Must Watch Movies for My Teenagers

These are certainly interesting times to say the least. In an effort to keep everyone upbeat and find the positives in a challenging situation I have decided to spend some time watching what I think are “must see” movies with my son Matt and his best friend Chris.  They are in the eighth grade together and given the state of the world they have found themselves with an extended spring break.  While we are doing schoolwork at home, I think this situation presents a great opportunity to watch movies that I feel they need to see. I would like to share the list of movies I am going to be showing by posting to this blog every week. Here are my picks for the week of March 16th.

Good Will Hunting

Rated R ‧ 1997 ‧ Drama/Indie film ‧ 2h 6m

Will Hunting (Matt Damon) has a genius-level IQ but chooses to work as a janitor at MIT. When he solves a difficult graduate-level math problem, his talents are discovered by Professor Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard), who decides to help the misguided youth reach his potential. When Will is arrested for attacking a police officer, Professor Lambeau makes a deal to get leniency for him if he will get treatment from therapist Sean Maguire (Robin Williams).

Here is a link to the trailer: https://youtu.be/DyiPHC_VQFY

Good Will Hunting is available on Amazon Prime Video and FandangoNow. Matt and Chris both already watched this movie and they loved it.  For a variety of reasons they connected with Matt Damon’s character Will Hunting. The underlying message of the story, the quality time spent together and the joy in seeing them connect with a movie that I love was the inspiration for this blog post.

Rudy 

Rated PG ‧ 1993 ‧ Sport/Drama ‧ 1h 56m

Rudy Ruettiger (Sean Astin) wants to play football at the University of Notre Dame, but has neither the money for tuition nor the grades to qualify for a scholarship. Rudy redoubles his efforts to get out of the steel mill where his father works when his best friend (Christopher Reed) dies in an accident there. Overcoming his dyslexia thanks to his friend and tutor, D-Bob (Jon Favreau), Rudy gains admission to Notre Dame and begins to fight his way onto the school’s fabled football team.

Here is a link to the trailer: https://youtu.be/firK4y-3bKw

Rudy is available on Amazon Prime Video. I haven’t seen this movie since 1993 and I am looking forward to watching it again.

The Breakfast Club

Rated R ‧ 1985 ‧ Drama/Comedy-drama ‧ 1h 37m

Five high school students from different walks of life endure a Saturday detention under a power-hungry principal (Paul Gleason). The disparate group includes rebel John (Judd Nelson), princess Claire (Molly Ringwald), outcast Allison (Ally Sheedy), brainy Brian (Anthony Michael Hall) and Andrew (Emilio Estevez), the jock. Each has a chance to tell his or her story, making the others see them a little differently — and when the day ends, they question whether school will ever be the same.

Here is a link to the trailer: https://youtu.be/BSXBvor47Zs

The Breakfast Club is available on Amazon Prime Video and Google Play. This is appropriate as Matt and Chris enter high school and not to mention they are certainly familiar with the concept of a detention.  Personally I can’t believe this movie came out in 1995 and still holds today.

The Blind Side

Rated PG-13 ‧ 2009 ‧ Drama/Sport ‧ 2h 9m

Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), a homeless black teen, has drifted in and out of the school system for years. Then Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) and her husband, Sean (Tim McGraw), take him in. The Tuohys eventually become Michael’s legal guardians, transforming both his life and theirs. Michael’s tremendous size and protective instincts make him a formidable force on the gridiron, and with help from his new family and devoted tutor, he realizes his potential as a student and football player.

Here is a link to the trailer: https://youtu.be/2UXdYZp3tkw

The Blind Side is available on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and Google Play. Certainly anyone who knows our story knows why we connect with this movie.  Matt and I have watched this several times and we are looking forward to watching it again with Chris.  Sandra Bullock is absolutely incredible.  The lunch scene where she stands up to her snotty friends is one of my favorite movie scenes ever.

Dead Poets Society 

Rated PG ‧ 1989 ‧ Drama/Teen ‧ 2h 20m

A new English teacher, John Keating (Robin Williams), is introduced to an all-boys preparatory school that is known for its ancient traditions and high standards. He uses unorthodox methods to reach out to his students, who face enormous pressures from their parents and the school. With Keating’s help, students Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard), Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke) and others learn to break out of their shells, pursue their dreams and seize the day.

Here is a link to the trailer: https://youtu.be/4lj185DaZ_o

Dead Poets Society is available on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and Google Play. I connected with this movie as it came out while I was a sophomore at an all-boys private high school. Robin Williams is great and I have no issue with two of his movies on my list.  Frankly Good Morning Vietnam is probably one we should watch as well. As we find ways to entertain ourselves by revisiting these classics I will write updates and share the feedback. Please feel free to add your movie suggestions to the discussion!  We started with the dramas but the comedy and adventure movies are next. We have some time on our hands.  Let’s stay safe, stay healthy and stay home!