Fun Family Movie Night Ideas

Sometimes it can be tricky to find movies everyone will like.  I've picked three that are guaranteed to make everyone smile.

Finding Nemo is a great story about a father's love for his son and the lengths (and depths) he will go to to find him when he goes missing.  There are lots of fun characters in this fun adventure.

The Princess Bride is a classic that both children and adults will enjoy.  There's a love story with a princess for the girls and adventure and sword-fights for the boys.  This movie came out when I was in my 20's and I loved it then.  I showed it to my daughter for the first time when she was seven and she loved it too.  A family classic for sure.

Up is one of the cutest movies ever and teaches kids the really great fact that it is actually kinda neat to hang out with old people.  It's inspiring and fun.

These movies are great if you have a couple of little girls or if your daughter is having a sleepover.

The Parent Trap is tons of fun.  It's about twin girls loving their parents, playing pranks, laughing a lot and having a fantastic adventure.  This is the Lindsey Lohan version which my daughter loves.  Click here for the original Hayley Mills version.

I admit it, I love Barbie Princess and the Pauper.  I do.  I've seen enough Barbie movies to make myself cross-eyed but I really like this one.  It's the classic story of a royal and a pauper who look alike trading places.  This one is great for girls of all ages.

Ah, The Princess Diaries.  What would you do if, as an American teenager, you suddenly found out that you are royalty in a small European country?  That is the premise of this fun story starring Anne Hathaway and the incomparable Julie Andrews.

Boys tend to be all about action and adventure.  You won't go wrong with these selections.

Two words: Star Wars.  There's really nothing I can tell you about these movies that you don't already know.  They've been a part of the cultural landscape since the first (fourth) one came out in the '70s.  There's a reason they stay relevant and popular, they're just good.

Now I know the Harry Potter series appeals to boys and girls, but I think if you are having a boys movie night they'd be happy if you showed these movies.  Maybe make it a bi-weekly thing, showing them in order one at a time.  That sounds cool.

Boys love The Mighty Ducks.  This series is absolute gold for boys.  Lots of silly boy stuff and fun hockey scenes.

No, not those kind of movies.  Don't forget to enjoy a movie night on your own every now and then!

I love The Artist.  It's brilliant.  I was lucky enough to see it at it's Swedish premiere in Stockholm and let me tell you, it was wonderful.  I laughed, I cried... it's pure magic.  This will be in my top 5 for a long time.

In The Descendants George Clooney delivers a wonderful performance as a man trying to keep it all together while his life gets turned upside down.  You'll feel yourself being pulled into the movie.  And it's set in Hawaii... beautiful.

Can you believe Casablanca is 70 years old?  Wow.  Talk about a movie that stands the test of time.  Most of us have seen Casablanca but it's always worth seeing again.  And if you've never seen it be sure to check it out, you'll finally know what everyone is talking about.

Popcorn is the quintessential movie snack.  People started eating popcorn at the movies back during the Great Depression when they would go to the cinema to escape reality for a bit and the theaters wanted to provide a cheap snack.  Popcorn fit the bill nicely.

When I was a kid we always made Jiffy Pop.  Then we got a hot air popper and thought that was the coolest thing ever.  We loved watching the kernels jump around.  

There are so many ways to make popcorn, just check out the popcorn machines to the right.  If I ever have a movie room in my house I'm definitely getting that big one.

Ready for something a little trippy?

2012 marks the 30 year anniversary of ET landing in theaters worldwide.  Hard to believe it's been that long!

ET could easily go in the movies for boys and girls category, everyone will love it.