Family Movie Night

I have recently instituted a family movie night at our house. Every Friday night we make popcorn, sometimes order pizza and sit down for a movie together. But I underestimated how difficult it can be to find just the right movie, one that appeals to everyone. It must be entertaining and engaging enough to captivate my 7-year-old boy while not being too graphic or scary. It also must be grown-up and intense enough for my 19-year-old. And even though this is really for the kids, it should be something my wife and I can enjoy. The point of this is for us all to watch it together. If one of us gets up to do something else then the togetherness aspect failed.

I recall watching movies with my parents and sisters. Some we loved, some we hated, some put us to sleep. Looking back, I barely remember any of the bad ones. However, I remember loving Fiddler on the Roof though I would never admit it. Same with the Wizard of Oz and many others.

For our first movie night we watched E.T., The Extra-terrestrial, which seemed just right. A few others we have tried with varying results (or are soon to try) are the Star Wars films, the Jurassic Park trilogy, The Indiana Jones films, Transformers, The Hobbit, Alice in Wonderland, Snow White & the Huntsman, and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Soon we will be doing more of the super hero films like Captain America, X-Men and Superman. As you can see we have stuck mostly to the science fiction and fantasy genres. We have considered some others like the Karate Kid and  the Blind Side, but no one (besides me) got really excited about those. I'd love to mix it up with a classic or not-so-classic oldie, something off the beaten path, or something out of our comfort zone.

What films have you seen that you think would appeal to "everyone" regardless of age, interest or gender?