During my childhood, my family had a holiday ritual that almost always ended poorly. It began with a group trip to the video store to choose a movie that all of us could watch—and hopefully enjoy—together. Our choices generally illustrated why the expression “compromises were made” is often accompanied by shrugs, sighs, and, in this case, Metacritic scores that rarely broke 50.
But there were exceptions, which give me some of my fondest holiday memories. These moments were fueled by the unique energy that’s created when different generations share a cultural touchstone—all at the same time, while sitting in the same room.
Movies that possess this special power aren’t always “great” in a critically acclaimed sort of way. But they do generally share an ability to transport their audiences through time: into the future (if you’re a kid), or into the past (if you’re an adult). The best examples lure younger audiences into the adult world, while giving parents a chance to revisit that time before life started taxing their imaginations.
In anticipation of the holiday season and group movie watching, here are four movies which exist in that special middle realm. Like the perfect rug, they have the power to bring a room together—even though some of them have gone overlooked or simply been forgotten since their release.
Bugsy Malone
The premise of this movie seems destined for disaster: a hard-boiled gangster pic entirely cast with … children? And yet the director, Alan Parker (better known for Midnight Express and Mississippi Burning), pulls off a strange alchemy of recycling well-known clichés into a satire that’s surprisingly fresh and charming. He’s aided by the talents of his actors—including a young Jodie Foster and Scott Baio—whose arrow-straight performances keep the campy concept from spiraling out of control. For kids and adults alike, it’s a cheerful abandonment of reality. Stream it on Paramount+.
The Secret of Roan Inish
This playful look at the Celtic legend of the Selkie, a creature who is half human and half seal, starts darkly but ends with an optimism that lingers in your bones long after you’ve finished watching. It might challenge the patience of people whose attentions spans have been obliterated by social media, but perhaps that’s exactly why it should be included on a list like this. It’s a salve for the soul, reminding us that legends can contain truths even though the events they describe might have never happened. Stream it on Kanopy or rent it on iTunes.
Son of Rambow
A shy, sheltered child teams up with the local ne’er-do-well (played by a young Will Poulter) to make an amateur film inspired by First Blood. As fizzy as Pop Rocks and soda, it features a likable group of outcasts and eccentrics who never bore you with political correctness. One can imagine Rushmore and Tropic Thunder inviting this movie over for a ménage à trois,and yet it manages—just barely—to fit within an open-minded interpretation of what most people might define as “family entertainment.” Stream it on Paramount+ or rent it on iTunes.
Wolfwalkers
This animated fantasy tale set in 17th-century Ireland was made by Cartoon Saloon, an Irish studio with a penchant for hand-drawn animation that combines the best aspects of contemporary and classic styles. The aesthetics are a perfect mix for multi-generational viewing, as is a story centered around the perspective of a young girl entering adulthood while learning to hunt alongside her father. Stream it on Apple+.
Reid Mitenbuler is the author of Wild Minds: The Artists and Rivalries That Inspired the Golden Age of Animation and Wanderlust: An Eccentric Explorer, an Epic Journey, a Lost Age. You can read his essays on the making of these books here and here
