This is kind of weird, but you know what's a really good group of movies for kids?
The Ernest movies.
If you're old enough, you probably remember Ernest from the 1980s. I didn't even watch them, but even I knew who Ernest was. Apparently, they continued making the movies into the 1990s, and there are quite a few of them. Some of them are free on YouTube or Prime.
I randomly put on Ernest Saves Christmas a few weeks ago for the kids, without much hope that they would all like it. I figured Cubby might, but I wasn't sure about the others. They almost never all like the same movies. That happens when there's an 8-year age span.
Imagine my surprise when all of them loved it. So the next time they got to watch a movie, I put on Ernest in the Army. They loved that even more.
I know they all liked it because every one of them came to tell me their favorite parts in great detail after the movies were over.
They're kind of stupid movies, in the sense that the comedy is almost entirely physical.
But! BUT!
It's not inappropriate comedy. It's not scatalogical; it's not mean; it's not snarky; it's not subtly sexual; it doesn't rely on bad language. It's just . . . falling down and throwing heavy pancakes as artillery and so on. It's slapstick, and it's fine for kids.
I find that frustratingly rare in entertainment, even in entertainment that's supposed to be for kids.
So! If you find yourself scrambling for truly family-friendly entertainment, you might try Ernest. I haven't watched all of them, so I can't really personally vouch for every single one, but the two we've watched so far have been hits.
Bonus movie tip: Every one of my children also likes The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, a.k.a., the original Pooh movie. That's another entirely wholesome movie for kids, though not free anywhere online as far as I know. It's funny without being at the expense of any of the characters. I don't know why movies like this can't be made anymore, but it's pretty unique.
4 comments:
Have you tried the "Mr Bean" movies/ original series? It's all family friendly slapstick humour. It transcends boundaries well as it was very popular with Indonesians too.
Ohhh, I love the original Pooh cartoons as well. They're so sweet and gentle.
And I second Mr Bean. It's charming and hilarious and quite a bit of fun. I'm going to have to track down a copy of one of the movies, because I think my daughter would enjoy the slapstick humor as well. :)
Stephanie , I am with you on the original Pooh...why do we have to have bad things happen in a Pooh story?
I LOVED Ernest in the Army as a kid. Ernest goes to camp is loads of fun too.
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