August 11th is Son and Daughter Day! It’s a day designated to spend time with your children, celebrating these sons and daughters God has blessed you with. It’s a lovely time to grab dinner and watch a movie as a family. SCH Editor At Large Melanie S. Pickett has compiled a list of five movies for Son and Daughter Day to watch together.
The Blind Side
This movie stars Academy Award-winning actress Sandra Bullock and Grammy Award-winning singer Tim McGraw, as Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy. The film tells the story of Michael Oher, a homeless teenager who is “adopted” by the Tuohy family – devout Christians – and he eventually becomes a successful NFL player.
This is a great family film, especially for brothers and sisters. The Tuohy family has two biological children, SJ and Collins, who have a typical sibling relationship. But when Michael enters the picture, they welcome him openly and lovingly as a new brother. What a lovely example of family and what sibling relationships can be.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
This classic John Hughes movie from the 1980s is timeless. It’s still well-known and when visiting Chicago, there are still “Save Ferris” t-shirts for sale in prominent stores. It’s a legendary and fun film that stars on-screen brother and sister Matthew Broderick (Ferris) and Jennifer Grey as Ferris’ sister Jeanie.
Ferris is a lovable, slick high school student, popular among everyone. A bit of a conniver, he’s managed to convince his parents and his principal that he’s been legitimately sick for days, missing too much school. While his parents are at work, worrying about Ferris who’s at home “sick”, the teenager is actually having the time of his life in Chicago with his girlfriend and best friend.
Although Jeanie is frustrated and disgusted that only she can see through Ferris’ facade, in the end, the sibling bond prevails as she helps keep him out of trouble. It’s a fun family movie with a great throwback to 1986 and the amazing city of Chicago.
Cheaper By the Dozen
What better way to observe the sibling relationship than a movie with a dozen siblings showcased? Cheaper By the Dozen stars veteran actors Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt who both have definite talent for the humorous. They don’t disappoint in this film where they team up as loving parents of a dozen children, trying to manage it all.
This film from 2003 has a sequel and also stars Hilary Duff (Lizzie McGuire), Tom Welling (Smallville), and Piper Perabo (Covert Affairs) as the older siblings going through their own challenges while looking out for their younger brothers and sisters. When mom (Hunt) goes on a book tour and dad (Martin) takes on a new job, chaos ensues as they all try to keep their family together.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The movie The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, from 2005 is a British-American adaptation of the C.S. Lewis book and series. The Pevensie children – Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy – are in danger of an imminent attack from Germany on London during the war. Their mother sends them to safety in the distinguished manor of Professor Digory Kirke (Jim Broadbent) where they find incredible adventures inside the professor’s magical wardrobe.
Transported to the land of Narnia through a wardrobe during a game of hide-and-seek, the children are faced with an alternate reality in which there’s an evil queen and the siblings are royalty charged with the responsibility of saving Narnia from evil. Liam Neeson voices the regal and powerful lion, Aslan.
In addition to Neeson, the movie stars Tilda Swinton as the White Witch, James McAvoy (X-Men: Apocalypse) as Mr. Tumnus, Anna Popplewell (Reign), and William Moseley (Royals). The film shows the teasing relationship between siblings with the usual amount of animosity as well as the coming together when the chips are down and they need each other.
Lilo and Stitch
The final film on our list of five is the 2002 animated Walt Disney film Lilo and Stitch, about a young Hawaiian girl, Lilo, and her older sister who is raising her after their parents passed away. When a high-energy extraterrestrial known as Experiment 626 enters their lives, mischief takes over. Lilo calls 626 her “dog” and names him “Stitch.”
The film was themed with the Hawaiaan word “ohana” which means “family.” It’s a fine tale of sibling love and challenges, and the ability to recognize that family is sometimes “extended” beyond that of DNA. It’s a fun animated film for the family.
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