Favorite Family Movies / Judy

It's time for more movies! You might be more aware of these, unlike the last batch, but this is a list of movies that are just plain fun and enjoyable.

In no particular order, some personal and family

favorites

1. Enchanted April

We'll start with my very own favorite. It's about four women in London in the 1920's who rent a villa in Italy for the month of April and how it changes their lives and also the men in their lives. One critic said it was like taking a mini vacation in Italy. Some people say it's too slow, but that turns out to be part of its charm.

2. The Butcher's Wife

This one is about a clairvoyant who lives with her grandmother on an isolated island. She sees a butcher from New York who is there on vacation, and marries him because she thinks she's seen him in her dreams. They return to the city and she influences everyone around her, sometimes in spite of themselves, and in turn finds the real man of her dreams. For some reason it didn't go over too well with the critics, but it's one of our family's faves.

3. Noises Off

For anyone who's ever been in a play or has seen one, this is for you. We follow a traveling theater group from final rehearsals to opening night to the tour. Eventually, what is going on backstage is much more exciting than what's happening out front. It is hilarious!

4. Tortilla Soup

A family drama that's also about food. A widowed Mexican-American chef has three adult daughters who are trying to find their own way while staying connected to the family. The story is delightful, but the scenes about meal preparation are stunning. You go looking for something to eat immediately.

5. Waking Ned Devine

An Irish gem that I think you'll love. Ned has just won the big Irish lottery, but it's such a shock that he dies. His friends decide to fool the lottery investigator so they can all share the money, in Ned's name of course.

6. Return to Me

When we showed this to my dad, he said, "I guess they can make movies like they used to." I hesitate to tell the plot because it's sort of unbelievable, but the acting, especially by the supporting characters,  is  wonderful and makes you believe it. A happily married woman loses her life in a car accident and her heart is transplanted into a young woman who would have died without it. When she meets the widower, they fall for each other at first sight. (See what I mean about the plot?) Still, it's funny and charming and another one I highly recommend.

7. Joe Vs. the Volcano

I'm afraid Tom Hanks thinks of this as one of his failures, but we absolutely love it. It's fun and a little silly, but it's also got some great lines and images. It's about a working stiff who hates his job. Then he learns he only has a short time to live. Adventure ensues.