Two great redemptive, family movies arrive in theaters this first week of August: Princess Cut and Shaun the Sheep Movie.
Princess Cut is appropriate for teenagers and adults. It concerns Grace, who has dreamed all her life of the day when “Mr. Right” will give her a Princess Cut diamond. Through ups and downs, she goes on a journey to understand what it means to truly love another person.
Shaun the Sheep Movie is a great time for the whole family; Photo Courtesy of StudioCanal.
Movieguide gives Shaun the Sheep Movie its highest ratings for quality and content. As it describes the film, “SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE is an entertaining animated comedy about a sheep who wants to have the day off from doing regular farm work, but loses his shepherd when he conspires with the other sheep. SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE is an adorable family movie with a … redemptive, moral worldview….”
Fantastic Four, on the other hand, receives a strong cautionary warning as it arrives in theaters this weekend. Dove.org does not recommend this movie for families. Movieguide.org warns that Fantastic Four has many inappropriate elements including violence, profanity, and sexual innuendo, and that it is “too intense for children.”
Fantastic Four features popular superheroes, but that doesn’t mean it’s right for your kids; Photo Courtesy of 20th Century Fox.
The documentary Bonobos: Back to the Wild (not rated) is also in theaters this week.
More redemptive, family movies prevail at the box office, including Ant-Man (#3, PG-13, for teenagers and above), Inside Out (#9, PG, for all ages), Mr. Holmes (#11, PG, for older youth and above), and Home (#26 despite the fact that it has been in theaters since February and is already available on DVD, PG, for all ages).
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, (PG-13, recently released in theaters and #1 over the weekend) is not recommended for families. Movieguide.org warns that while the film encourages “…friendship, loyalty, and often doing the right thing,” these themes are “mixed with constant violence as well as deception, sexual elements … strong profanities…”
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation ramps up the action … too much for children; Photo Courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
Raunchy movies that have been recently at the top in the box office that also have caution advisories or are not recommended for families include Vacation, Minions, Pixels, and Trainwreck.
Therefore, this week the top picks in theaters for families of all ages the first week of August are Shaun the Sheep Movie, Home, and Inside Out. Parents, guardians, and those in loco parentis must continue to research movies to find what is of most value for those in their care. Fortunately, reputable reviews by those who have valuable professional and educational insight are easily available.
Written by Diane Howard, Ph.D. (Performance Studies), dianehoward.com
Thank you Dr. Howard for including our movie and for encouraging family-friendly movies. While it is playing on a much smaller number of theaters, we are hopeful that folks will still make plans to see it at a theater nearest them!