“Wanna watch Nancy Drew?” I asked my eleven-year-old daughter as we settled in for a movie night. The film about a Titian-haired teen sleuth popped up as a recommendation on our streaming service.
“I know we’ve watched it before,” I continued, “but it’s good.” I recalled humor and adventure as teenage Nancy Drew solved crimes.
My tween rewarded me with a blank stare. She had no recollection of the PG-rated flick.
Huh. Maybe we had watched it longer ago than I thought. Quickly, I checked its date. 2007. That was shortly after my daughter was born. I vaguely remembered renting it on DVD, too. So it had been years since we watched it.
This got me thinking. What other “older” movies released before my daughter was a tween were worth watching now that she was a tween?
Besides Nancy Drew, here are 10 new classic movies for moms and tween girls to watch together. These movies resonate with tween-friendly themes such as friendship, creativity, resilience, and courage. My daughter and I have watched them and she approves of their inclusion in this list. As every family is different, I encourage parents to investigate if these movies are suitable for your tween by watching them beforehand or researching them further.
1. The Princess Bride (1987). Get swept away in the funny and sweet tale of Buttercup and Wesley, who cheat death and battle the bad guys to find love, true love. I can’t say enough about the witty script, which always makes me and my daughter laugh. I also appreciate that Robin Wright appears to wear no makeup in her role as Buttercup, sending the message that beauty is not based on eye shadow or lipstick.
2. Soul Surfer (2011). A surfer girl loses her arm to a shark. But thanks to her resilience, faith, and supportive family, she learns to be a surfer girl who just happened to lose an arm. My daughter and I were in awe that this movie is based on the true story of Bethany Hamilton.
3. Enchanted (2007). This Disney vehicle stars the delightful Amy Adams as an over-the-top cartoon princess who falls for Patrick Dempsey in modern-day New York City. I dig the creative combination of live action and animation while my daughter loves the musical scenes, especially the one in which urban creatures, like pigeons and rats, clean an apartment.
4. Adventures in Babysitting (1987). Elisabeth Shue plays 17-year-old Chris Parker in this adventure comedy. After getting dumped by her boyfriend, she takes a last-minute babysitting job and things go horribly and comically wrong. I admire Chris’ quick wit, heart, and pluck as she keeps her charges safe. My daughter finds the story likable and fast-moving.
5. Legally Blonde (2001). My first instinct is to hate this movie. It’s about a super cute sorority girl, after all. But the super cute sorority girl uses her savvy, kindness, and smarts to earn a law degree and respect from the peers that once looked down at her. The sorority girl is played by Reese Witherspoon, who I like to point out to my daughter is a successful actress, entrepreneur, and mother.
6. The Princess Diaries (2001). Anne Hathaway plays Mia, a gawky teen who learns she is a real-life princess. Mia stays true to her honest and approachable self while learning regal grace and manners from her grandma, the Queen of Genovia (Julie Andrews). My daughter likes the ugly duckling turns into a swan theme while I adore Julie Andrews’ performance.
7. 13 Going on 30 (2004). An awkward thirteen-year-old (Jennifer Garner) wishes to be popular and older. She gets her wish only to realize that she was her true self and knew her best friend when she was 13, not 30. If you are a Gen X mom like me, then you’ll enjoy the soundtrack laced with 80s hits. My tween delighted in the slumber party scene between thirty-year-old Jenna and her new teenage friends.
8. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999). Julia Stiles plays Kat, a cantankerous teen that no one likes. No one, that is, except high school bad boy Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger). I like that this romantic comedy is a modern-day interpretation of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. My daughter likes that Kat is an interesting, different female protagonist.
9. High School Musical (2006). My 11-year-old had heard of this movie, of course, but had never seen it until recently. That’s when she became captivated by the foot-tapping ditties that tell the story of Troy and Gabriela, two teens who battle the odds to sing together in the (wait for it) high school musical. We found this movie sweet and entertaining.
10. Dolphin Tale (2011). This family drama stars Winter, a dolphin who tragically loses her tail. With the support of a lonely boy she befriends, Sawyer, and a new prosthetic tail, Winter learns to swim again. My daughter likes that this movie features a strong boy-girl friendship between Sawyer and his best friend, Hazel. I might like it because Hazel’s dad is played by the handsome Harry Connick, Jr.
There you have it, movies for moms and tween girls to watch together. My hope is that you and your tween enjoy the romance, comedy or drama brimming from these eleven flicks. The time you spend watching these movies might just lay the foundation for successful, happy movie nights when your daughter becomes a teen, too.
This post originally appeared on Parent.Co.
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Great list, Katy! And timeless. I think I watched many of those movies with my daughter when she was a tween. Except for Soul Surfer because my daughter, even to this day, is terrified of sharks.
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I wouldn’t watch Soul Surfer then either!!
When my son was in preschool he answered questions about his family. One of them was “What does your family do on the weekend?” His reply? “We watch chick flicks at night like Legally Blonde …” Naturally, his poster board was the one on display at “parent night” for all to see. I honestly don’t know how we missed 10 Things I Hate About You considering it was a 1999 number. Crikey. Maybe I was put off by the name? Whatever. Perhaps I shall suggest it as a “must watch” when we’re next all together! Great list, Katy!
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I’m happy to remind you of great fodder for your parenting memoir (chick flick posterboard!) to be released after the first memoir about working with Frankie. 🙂
The Princess Bride is on my list of movies to watch with the kids. We saw Never Ending Story and The Goonies… Great list!
Goonies is fun–we visited Astoria, Oregon a few years ago and loved seeing stuff from the movie. I know Never Ending Story is well-loved, but I’ve never seen it all the way through. I’ll have to revisit that one!
Aw man, this list is awesome! I had totally forgotten about 10 things I hate about you! And, we watched Adventures In Babysitting the other day and thought it was brill – so hilariously politically incorrect too! A friend reminded me about the film The Three Amigos the other day and I thought ‘now there’s a film I have to introduce the kids to’! The oldies are the best! #tweensteensbeyond
Oh, yes, Adventures in Babysitting does have some straight up 1987 moments and comments!! Three Amigos–a classic I haven’t seen in a while. Must revisit that one.
There are Mums of tweens all over the world crying out for this post!! It is such a struggle to find something that appeals to all agegroups and I love the idea of revisiting some classics. A truly good movie never ages! Thanks so much for sharing with us at #TweensTeensBeyond
You know how it goes, Sharon: you think your kids remember something from a few years ago, then a few years ago turns out to be a decade ago and no, they don’t remember because they were too little. So it was fun to think about tween friendly flicks that aren’t really old in the big picture, but are in the eyes of tweens and teens!
Soul Surfer is a very heart rending story, we loved it! It is difficult to find films for this age group so thank you for this handy list. #Tweensteensbeyond
We liked Soul Surfer, too. It might be a bit long for youngers, but just right for tweens and above.
#tweensteensbeyond
You’ve compiled quite a great list here! I’ve actually watched a few of these with my girls and now I want to rewatch a few more. 🙂 My oldest daughter (16) was recently introduced to 10 Things I Hate About You and enjoyed it. But here favorite classic teen angst movie is The Breakfast Club. 😀
Thanks for sharing with us!
I’ll be saving Breakfast Club for when my daughter’s a wee bit older. But it’s a classic and a must-see in my book!
Hi Katy. I like the movie list you made. All highly recommended for tweens and teens. These movies are inspirational; encourage girls (of all ages) to be themselves, be confident in their own skin, not to lose hope, remind us that family is love, to overcome fears, and be positive that they’ll rise from every defeat. Girls are sweet creatures, but they can also be fierce and confident if we empower them.
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I’m pleased you like movies, too. I can tell they move you the way they move me. There’s always something to feel or to learn from the good ones!
Katy, you are an absolute star. We have a girly weekend this weekend, me and the kid, so I shall refer back to this. I think Enchanted is standing out. Thanks for sharing with #tweensteensbeyond
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Katy you are a woman after my own heart – Nancy Drew! Gosh she was the heroine of my teens. I think my teen like your tween would, however, do an eye roll – it’s all about Marvel nowadays not super sleuths in high heels. There are some great ideas here. Who doesn’t love a tween/teen/mom movie night? Thanks for sharing them with us all. #TweensTeensBeyond
Jo – MotherofTeenagers recently posted…Tweens, Teens & Beyond #40
Legally Blonde. Cannot wait to watch that with one of mine. + High school musical… shouldn’t be too many pain points for mum then!
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I was worried Legally Blonde would be more risque than it was. It was quite fun and appropriate.