Family Movie Night

 

by Karyn Bowman

 

This is the season in which we watch a lot of movies that are old favorites. Holiday movies impart a sense of hope that we may not feel the rest of the year.

 

Poster Image from IMDb.com

There is so much we want for the holiday season: to gather with family and not have any drama; to get together with loved one and lose old argument; to participate in as much as possible without feeling frazzled.

 

When you get tired of Christmas movies and Christmas songs and Christmas festivities there are always movies from the summer to take us back.

 

One of the hits from this summer was The Smurfs. The kids will have fun with this movie as the little blue people and their nemesis, Gargamel, find a portal that takes them to New York City.

 

The smurfs have to find their way back before the evil wizard destroys everything they know. The movie will be a blast from the past for parents who grew up with the smurfs. And it has a PG rating, making it safe for all family members.

 

Other movies coming out this week are meant for an older crowd.

 

Poster image from IMDb.com

Take 30 Minutes of Less starring Jesse Eisenberg as a pizza deliveryman who is being forced to rob a bank for some petty criminals. He is going to need the help of his former best friend, Aziz Ansari, to help him avoid assassins and various other obstacles.

 

This movie has an R rating due to crude humor, pervasive language and violence. It might be better suited for the older teens hanging around but not for the youngest members of the house.

 

A dippy comedy coming out this week stars Paul Rudd as Our Idiot Brother. His three sisters – Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer and Elizabeth Banks – take in their brother after his latest love affair dies a bitter death. The problem is that their brother is not the smartest of men and constantly trusts people when he should not.

 

So does that make him a idiot in all things? Maybe yes, maybe no. But this gentle comedy works on the charm of its leading actor and how he interacts with the rest of the cast. The movie is rated R and therefore not appropriate for the younger members of the family.

 

Poster Image from IMDb.com

Finally, if you are looking for a romantic movie to slip away with there is the recent release of One Day starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgis. They meet at college and continue to meet up with each other on July 15 for the next 20 years.

 

We see the changes of their lives, as one plays hard and the other works hard. Slowly we see if they are meant for each other or simply the touch point of each other’s lives. The movie is rated PG-13 and can be intense at various moments. I would suggest it for older teens and up, not for children unless you find a censored version.

 

 

 

Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.