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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Big (1988)

Why it's here:
This was a no-brainer. I couldn't wait to show the kids Tom Hanks' iconic performance.

Specs:
Just over 1 1/2 hours; rated PG*

Our family's average rating (on a scale of 1-10):
8.5 -- making it one of our highest rated films in the festival

More about the film and our reaction to it:
About halfway in to this film, I was contemplating rating it a '10'. I couldn't quite see what wasn't perfect about the film and was just trying to decide if its 'impact' was significant enough to get that high mark. Luckily I was spared the decision, because in the last half, the film began to lose its purpose and derail into something a bit awkward.  Big loses its true heart and center in the last half hour and begins to feel melodramatic and even a bit depressing as it focuses on Elizabeth Perkins' emotional baggage and issues, rather than the magical transformation of Josh and the real growth of his relationship with his friend.

But... though, it isn't perfect, that doesn't mean it's not fantastic! The best thing about the film is Hanks' overwhelming and profound performance as a 12 year old man. It is impossible to praise his work too highly. He personifies this story perfectly.  I truly believe I'm watching a boy who has been transformed into a grown up body, Hanks so totally 'gets' the 12 year old experience.  The true heart of the movie is the relationship between Josh and his best friend as they negotiate this new challenge and the big scary and exciting world of New York City.

Unfortunately, the amazing start gives way to a more run of the mill 80s comedy/drama and devolves into adult themes.  I'm seeing strong pattern with films of this era. So many of the PG films from the 80s want to blend kid-friendly content with fairly adult sexual content (Roxanne, Three Amigos, Beetlejuice . . . ) Big does this as well. There are scenes that would be very unlikely to be found in a PG film today. In fact, when the scene where Eliz. Perkins and Josh have a sexual encounter came on screen, I gasped. I'd forgotten this was there. She removes her blouse and Josh is mesmerized with her breasts. He is shown fondling her for a moment and this is a very awkward family-viewing moment that parents should be aware of. There are several other moments in the film where Josh stares at Elizabeth Perkins' open blouse or chest area. And, really, the whole idea that Josh begins a sexual relationship with a grown up woman when he is in some way/'really just 13, is somewhat troubling.  But, if you can get past these things, you will find an adorable and memorable movie and, from Hanks, the kind of classic performance that is not to be missed.

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