Serving Larchmont Village, Hancock Park, and the Greater Wilshire neighborhoods of Los Angeles since 2011.

A Movie Recommendation for Family Movie Night

For over a year, my family has been watching movies together on Friday nights. We started the routine during a period when my husband and I were working like mad. By the end of each week, we were too exhausted to express a coherent thought or cook a meal. I told my husband that what I really wanted to do was lie on the couch, snuggle the kids, eat something I didn’t have to prepare, and watch something on the TV that made me laugh or cry — preferably both. When Pat suggested that we do exactly that on Fridays, I giggled at the anarchic thought. Really? Could we guiltlessly lie around, eat frozen pizza, and watch something that we all enjoyed? Not just the kids?

After weeks of Fridays, doing just that, we have proven that we can. The only challenging part of the routine has been finding movies that appeal to all of our tastes. I didn’t want to watch strictly kids’ movies, because I wouldn’t get my laughing and crying in. But strictly adult fare was off the table because, although we wanted to be lazy, we certainly weren’t about to be downright negligent.

Our quest for the perfect family movie has made my husband and me minor experts in family friendly cinema. And to that end, I would like to share with you some of our favorites here at The Larchmont Buzz.

This week, I recommend, “Singin’ In the Rain” starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O’Conner. Boy oh boy, this chestnut really holds up. My eight and twelve-year-old boys were laughing so hard they were pounding the couch with their fists. I almost dropped my pizza.

The movie takes place in the twenties, when silent movie stars were transitioning to talkies. Gene Kelly plays a movie star who makes the switch easily, but his co-star Lina has a voice that could peel paint off of the walls. Jean Hagen plays Lina and her unsuccessful attempts to refine her voice are some of the movie’s funniest bits.

Of course, everyone remembers Gene Kelly literally singing and dancing in the rain. But it’s Donald O’Connor’s slap stick “Make ’em Laugh” that steals the show for kids.

‘Singin’ in the Rain’ proved to us that there are a host of movies out there that simply never get old. And they are perfect for the whole family.

 

 

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Brett
Bretthttp://www.lastofthebohemians.blogspot.com

Brett Paesel is the author of the LA Times bestseller, ”Mommies Who Drink”. and the blog,”Last of the Bohemians” as well as the fictional blog, ”Meagan Mcphee A.D. (after divorce)”. She has been published in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Salon.com and numerous national magazines. Brett has also developed shows for HBO, ABC, Fox, Comedy Central, WB, Lifetime, and Nick at Nite.

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