FAMILY MOVIE FAVORITES!
Have you seen these? Let me know what you and your family thought of any of these movies; or tell me about one I missed!
Robert Duvall and James Earl Jones, two legendary actors, star as half-brothers that discover each other late in life. Born of the same mother who died delivering her white son, her boyfriend (The child's real father) is compelled to raise him as his the child of him and his wife. Only after his "mother's" death does he find out that she wasn't his mother and that his real mother was black. He searches out his half brother in Chicago and they begrudgingly become friends. Rated PG-13.
***
Disney's coup de grace, a vision of music that was rejected by critics and came to be one his most famous works. Stirring music combined with animation. children will not enjoy this movie.
**
Steve Martin plays a father who can't handle the thought of his little girl getting married; but worse than that is the expensive wedding she and her mother plan and Martin has to foot the bill. Martin Short is the hilarious wedding coordinator. Cute romantic-type comedy. Rated PG.
***
It was hard enough for Steve Martin's character when his daughter was getting married, but now his baby is having a baby. Add a surprise pregnancy by his wife, and George Banks' life is in turmoil. Martin Short is also back to get laughs. Rated PG.
***
Ferris is an expert at skipping school-so expert that he gets his parents to write a permission slip for him each time he is absent! He has one more day he can miss this semester, and he plans go make this one count! Classic teen-age flick. Rated PG-13.
****
Tevye is a poor Jewish milkman who has three daughters that he wants to marry well. He learns that he has to put his daughters' happiness before his own dreams for them. The singing and dancing are fantastic, and Chaim Topol is very very good at plying Tevye. Rated G.
*****
A farmer dreams of baseball legends and they advise him to build a baseball diamond in his corn field. He does, against all practical advise, and a game of legendary proportions commences. Rated PG.
****
The unforgettable cast of A Fish Called Wanda reunites to create Fierce Creatures, the story of a zoo in financial trouble resurrected by a tycoon who wants to turn it into a menagerie of deadly creatures. Kevin Kline, one of my favorite actors, plays a dual role. Rated PG-13.
***
Four friends from college find themselves divorced, all the victims of their husbands' greed and desire for younger women. When one of the four commits suicide, the surviving three decide not to get mad, but to get even. They work together to discredit, destroy, humiliate, and financially burden their exes. Good chick-flick, not a choice for young children. The acting is superb. Rated PG.
****
Nicely done coming-of-age story about a teen-aged son of a blue collar plumber who gets a glimpse of the good life. The lure of money and success tempts him, but the characters of the rich men give the young man a good idea of what they really are. Rated PG-13.
****
A reporter going for an undercover story finds more than he bargained for when a wealthy man offers him money to kill him. Fletch uses his talent of disguise to learn about the man and his motives, and also to learn about his wife. Very funny! Rated PG.
****
Every child's favorite cartoon comes to life with an incredible cast including John Goodman, Rosie O'Donnell, Elizabeth Taylor, Elizabeth Perkins, and Rick Moranis. Very true to the cartoon, awesome show! Rated PG.
****
Robin Williams makes a Disney movie where he can use his affinity for physical comedy to his advantage, unlike his Genie role. He is the ultimate absent-minded professor who has already twice forgotten to show up for his weddings, and this is his last chance. Will he make it to the altar or will the flubber stop him? Cute story, nice animation, not nearly enough of the funky green flubber. Rated PG.
****
Unrealistic romantic comedy about a couple that has a one-night stand and go their separate ways. She hunts him down to announce that she is pregnant and they decide to get married. Cultural differences add a lot of stress to the relationship and tear them apart. Not as sugar-sweet as some romantic comedies, and the chemistry between Hayek and Perry is interesting. Rated PG-13.
***
A city-boy and his mother down on their luck are forced to move in near relatives in the middle of nowhere, USA. The shocker is that music has been made illegal, another example of adults blaming outside forces for their own ineptness in raising and controlling their children. Kevin Bacon's premier role as the boy who fights for the right to rock and roll and inspires all the local kids. Lots of great music and fun to watch this flashback to the 80's. Rated PG.
****
Very predictable story about a couple of New York hustlers on the verge of divorce and on the run from the IRS who disguise themselves as Amish when they hear an Amish gentleman talking about relatives coming to stay that he has never met. Of course they fall in love again. Of course they solve a big problem for the Amish. Of course they are accepted into the Amish culture. Of course the IRS finds them. If you haven't seen the movie, can you guess the end yet? Ok to watch if you are in the mood for brain candy. Rated PG-13.
**
Sci-fi premise that a soldier volunteers to be frozen in the 1940's after his girlfriend is hit by a car. Unfortunately, they don't unfreeze him and he is left in a warehouse for 50 years before a couple of kids find him and thaw him out. Some hilarious time-lapse problems, and Mel is always wonderful. Great ending! Rated PG.
***
Wonderful film about a simple man that lives an extraordinary life. Tale of how he grows from a small town geek with leg braces to a college football hero, war hero, millionaire who marries the woman of his dreams. Along the way he encounters presidents, international peace efforts, cult fame, and the Black Panthers. Rated PG-13.
*****
Another tough Disney tale about the realities of life in the wilderness. I often wonder why all good children's stories include tales of death. Anyway, the little fox, Todd, is orphaned when hunters kill his mother. A sweet old lady takes him in and raises him, much to the chagrin of her neighbor who has also just acquired a new pet, a hound named Copper. The two naive animals become friends and swear allegiance to one another. Unfortunately, after a season being trained, Copper loses sight of friendship and concentrates on pleasing his master until a very dangerous bear tests their friendship. Rated G.
***.
Very successful film that totally irked me personally. The hypocrites that made this movie had the audacity to take a long imprisoned and neglected whale and use him as the character in a story about, guess what, a long imprisoned and neglected whale. Unfortunately for Keiko, the real whale, he was returned to bondage after the filming. And years after this movie and its sequels, an organization rallied to free Keiko. Does art imitate life or does life imitate art? Rated PG.
Wonderfully humorous tale about a woman who is deathly afraid to fly and stays behind while her fiance goes to France. When he calls and tells her he is in love with a woman he met there, she overcomes her fright and flies to France to win back her man. On the plane she meets a mysterious Frenchman who befriends her, what she doesn't know is that she is smuggling a stolen necklace into the country for him. Great romantic comedy with a very talented cast. Rated PG-13.
****
Action-packed murder mystery about a man wrongly convicted of his wife's murder, his escape after an accident with a prison van that resulted in a train derailment, and a group of US Marshalls searching for him while he searches for the real killer. Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones are superb! Rated PG-13.
****
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