Our Sunday afternoon movie list (45 of our favorite family movies)

heavy emphasis on classics

In a post earlier this week, I mentioned that every Sunday, our family settles in after a lively and delicious lunch to watch a film. We try to settle on classics (because they’re just so darn good), but sometimes we veer off and watch something a bit more modern (but it usually has a traditional or historical element.) Now, I know each family has specific restrictions when selecting movies - that’s good! Our family tries our best to pick movies that are uplifting and timeless, but some of the films I will list do have a curse word or two. There’s even one of two that have a questionable scene, and in that case, my husband and I identify it ahead of time and fast-forward through it. In some, there is violence, but in the case of our three girls, that has never been something they are particularly sensitive to, so we can usually not worry too much about that. As with all media that comes into our houses, the onus is on us parents to pre-watch.

SPOILER: Sean and I have massively failed in the past regarding Sunday picks. I think every parent does, eventually. For instance, my husband had seminary classes a few Sundays ago, and we switched our plans to go to dinner rather than lunch after his professor was finished. In the meantime, I thought, “Maybe I’ll show the girls “The Boy In The Striped Pajamas.” If you’re unfamiliar, this movie centers on the friendship between the young son of a guard at a concentration camp and a young Jewish boy, during the WW2 era. They secretly grow a friendship, even though they are not allowed to. The ending is tragic and moving. Heartbreaking.

Yeah….I, in all my wisdom, decided to show my three eldest that movie right before we were supposed to go out to a nice dinner. It was a quiet meal. Knowing your audience and being cognizant of timing is….well….important. I learned my lesson.

That being said, we have made such good memories watching the following movies. I know the girls will always be able to recall our numerous afternoons laughing, crying, eating brownies, and the enlightening conversations that followed.

In an age where there seem to be two wildly opposing ways to look at technology: It’s either all evil and useless, OR it’s the ultimate good, I think there’s a middle ground. And watching a wholesome movie with everyone bundled under a blanket is just that.

Piece of advice: Many of these you can find for free on streaming platforms like HULU, NETFLIX, PEACOCK, AMAZON PRIME, etc. If you don’t have one of these (we don’t have Netflix or Disney), you can also look into free apps like FreeVee and Tubi. If those don’t work for you, there’s always the local library.

Enjoy!