall style and skill, plumbs the social clashes and heart-warming drama that ensues when they are all thrown into a pot together. Its a fun, funny and feel good movie.

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Defending Your Life (1991)

Why its here:
Sometimes its all about the star.  This film would probably not have been on our radar but for my desire to show the boys a Meryl Streep performance. This may not be one of Streep's best films, but it is probably one of her best family-friendly ones. (I never realized, until I started researching for our viewing, but the actress does seem to do mostly R-rated, adult-humor, or highly depressing stuff.)

Specs:
Almost 2 hours; rated PG

Our family's average rating on a scale from 1-10:

7.75

More about the film and our reaction to it:

IMDB's opening comments cut right to the chase: "Considered by many critics to be the greatest living actress, Meryl Streep has been nominated for the Academy Award an astonishing 19 times, and has won it three times."  

No one will claim that Defending Your Life is a career highlight for the actress, but it is an enjoyable and very imaginative film that we would recommend. And Streep is, as always, simply brilliant to watch.

Like Heaven Can Wait, Defending Your Life has a quirky, funny take on the mechanics of the afterlife; like Heaven Can Wait, DYL also has a talented cast and skilled director with a vision, in this case Albert Brooks, who was something of a god of funny at this time. This in fact may be one of his best films.

The movie is set in Judgement City -- a place where folks go when they die and are sorted into movers-on and goers-back. While there, inmates are able to indulge themselves in many ways -- including eating whatever they want (and not getting fat), and lounging in hotel rooms that offer different levels of luxurious accommodation depending on your status upon entering the City.) Brooks (who acts, writes and directs here) and Streep play recently deceased people who have entered the City, are meeting with their case managers, and are in process of learning how the afterlife works. Their fundamental task is, as the film title implies, to prove that they lived their lives fully -- with passion, compassion and bravery, a task that is easier for Streep's character to complete than Brooks'.

Besides being funny, the film is actually quite important. I mean, the concepts behind it are not trivial at all. Brooks' skill with the topic is what makes the film as good as it is. He makes it so the viewer can fall into a state of philosophical introspection while laughing happily and falling in love. That's not an easy trick.

There are some parent-warnings that should be made however. Aside from the very nature of film and the topic of death handled irreverently (which may or may not comport with your family's values), there is a fair amount of dialog with sexual references, including penis-envy, STDs, pornography. This stuff doesn't make up much of the film, but is worth mentioning.

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The Hunt for Red October (1990)

Why its here:
Great movie choice if you want a military action thriller that is exciting and full of plot twists, yet still really pretty family friendly.

Specs:
Over 2 hours; rated PG

Our family's average rating on a scale from 1-10:

7.63

More about the film and our reaction to it:

To  give a flavor of what to expect, it might be enough to say that this film is an adaptation of a bestselling Tom Clancy novel.  If you need to know more than that, then I'll also share that in addition to dramatic characters, politically-driven action, and more than a few plot twists, the film has a highly talented ensemble cast, powerful cold-war era tensions, and very realistic details including a setting almost entirely inside a submarine. If this is still not convincing you to watch the flick, then chances are this is not the right movie for you.

But for the rest of us -- and probably that represents a large chunk of humanity -- this film can't miss.

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Home Alone (1990)

Why its here:
Like it or not Home Alone has reached iconic status -- becoming a part of the cultural fabric with scenes like the one here of Macaulay Caulkin screaming when he comes to learn what aftershave is. Because we'd never seen it before, now was most definitely the time.

Specs:
1 1/2 hours; rated PG

Our family's average rating on a scale from 1-10:

7.25

More about the film and our reaction to it:

Imagine that you've never seen this film. Forget about the baggage: the five film franchise, the Culkin family's legal battles, the troubled career of this talented little boy -- and just start with a fresh slate. Picture now a talented director and very funny script, top-notch grown-up actors supporting an appealing and charismatic child, and place them all in an imaginative romp where a large extended family goes on vacation and (through an honestly plausible series of events) manages to leave their 8 year old behind at home, well, alone.

Its a great concept and very well-executed. Its the same child-in-a-grown-up's-world survival fantasy concept that movies like Big or books like "From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" plumb to great effect. And Home Alone is no dud in the mix. It is charming, funny, and satisfying.

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