chocolate-chip chooky Posted December 16, 2017 Share Posted December 16, 2017 I'm after some good family movie suggestions please folks. Last night we watched Hidden Figures and it was excellent. I'd love to have some more based-on-true-story movies up my sleeve. The youngest family member is 11, by the way. Mild language doesn't bother us, but I'd be staying away from content that is too adult. Thanks :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted December 16, 2017 Share Posted December 16, 2017 The Help Apollo 13 Oh Pioneers Johnny Tremain 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted December 16, 2017 Share Posted December 16, 2017 We have enjoyed:Spotlight (more adult themed, has to do with the Boston Globe's research to uncover pedophaelia in the Catholic church) Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken Good Night And Good Luck Miracle Catch Me If You Can Saving Mr. Banks The Color Of Friendship (about a girl from South Africa going to stay with a host family in Washington D.C. in the 70s) The oldest liked one called 21, I think, about a group of students who learned to game the Vegas casinos. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted December 16, 2017 Share Posted December 16, 2017 McFarland USA 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMommy Posted December 16, 2017 Share Posted December 16, 2017 A League of Their Own 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted December 16, 2017 Share Posted December 16, 2017 Lion 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acadie Posted December 16, 2017 Share Posted December 16, 2017 McFarland USA Seconding this one! So inspiring, just like Hidden Figures. Amy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagleynne Posted December 16, 2017 Share Posted December 16, 2017 Rabbit Proof Fence 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 I asked this exact question last January. 🙂 http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/634190-movies-like-hidden-figures 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AppleGreen Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 I will give this recommendation again because I think it is such a great film. As a high schooler I found it so inspirational. Pistol Pete: The Birth of a Legend It is about Pete Maravich. Even if you are not into basketball, it is a great, totally family friendly film. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 (edited) October Sky - inspired by Sputnik, a group of boys build a rocket. It’s based on a true story like Hidden Figures ETA: For my own sake, I'm compiling the list into one post: 21 Akeelah and the Bee Apollo 13 Beyond the Blackboard The Blind Side The Boys Next Door Catch Me If You Can The Color Of Friendship The Finest Hours Front of the Class Gifted Hands The Good Lie Good Night And Good Luck The Great Debaters The Help Hidden Figures Imitation Game The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Johnny Tremain A League of Their Own Lion Lorenzo's Oil McFarland USA Million Dollar Arm Miracle October Sky Oh Pioneers Pistol Pete Prize Winner of Defiance The Pursuit of Happyness Queen of Katwe Rabbit Proof Fence Remember the Titans Saving Mr. Banks The Scarlet and the Black Searching for Bobby Fischer Secretariat Smile as Big as the Moon Spotlight Stand and Deliver Temple Grandin Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken Edited December 18, 2017 by ErinE 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 McFarland USA Adding a third to this one. It's an awesome film and based upon a true story. The Blind Side Gifted Hands The Pursuit of Happyness October Sky Million Dollar Arm also come to mind as options. Someone suggested The Lion. Middle son just recommended it to us and we have the disk here. We'll know in the next couple of days if we agree with him, but I suspect we will. ;) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 (edited) Searching for Bobby Fischer, one of my top five movies of all time. Based on a true story, it's about a child chess prodigy. Edited December 17, 2017 by milovany 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midwest Momma Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 Thanks, everyone! I have reserved a few of these at the library. :001_smile: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolate-chip chooky Posted December 17, 2017 Author Share Posted December 17, 2017 Wow, thank you everyone! Much appreciated :) I'm making a list and really appreciate your input. Bonus points for movies that are based on a true story and involve science/maths + history. That would tick all our boxes. Thanks heaps. You folks are super. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolate-chip chooky Posted December 17, 2017 Author Share Posted December 17, 2017 I asked this exact question last January. 🙂 http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/634190-movies-like-hidden-figures Excellent. Thank you! Seems I'm reinventing the wheel :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolate-chip chooky Posted December 17, 2017 Author Share Posted December 17, 2017 Rabbit Proof Fence Wow, we're Australian and we've never seen this. Thank you for the suggestion! I'm bumping this up my list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 Wow, thank you everyone! Much appreciated :) I'm making a list and really appreciate your input. Bonus points for movies that are based on a true story and involve science/maths + history. That would tick all our boxes. Thanks heaps. You folks are super. Thought of another one when you mentioned History... The Scarlet and the Black It deals with WWII, but is family friendly while still making a point and still based upon a true story. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolate-chip chooky Posted December 17, 2017 Author Share Posted December 17, 2017 I was just looking at the other thread that was linked and saw Imitation Game. I wonder if this is okay for an 11 yr old. We've recently been studying codes and the history of cryptography, so anything related to Bletchley Park, Enigma machine etc would be perfect. Also, anything related to the Manhattan Project would be great, as we've studied that in depth too. History + science = perfect :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebcoola Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 Queen of Katwe 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 Stand and Deliver Remember the Titans The Great Debaters (this one is PG13) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagleynne Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 Thought of another one: The Good Lie starring Reese Witherspoon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 Here’s the Kids in Mind summary for The Imitation Game: http://www.kids-in-mind.com/i/imitationgame.htm It’s good, but I was bothered by some of the changes made to the real story. More here: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/nov/20/the-imitation-game-invents-new-slander-to-insult-alan-turing-reel-history 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 Secretariat -- this is one of my new favorites Lorenzo's Oil -- Tear-Jerker warning -- it makes me cry every.single.time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Y Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 (edited) Smile as Big as the Moon Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (definitely has language....) Blossoms in the Dust (old movie) Beyond the Blackboard Temple Grandin Front of the Class The Boys Next Door (Tony Goldwyn, actor) Edited December 17, 2017 by Colleen OH 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAJinBE Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 Wow! There's a lot of movies on this list I've never heard of before. Yesterday on a flight I watched The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. It was very interesting. There is one scene with child abuse in it so possibly not for the 11 year old. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 (edited) For anyone wanting to watch a movie in the theaters (I suspect it's still there anyway), Wonder is another really good movie. True genetic condition, though a fictional story made from it. Also adding my kudos to Temple Grandin that a PP mentioned. Edited December 17, 2017 by creekland 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scholastica Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 I was just looking at the other thread that was linked and saw Imitation Game. I wonder if this is okay for an 11 yr old. We've recently been studying codes and the history of cryptography, so anything related to Bletchley Park, Enigma machine etc would be perfect. Also, anything related to the Manhattan Project would be great, as we've studied that in depth too. History + science = perfect :) It’s as much about Alan Turing and his personal life and struggles as it is about the decoding and Bletchley Park. No-one under high school sees it in my house. It’s quite sad, and also instructive. For my younger than high school kids, there would be a lot of explaining to do about the times and the history having to do with the LGBT issues. We wait to tackle those in high school. YMMV. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 For anyone wanting to watch a movie in the theaters (I suspect it's still there anyway), Wonder is another really good movie. True story. The novel was inspired by a visit the author made to an ice cream shop with her sons, but Augie’s story is fictional. I saw the movie with DD12 recently and highly recommend it. Sweet and inspiring without being saccharine. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 October Sky ( I second this movie) Akeelah and the Bee 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 The Finest Hours is based on a true story of a courageous Coast Guard rescue operation. For anyone wanting to watch a movie in the theaters (I suspect it's still there anyway), Wonder is another really good movie. True story. Also adding my kudos to Temple Grandin that a PP mentioned. I also think Wonder is a good family movie. But it's based on a novel, not a true story. (The author was inspired to write it after seeing a child with a facial disfigurement, but it was not based on that child, whom she did not know). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 The novel was inspired by a visit the author made to an ice cream shop with her sons, but Augie’s story is fictional. I saw the movie with DD12 recently and highly recommend it. Sweet and inspiring without being saccharine. Good to know. I edited my post. The Finest Hours is based on a true story of a courageous Coast Guard rescue operation. I also think Wonder is a good family movie. But it's based on a novel, not a true story. (The author was inspired to write it after seeing a child with a facial disfigurement, but it was not based on that child, whom she did not know). Thanks for the explanation. I heard it wrong from my source urging me to see the movie... shoulda done some fact checking before passing it on! On a different note, middle son told me they mentioned the movie in one of his med school classes when they talked about what causes the disfigurement. He called it by name. I'll admit to not remembering the name and not spending the time right now to google it. ;) He wasn't my source though. That came from school... I was encouraging him to watch the movie if he got some free time. He, in turn, suggested Lion to us. We might get to that one (on disk) today if we have time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 Lion is a very good movie, but it is emotionally intense and sad and heartbreaking. I don't think I'd recommend it for an 11 year old, but I think it's excellent for adults. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 Lion is a very good movie, but it is emotionally intense and sad and heartbreaking. I don't think I'd recommend it for an 11 year old, but I think it's excellent for adults. We haven't watched it yet ourselves to offer any sort of advice. I just noticed it mentioned on here and paid more attention since middle son just recommended it to us too. He's in med school though - not thinking about an 11 year old... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolate-chip chooky Posted December 17, 2017 Author Share Posted December 17, 2017 Thanks heaps to everyone who replied. I have a great list to work with now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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