At our house, we adore family movie night.
The kids cozy up on the couch between my husband and me, we gorge ourselves on pizza and/or fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies, and we all get wrapped up in the story – from Big Hero 6 to Wreck-It Ralph.
But one thing about our family movie nights nags at my conscience.
My husband never gets to pick the movie.
His favorite movies aren’t always family friendly – Tommy Boy has a few colorful scenes I’m not ready to explain, and The Bourne Identity would probably give the kids nightmares.
But even when he suggests something perfectly fine like the baseball movie Million Dollar Arm, it never seems to make the cut.
Enough
This year, one of our Father’s Day gifts is that Dad gets to pick the movie.
It’s the least we could do for the man who makes 99 percent of our meals, keeps the yard from looking like Hogwarts’ Forbidden Forest, and can get the kiddos from cranky to giggling in less than 30 seconds.
With that said, Austin Powers is still a bit much for our under-thirteen crew.
How can we find a movie that Dad wants to watch but won’t result in notes from the kids’ teachers about risqué language?
Oh, behave.
10 Best Dad Movies to Watch for Father’s Day – Or Any Day
My husband and I sat down and put together a list of family-friendly movies he’d love to watch for Father’s Day. Or any day, for that matter.
All movies in this list are rated G or PG. As an added bonus, these movies feature awesome father figures and/or storylines about fatherhood.
Enjoy!
(p.s. We tried to avoid movies that portray dads as bumbling fools because newsflash: They’re not.)
Recent Picks
1. Million Dollar Arm
- What It’s About: Sports agent JB Bernstein was once successful, but ever since he started his own agency he’s been struggling. He’ll have to close his business if he doesn’t come up with something brilliant fast. One day, his business partner insists on watching cricket, giving JB an idea. Why not look for the next baseball pitching sensation in the ranks of India’s young cricket players?
- Watch It: Amazon | iTunes
2. We Bought a Zoo
- What It’s About: After Benjamin’s wife passes away, his teenage son gets kicked out of school. Benjamin is forced to find a new home for his son and 7-year-old daughter – and it turns out to be a zoo. Not just any zoo but a zoo in big trouble. (Note: Be sure to turn on the family-friendly audio track to get rid of all questionable language!)
- Watch It: Amazon | iTunes
3. Secondhand Lions
- What It’s About: A boy named Walter is dumped by his mom at his great-uncles’ house in Texas. Walter isn’t happy about being left with two eccentric relatives he’s never met before, and his uncles aren’t too jazzed about it either.
- Watch It: Amazon | iTunes
Oldies but Goodies
4. Field of Dreams
- What It’s About: An Iowa corn farmer hears voices, which isn’t usually a good sign. But he listens and builds a baseball diamond in his fields. And then the ghosts of a legendary Chicago White Sox team show up.
- Watch It: Amazon | iTunes
5. Back to the Future
- What It’s About: Marty McFly is a typical American teenager who accidentally travels back in time to when his parents were teenagers. But if he can’t make his parents-to-be meet and fall in love, he won’t exist.
- Watch It: Amazon | iTunes
6. Sleepless in Seattle
- What It’s About: After his wife passes away, Sam Baldwin and his 8-year-old son Jonah move to Seattle for a fresh start. But 18 months after she’s gone, Sam can’t sleep and isn’t ready to date. Jonah’s worried about his dad, so he calls a national radio talk show for advice.
- Watch It: Amazon | iTunes
Animated Picks
7. Finding Nemo
- What It’s About: A shy clownfish’s only son is captured, so he sets out on a journey to rescue his boy.
- Watch It: Amazon | iTunes
8. The Incredibles
- What It’s About: A family of undercover superheroes is minding their own business trying to live a quiet life when they get roped into saving the world…again.
- Watch It: Amazon | iTunes
9. The Boxtrolls
- What It’s About: An orphaned boy named Eggs is taken in and raised by underground cave-dwelling trash collectors. When an evil exterminator threatens to wipe out his adoptive family, it’s up to Eggs to save them.
- Watch It: Amazon | iTunes
10. The Book of Life
- What It’s About: Every man in Manolo’s family has been a famous bull fighter, but Manolo’s passion is music. When his one true love is in danger, he sets off on an epic quest to save her and confront his family’s legacy.
- Watch It: Amazon | iTunes
Download my FREE cheat sheet as a bonus for joining my newsletter: 16 Miracle Phrases to Help You Reconnect With Your Child
Want More?
For more Father’s Day gift ideas, check out:
Your Turn
What’s your favorite of all the dad movies? Share in a comment below!
I’m a mom of four, a recovering perfectionist, and the author of Happy You, Happy Family. Parenting is hard enough without all the guilt we heap on top of ourselves. So let’s stop trying to be perfect parents and just be real ones. Sound good? Join my mailing list and as a bonus, you’ll get 25+ incredibly helpful cheat sheets that will ease your parenting struggles.
That’s a great idea for a Father’s Day gift!