# Family movies to rent? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 19, 2005, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-movies-to-rent/336286 "2005-12-19T12:20:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-movies-to-rent/336286/21 "2005-12-19T22:20:00Z")
Family friendly movies we (my 14 year old daughter & I) have watched over the years and recommend: -What’s Up Doc (hilarious, even with Streisand and O’Neal -Return of the Pink Panther -A Night at the Opera -A Little Princess and The Secret Garden - the beautiful theatrical versions that came out, what, about 10 years ago (no time now to check IMDB). They are wonderful films. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-movies-to-rent/336286/22 "2005-12-19T23:41:49Z")
> [@BiblioCat](#): > > Seconded. I loved this one. > > (Geez, I’m a PITA, aren’t I? 😉 ) We love it, too. Not a big Michael Caine fan, but I love that movie! > [@Auntie Pam](#): > > Planes, Trains and Automobiles would please everyone except maybe the 5-year-old. Hubby would never consent to rent a movie with John Candy _and_ Steve Martin! ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-movies-to-rent/336286/23 "2005-12-20T02:18:12Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > Hubby would never consent to rent a movie with John Candy _and_ Steve Martin! Too much of a good thing, eh? 😉 This one might surprise him. It’s not terribly subtle, but it’s more low-key than you’d expect. They both play it pretty straight, and it’s still hilarious in spots and touching in others. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-movies-to-rent/336286/24 "2005-12-20T03:26:33Z")
Except for the scene where Steve Martin complains to rent-a-car lady. Seriously Mad Hot Ballroom ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-movies-to-rent/336286/25 "2005-12-20T04:11:55Z")
How about the original version of “Yours, Mine, and Ours”? A family film, a semi-Christmas movie, funny and appropriate for all ages. My nieces and nephews all love it, from the youngest to the oldest. If you don’t know about it, it’s the true story of a mother with 8 kids who marries a father with 10. Lucille Ball plays the mom and Henry Fonda plays the dad. StG ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-movies-to-rent/336286/26 "2005-12-20T04:59:07Z")
**The Polar Express** ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-movies-to-rent/336286/27 "2005-12-20T12:18:14Z")
**StGermaine** , the original Yours, Mine and Ours might be a good bet. I remember seeing bits and pieces of it when I was a kid, but don’t know that I’ve ever seen the whole thing. And it would please the middle daughter much more than the new one would, as she wishes Hillary Duff would just curl up and die somewhere; or at least shut up. **GuanoLad** , the youngest one has already seen Polar Express (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing; you know at that age, they like to watch things over and over again). Do you think it’s entertaining enough for the older ones amongst us? ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-movies-to-rent/336286/28 "2005-12-20T14:18:42Z")
The first “Spy Kids” movie is a lot of fun. The second one is pretty good, too, and it has Ricardo Montalban and Holland Taylor! ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-movies-to-rent/336286/29 "2005-12-20T14:21:16Z")
> [@h.sapiens](#): > > The first “Spy Kids” movie is a lot of fun. The second one is pretty good, too, and it has Ricardo Montalban and Holland Taylor! We saw the first Spy Kids as a family (well, before we had our youngest, of course), and it _was_ a lot of fun. Haven’t seen the second one yet. I’ll have to put that on the list of considerations. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-movies-to-rent/336286/30 "2005-12-20T14:44:34Z")
I’d definitely say _Elf_. Silly, but funny and cute. My wife and kids were in hysterics. Lots of physical humor. While I really, really loved _Whale Rider_, I’d say that it will either be lost on or distrubing to the little one. _Toturo_ is great. But my daughter’s favorite is _The Cat Returns_. _Kiki’s Delivery Service_ is also very good and features voice work by Phil Hartman, which always makes me wistful. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-movies-to-rent/336286/31 "2005-12-20T15:54:39Z")
The Wallace & Gromit shorts would be excellent for the first film. A tip: stock up on cheese and crackers beforehand. 🙂 As for the second flick, I dunno if the five-year-old would really get into it, but **Miracle** (about the 1980 USA Olympic hockey team) is a lot of fun and would be particularly good to see sometime before the Torino Games in February. It’s probably O.K. for your youngest to see; the harshest language in it is a locker-room scene when Coach Brooks calls Rob McClanahan a “candy-ass”. There’s also some intense hockey action. Either Monty Python’s \*\*The Life of Brian \*\* or Mel Brooks’ **The History of the World, Part I** would be a funny third flick. When your oldest daughter is a few years older, she may _really_ appreciate the Thanksgiving comedy [**Home for the Holidays**](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113321/), as I have. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-movies-to-rent/336286/32 "2005-12-20T16:25:09Z")
> [@The Scrivener](#): > > Either Monty Python’s The Life of Brian or Mel Brooks’ The History of the World, Part I would be a funny third flick. I would agree, but hubby does not like Monty Python _or_ Mel Brooks! (Yeah, I know, I know). The other suggestions sound good. ---
**Author:** ![RitzyRae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aca169/32.png) [@RitzyRae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitzyRae)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-movies-to-rent/336286/33 "2005-12-20T17:29:06Z")
_Tuck Everlasting_, a totally unique story. _Funny Farm_, I laugh every time at every joke. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-movies-to-rent/336286/34 "2005-12-20T21:10:23Z")
**The Rocketeer** is a wonderful movie, full of action and color, and suitable for family viewing. Of course, I may be prejudiced. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-movies-to-rent/336286/35 "2005-12-20T21:26:03Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > **GuanoLad** , the youngest one has already seen Polar Express (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing; you know at that age, they like to watch things over and over again). Do you think it’s entertaining enough for the older ones amongst us? I liked it. It’s good enough for older people to enjoy the story, though it may not go down in history as a classic. And it’s quite a thrill ride. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-movies-to-rent/336286/36 "2005-12-20T21:31:31Z")
_March of the Penguins_ - I was stunned by how good it was. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-movies-to-rent/336286/37 "2005-12-20T21:59:27Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > _March of the Penguins_ - I was stunned by how good it was. We rented this over the weekend; for my money, just the fact that it was narrated by Morgan Freeman was enough to make _me_ want to see it. 😉 I’ll put The Rocketeer down as a possibility, too. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-movies-to-rent/336286/38 "2005-12-20T22:20:16Z")
> [@Rocketeer](#): > > **The Rocketeer** is a wonderful movie, full of action and color, and suitable for family viewing. > > Of course, I may be prejudiced. 😉 Is that the one with Jennifer Connelly naked in it? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-movies-to-rent/336286/39 "2005-12-21T02:30:35Z")
I’ll suggest [Christmas Vacation](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097958/usercomments) with the one caveat about the Chevy Chase, “Just blousing…browsing” scene. I think it would go right over the head of the 5 year old who will then laugh at Chase’s physical comedy. The original rating was PG 13. It is still a very funny movie. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-movies-to-rent/336286/40 "2005-12-21T08:39:26Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I’ll suggest [Christmas Vacation](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097958/usercomments) with the one caveat about the Chevy Chase, “Just blousing…browsing” scene. I think it would go right over the head of the 5 year old who will then laugh at Chase’s physical comedy. The original rating was PG 13. It is still a very funny movie. “Shitter’s full!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-movies-to-rent/336286.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-movies-to-rent/336286.md?page=3)