Intelligent, thoughtful, challenging films for kids

Cafe Society
1

My youngest son (11) and daughter (14) like to sit down and watch movies with me at least once a week, and I try to get interesting or thoughtful films to mix in with the Harry Potter and Marvel superhero stuff.

I recently realized (yet again)* the error of not prescreening films when my son and I watched Birdman together.
Am I a bad parent? Possibly.
Was it a good film? Definitely.
My kid did find it just a bit disturbing, but he was very engaged in the plot and ideas and thought the camera work and effects were very clever.

*This is not the first time I’ve shown them age-inappropriate but good movies.
After they Laughed there little asses off watching Shaun of the Dead I thought, stuff it, and we watched all three of the Cornetto Trilogy together and absolutely loved them.

Anyway, despite appearances, my goal is not to corrupt my kids, but to share with them intelligent, thought-provoking (and, hopefully, age-appropriate) films that will help to broaden their minds.
So, if anyone can recommend such a film, I would be grateful.

Here’s a sample of films we’ve watched together that I think fall into this category and which one or both of them have enjoyed (not all of which are age-appropriate, but all of which I consider to be good or thought-provoking films).

The 6th Sense (My son’s favourite film.)
The Truman Show (Possibly my son’s 2nd fovourite film.)
They Live (Woops, surprise boobs and sex at the end! Still, both kids really liked the concept of the movie and its offbeat, dark humor.)
The Village (Told them how the film is generally regarded badly, and they both agreed with me that it’s undeserving of such a bad rap.)
The Power of One (Holy crap! Never realized that had Morgan Freeman in it. Bonus! My son loves him.)
The Seventh Seal (Challenging, but regarded with interest.)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (The original. My son was so caught up in it that he forgot he was watching a black and white movie.)
Psycho (Scary, but intriguing.)
To Kill a Mockingbird (Watched with partial interest.)
Rocky (Yes, a thoughtful movie. My son liked this, and II and III, but less so. Maybe we should see Creed together? But only after we’ve seen Rocky IV, I guess.)
Billy Eliot (A sensitive film which my boy took an interest in.)
Stand By Me (What an absolute classic.)
When Marnie was There (A moving and thoughtful Studio Ghibli film that both I and my daughter loved.)
Miss Hokusai (Intriguing Japanese period anime. Somewhat sexual, but not overtly so.)
Millennium Actress (Another thoughtful, somewhat tragic anime, with clever jumps though time.)
Night on the Galactic Railroad (Philosophical anime. Very melancholy, but thoughtful.)
Giovani’s Island (War-based anime almost as heart-wrenching as Gravestone for Fireflies.)
The Illusionist (Not super engaging, but the boy found it interesting, if melancholy.)

They’ve also seen and enjoyed all the Pixar movies.

I’d love to show them the Princess Bride, but haven’t been able to get a hold of it.

Any recommendations?
(TLDR version: Plz tell me good, smart movies 4 kids.)

2

Gattaca.
Pan’s Labyrinth.
Forbidden Planet.
The Cube.
Primer.
Edward Scissorhands.
The Nightmare Before Christmas.

3

Well, off the top of my head several other Ghibli films you haven’t mentioned. I’d go with Spirited Away, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and My Neighbor Totoro on the top of the list. You can’t really go wrong with any of the others, but some would probably be dull for kids in that age range (such as Only Yesterday, Whisper of the Heart, From Up on Poppy Hill, The Wind Rises–all fine films, but all more “adult” themed in a non-porno sense.)

Another cell-animated movie that comes to mind is The Secret of Kells. And you might want to look at the (stop-motion) Australian movie Mary and Max.

(Others might come to mind later.)

4

We watched our first Ghibli film recently and the whole family is in love with Totoro. We are gathering other films to watch now.

As for the OP, The Princess Bride is a family favorite, and so is the Holy Grail. I am sure the 10 and 12 year old do not get all of the subtext but they will. (Older kid has found old Monty Python cassettes and has been listening to those).

Watched all of Band of Brothers with my oldest and used the “Why we fight” episode as a entryway to a longer discussion of that subject. Soon Schindler’s List will come up.

On a happier note, they have also enjoyed the 80’s teen comedies. Real Genius was a particular favorite.

5

The first ones that come to mind are “closer to realistic” sci-fi:

  • “Contact”
  • “The Martian”
  • “Gravity”

The last two would be good comparisons to the Star Wars/Star Trek versions of dealing with outer space/space travel (best case: it raises the question of how it is that the people in Star Wars/Star Trek can simply walk around their ships while travelling in space).

For alternative alien encounters:

  • “The Andromeda Strain”
  • “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”

And for history:

  • “The Right Stuff”
  • “Apollo 13”

Amazing, since they are true stories.

6

Also (trying to think of things you may never have heard of) if you have children that can tolerate subtitles, I think they might enjoy the Tempelriddernes skat movies–they are adventure/mystery films with teen and pre-teen protagonists (though I downloaded those via less-than-savory means years ago–getting legit English-subbed copies may be a challenge.)

7

I can’t imagine not being able to find that movie. But once you see it, I recommend Stardust and Time Bandits. They’re vaguely sort of similar.

And then there are some good movies aimed at kids. The first one to come to mind is the French film War of the Buttons. Also, the American films The Chocolate War and My Bodyguard.

And not specifically aimed at kids but one of my favorites is Breaking Away.

8

Thanks.
We’ve seen most of Tim Burton’s stuff, which they like. (Not showing them Sleepy Hollow or Sweeney Todd.)
I’ve heard good things of Gattaca. Suitable for kids?
I’ve thought about Primer. I understand it’s in no way a kids-oriented film, but I’d like to see it, and I wonder if my son might find it interesting, or if it might be too complicated or dark?

The Cube!? I think not. That’s a bit beyond the pale.

Might wait a couple more years before showing them Pan’s Labyrinth.
Other movies on the waiting list:
Mississippi Burning
Memento
And, would you believe, The Cabin in the Woods, which my daughter has been pestering me to see ever since I mentioned to her that

I’d seen a movie with a murderous unicorn in it.

9

If he liked The Truman Show, he would probably like these:

The Invention of Lying
Defending Your Life
Pleasantville

Also a good movie, in this election season:
Idiocracy

10

Some of these might possibly be mind-numbingly boring for many preteens/teens, but the OP’s kids seem pretty open-minded:

Little Man Tate
A Bronx Tale
The Shawshank Redemption
Searching for Bobby Fischer
The Great Escape
Parenthood
Silence of the Lambs
The Color of Money
The Siege
Moon
Slums of Beverly Hills
Spy Game

11

Thanks Darren Garrison and howye.

Will check out The Secret of Kells, Mary and Max (if I can find it here), and Band of Brothers.
Should have mentioned that we’ve seen most of the Ghibli films, living in japan and all. My daughter actually really liked Whispers of the Heart, because cats! and because the characters are in her own age range.

The Holy Grail is a definite possibly! I kind of really want to show them the Life of Brian, but because of the full frontal nudity . . . maybe not yet.
As far as clever but zany comedy goes, they thoroughly enjoyed Clue.

Big favorites from the 80s: The Indiana Jones Movies, The Back to the Future movies, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Terminator 2.
Die Hard will have to wait, because unnecessary tits.

Had never heard of Real Genius. I’ll suss it out.

12

One up the Truman Show: “The Matrix”

Also “Oblivion” and “District 9”

13

The reason I didn’t think Only Yesterday or Whisper of the Heart would be a very good fit was because both seem to be movies more aimed towards adults nostalgic about their own childhoods in a certain period in Japan, not towards people who currently happen to be children.

Since you are in Japan (and mentioned Millennium Actress) have you tried anything else by Satoshi Kon? I strongly recommend Tokyo Godfathers. And while on the topic of Japanese film, I’d recommend one of my favorite movies Night Time Picnic in your requested “intelligent, thoughtful” category (and Swing Girls and Summer Time Machine Blues in the “not exactly intelligent and thoughtful but pretty darn funny” category.)

14

Thanks cormac262.

We saw the Martian in the theatre, and they were very keen on it.
Would Gravity be boring for kids? Haven’t seen it myself.

My boy’s keen on Star Wars, and now also into the JJ Abrams Star Trek reboot.

Never seen The Right Stuff, though I really should. Is it really OK for kids?

We’ve seen the Matrix, and they liked it OK.
I’ve been deliberating on whether to show them District 9. I think its violence is quite grim in a way that movies like Hot Fuzz or The Negotiator aren’t.

Darren Garrison,
Thanks. I’ll look for the Skat movies. :wink:
My kids are always reading subtitles, since we watch most movies in English with Japanese subtitles to help them along.
(For this reason, I had the hardest time of all of us understanding The 7th Seal, because it wasn’t dubbed and I couldn’t keep up with the Japanese subtitles.)

Dewey,
Sadly, it doesn’t seem like The Princess Bride made any impact in Japan.
I might have to wait until we make a trip back to Australia.
I’ll look for the other films you mentioned. Maybe Baron Munchausen too.

Fear Itself,
Pleasantville sounds like a great recommendation. Have been meaning to see that, but keep forgetting about it whenever I’m at the rental store. (Yes, we still have those here.)

DCnDC,
I do want to show them Shawshank, especially since my boy likes Morgan Freeman, but it will have to wait. It’s just too brutal.
Silence of the Lambs!? Not on your nelly! Or anyone’s nelly for that matter.
The Great Escape? I’d never thought of that. Could be a good one for them.
I’ll check out The Siege. If it’s anything like The Negotiator, they quite liked that.
My son also likes the Jason Bourne movies.

15

Have looked at Tokyo Godfathers with interest several times while searching for movies.
Your recommendation has tipped me over the fence.
I will get it next time I’m at the rental shop.

I also want to see Okuribito (Departures), but would you believe they didn’t have it!?
With all the utter crap* they fill their shelves with, why are they missing so many time-tested classics and acclaimed movies?

*Subjective, I know.

PS.
Yes, Ghibili is all about nostalgia, but they have a very broad appeal.
Laputa is my favorite. Mononoke a close second.

16

Inconceivable! :smiley:

The Right Stuff is generally ok, although the fan dance scene at the end might be a little weird - heck it is a little weird anyways.

The one kid is on a quest to view everything mentioned in Ready Player One. He found Wargames surprisingly entertaining. I did not think it would hold up very well.

17

You’re really giving your kids a great movie education!

Here are some ideas that haven’t already been mentioned. Some of these have mature themes, but given what you’ve already shown your kids I think they can handle it:

12 Monkeys
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Groundhog Day
Pleasantville
The Triplets of Belleville
Amadeus
Election
Persepolis (assuming they’re OK with subtitles)
Shine
Moonrise Kingdom
Into the Woods

18

Have they seen Blade Runner?

I don’t see it mentioned. Dude, I mean, it’s Blade Runner.

And if they haven’t see Attack the Block, which is “Cornish Trilogy Adjacent” and features John Boyega in the role that landed him the role of Finn in the new Star Wars trilogy, well, they gotta see that. Some cartoony violence profanity and drug references.

19

How about Wes Anderson’s Rushmore or the Life Aquatic? I don’t remember if there are unexpected boobs or sex in those but both are rated R so at least consider the possibility.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off should be safe.

For classics, you can’t beat Citizen Kane and the Wizard of Oz.

For a bit of social consciousness raising: Inherit the Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, Malcolm X (possibly too much violence or nudity), Driving Miss Daisy (Morgan Freeman!), or Roots.

20

Would they appreciate the humor of Wes Anderson? Fantastic Mr. Fox is a good entry point for that age, and echoing Jeff Lichtman’s recommendation of Moonrise Kingdom. You might want to prescreen his other R-rated movies (but my kids enjoyed them).

I don’t think it’s available on DVD or streaming yet, but watch for Hunt for the Wilderpeople when it comes out. Fantastic.

And of course, Napoleon Dynamite.