Robin Hood (Prince of Thieves, Men in Tights, etc.)
V for Vendetta.
Fight Club.
The Patriot
Braveheart
Edward scissor hands! And other Tim Burton
Lots of Spielberg directed stuff fits here I think like close encounters, Indiana Jones, Jaws
The blues brothers I remember was a lot of fun & don’t recall anything that stands out as too adult. tons of music, violence is not very serious
mst3k/rifftrax take a lot of old cheap movies and have comedians joke over the movie’s audio, I think most of it is pretty pg-13 stuff but not pandering to kids
Some Coen brothers/Ethan Coen movies like O brother where art thou and raising Arizona, true grit, add a bit more complexity to stories over kids movies, but keep the violence not too scary
If it wasn’t for a few f bombs the Blue Brothers could have been rated PG. And maybe the used condom joke at the very beginning.
Galaxy Quest… while not a great movie, it’s a fun movie.
It’s not a great movie, it’s superb!
Excuse, me, what the fuck!? Galaxy quest managed to be one of the best Star Trek flicks out there while not even being in the same universe. By Grabthar’s Hammer, YOU…SHALL…. APOLOGIZE!
Yeah, what he said. Not a great movie? Are you nuts. I just can’t…
Family friendly / older fare. Labyrinth, goonies, princess bride, frighteners, galaxy quest, original clash of the titans, fifth element, back to the future etc etc.
My father got into serious trouble with my mom when my little brother was two because of Blazing Saddles. My mom had taken me somewhere, and my brother was in the playroom playing with blocks. Dad figured it was safe to watch Blazing Saddles, as little bro wasn’t able to see the TV, and he could see little bro.
A few days later, little bro walks up to my mother and casually called her a “tonic bitch,” and wandered off.
Needless to say Mel Brooks was banned in our house for a few years, but we all loved it when we were allowed to watch it. Spaceballs as well.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show springs to mind.
The Princess Bride. It’s got fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles…
And it seems like it could be from a ttrpg session. Very amusing!
The human centipede
It’s basically a live-action version of the Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Grave of the Fireflies will fix that. They’ll yearn for Bluey.
Make it a marathon and put on Come and See immediately after. Hours of fun all night
It’s one of my favourite movies that i never want to see again
The princess bride
All the films in the following list are PG-13, PG, or older and unrated, and I went light on sexual themes in the PG-13 part (except for Austin Powers, because… it’s Austin Powers). This is just me quickly going through my own movie collection.
PG-13:
- Arachnophobia (1990)
- Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
- Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
- Cabin Boy (1994)
- Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
- Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
- Gremlins (1984)
- Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
- Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)
- Kung Pow: Enter the Fist (2002)
- Life is Beautiful (1997)
- Little Shop of Horrors (1986) Director’s Cut, if you can
- Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)
- The Mummy (1999)
- The Mummy Returns (2001)
- O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
- Pirates of the Carribean (2006)
- Princess Mononoke (1997)
- Raising Arizona (1987)
- Sneakers (1992)
- UHF (1989)
- Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022)
PG:
- *batteries not included (1987)
- The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)
- Back to the Future trilogy (1985-1990)
- Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
- Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991)
- The Dark Crystal (1982)
- Dreams by Akira Kurosawa (1990)
- Flow (2024)
- Ghostbusters (1984)
- Ghostbusters II (1985)
- The Goonies (1985)
- Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
- The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
- Jewel of the Nile (1985)
- Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
- Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
- Porco Rosso (1992)
- The Princess Bride (1987)
- The Producers (1967)
- Indiana Jones original trilogy (1981-1989)
- Real Genius (1985)
- Shaolin Soccer (2001)
- Spaceballs (1987)
- Strange Brew (1983)
- Three Amigos! (1986)
- Time Bandits (1981)
- Twins (1988)
- Uncle Buck (1989)
- War Games (1983)
- The Wizard (1989)
- Wizards (1977)
- Young Frankenstein (1974)
Unrated:
- The Great Escape (1963)
- Hundreds of Beavers (2024)
- Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
- Nova Seed (2016)
- Rashomon (1950)
- Seven Samurai (1954)
- Stalker (1979)
Also, special mention to Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987) which would be otherwise PG except for the scene where Steve Martin says “fuck” 18 times, which alone earned it it’s R rating.
If the adventures of Baron Munchausen is the movie I think it is, Uma Thurman’s nipple is on screen for a minute. Just the one nipple I believe.
You might want to switch Gremlins to the PG-13 category. The PG-13 rating was invented as a response to Gremlins being PG.
https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/how-gremlins-helped-change-movie-ratings-forever-with-pg-13
FYI PG-13 seems to only be a rating in a handful of countries, such as america, Iraq, Lebanon, Singapore and Qatar (I hadn’t heard of it so did a quick search).
In Canada and Australia for example, Gremlins is rated PG
Really? I always heard/read that it was as a response to Alien getting an R rating.
And actually, Alien is not a bad answer to this question. It was my 9yo and 7yo’s first R rated movie and they absolutely loved it. Plus, it sets them up for more good sci-fi down the road. My kids just watched Interstellar at 11 and 9 and really enjoyed themselves
Showed my 10 and 9 year old boys Alien a few months back. Followed by Aliens (and then AVP). 9 year old was way more scared by Aliens and AVP than the first Alien. But I tested the water on them with Prey, which they really dug.
I thought Prey would be great for pre-teens, but my wife hasn’t seen it and was super skeptical (and she didn’t want to watch it, which was probably more of the issue), so… shrug. Next time she’s having a night out, we’ll probably do it.
Tangentially related (since this is our go to when the wife is out of town), all 3 of my kids have loved kaiju movies since the oldest was in diapers, so if you haven’t watched Pacific Rim and the modern “kaiju-verse” (or whatever it’s called), I highly recommend it, ideally from a pillow fort on the couch so you can play act being kaiju and knocking over your own city if it gets slow.
Done, it was showing as PG in my collection, thanks for the tip.
Depends on what countries classification system you’re using. Most countries don’t use pg-13
Proceed with caution with the Dark Crystal. Idk if I was too young to watch when I did, or what, but it scared the bejeebus outta me; I couldn’t even look at the cover until I was an older teen
Nope. I didn’t see that movie till I was 23 and my reaction at the end was, “Your parents showed you this as a kid and thought that was ok, but TMNT was ‘too violent’‽” This was said to my girlfriend at the time. That movie was DARK. I haven’t seen it since then, so about 20 years, and IIRC genocide, slavery, and the apocalypse all feature heavily in the main plot, and almost the only redeeming character in the movie was named Fizzgig. He was a mutant Pomeranian.
I came here to offer suggestions, but damn my dude, blockbuster never would have died if they had you in charge!
You’re going to mention Shaolin Soccer but not Kung-Fu Hustle? Come on.
Kung Fu Hustle is rated R, which was outside of the general range of ratings I went for. It’s been a while since I watched it and I couldn’t remember specifically what got it that rating.
Description from Common Sense Media:
Parents need to know that Kung Fu Hustle is a Hong Kong martial arts comedy starring Stephen Chow. It has lots of stylized and cartoonish violence and blood. Scenes show the aftermath of people dead from ax wounds (axes sticking out from bodies), gunned down by gunfire, and beaten up; bullying (kids beat up a boy and urinate on him); and people dying from fighting. A person is decapitated, and a cat is cut in half, but these are only shown in shadow. People are “comically” stabbed by knives, beaten up, threatened, and chased. One effeminate man is often called a “fairy” and made fun of. The movie also has fat jokes. A married man often flirts with other women, but this is part of an act. Characters range from naive romantics to hard-core hired killers, and the tone is wildly comic, often paying homage to previous martial arts films. The main character shows some positive values in his redemption story, eventually becoming compassionate and showing integrity. Adults drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes and cigars, and one man smokes opium out of a pipe. Strong language includes “f–k,” “bulls–t,” “a–hole,” “ass,” “bitch,” “fairy,” “damn,” “hell,” and “piss.”
Seems definitely a bit more mature than Shaolin Soccer was, at least in my opinion.
Is it really? Probably all the violence. That’s a shame.
Meh, there’s plenty worse violence daytime anime. I think if a parent is ok with Shaolin Soccer then Kung Fu Hustle is fine.
Kung Pow: Enter the Fist is better.
People are “comically” stabbed by knives
I assume they’re talking about the “who’s throwing handles?” scene, which is fucking hilarious.
This person movies…
…“fairy”?
Homophobic insult to an effeminate man
I watched Gremlins 2 when I was 13, and it scarred me for life. I did not find it funny at all, and it gave me nightmares for days. I have not seen it as an adult, and currently being 40+ years old, I probably never will.
Huh, I was only 11ish watching it, I think I thought the first one was scarier or had a darker tone, the pool scene was a bit scary for one, maybe it was the music? Also they seemed much more menacing in 1 but it could have been due to the slapstick comedy it was sandwiched with in part 2 that made it feel less frightening.
All that said, I ended up watching Nightmare on Elm Street too young so that may have skewed my interpretation of scary. Yes younger than Gremlins 2, but I also quite enjoyed Nightmare on Elm Street and watched them all (well not 2 as much), so maybe just my experience.
If you’re a Star Trek fan the Voyager doctor is there for some comedy, if you’re a Smallville fan Lyonel Luthor is there…has a decent cast for the movie it is. Oh and forgot Christopher Lee too heh.
Haven’t watched it in years still.
Tron. Labyrinth. Goonies. Legend. Etc.
And by etc, OP means Princess Bride.
I cannot for the life of me understand the love for this movie. But the love for it spans generations so assume I’m the one in the wrong, but I just don’t see it.
I love this movie so much, but I get it. I feel like you have to have seen it at a certain age in order to really feel it.
Alright, that may be fair. I didn’t see it till I was in my mid 30s. And I will fight to the death with sticks, anybody who doesn’t like hook. So, I get it, but I don’t get it.
I like Hook too. I think I was 8 or 9 when it came out and it was amazing to me. My friend who is just a couple of years older didn’t like it because his younger siblings fucked that up for him by playing it on repeat.
It helps if you watch it over and over, until the tape wears out.
Yes
The Neverending Story
EDIT: Stoopid autocorrect
The Everending Story
Is that a short movie about a kid finishing reading a book about a hero completing his quest?
Watched that for the first time while really high in college, and the horse sinking in the swamp really fucked me up lol. I’ve had no desire to revisit it, personally :/
Kids and animals dying really ruin media for me
It’s OK, Artax the horse survived.
Yes.
HUGE second on all of these
Oh and Willow
My kids and I watched a lot of Futurama.
Police Academy
The Mask of Zorro (1998, with Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones)
The Tenth Kingdom
Police Academy: sex and voyeur jokes
Mask of Zorro: suicide of brother, head in jar:
Don’t know. Depends on age of kids.
