The last time my 3-year-old was home sick from school, I ran out of kids’ movies to watch and wound up showing her a good chunk of “Dirty Dancing.” I knew it wasn’t age-appropriate for my preschooler, but the whole Penny-needs-an-abortion plot went right over head, and she was totally riveted by the dance numbers. Bonus: Mom didn’t have to sit through “Beauty and the Beast” again.
I may have to wait a few more years (or a decade), but here are 10 other memorable ’80s movies that I’m excited to share with my daughter:
1. “Valley Girl”
This modern day Romeo and Juliet story features hilarious lingo (Grody to the max!), a swoon-worthy young Nicolas Cage and the greatest falling-in-love montage I’ve ever seen, set to Modern English’s “I Melt With You.”
Positive message: Don’t do what your friends think you should do. Follow your own heart.
2. “Sixteen Candles”
The awkwardness of high school is perfectly captured in this John Hughes classic about a 16th birthday gone wrong, then very right. Sure, there’s some casual racism I’d have to explain away, but the rest of the movie holds up beautifully.
Positive message: The regular girl is just as worthy of love as the prom queen, so be yourself.
3. “The Karate Kid”
I love a good underdog story, especially one featuring the unforgettable friendship between Ralph Macchio’s Daniel-san and his mysterious mentor, the karate master Mr. Miyagi, who trains him to take down the high school bully.
Positive Message: Never give up! Hard work pays off (wax on, wax off). Also, gotta love a movie where the main girl’s sexiest outfit is a headband and cardigan.
4. “The Princess Bride”
This quirky fairy tale adventure is a timeless classic with all the elements a kid could want: a beautiful princess, swashbuckling pirates, a gentle giant and Rodents of Unusual Size. Not showing it to my daughter would be inconceivable!
Positive Message: Be brave and have hope. Also, trust your elders on their book recommendations—wasn’t Fred Savage glad he let Peter Falk finish telling the story?
Continue reading at mom.me…
Love this list! Most of these are favs of ours too. Thanks for reminding us about these treasures! I’ve actually been thinking of showing my older daughter The Karate Kid now, since she just started taking karate classes. However, I should watch it again first to check if it’s appropriate for a six year old… Does anyone remember anything I need to be wary of in this film…?
Great to hear from you M – I’ve missed you & your comments! I watched Karate Kid recently sans kid (I know, why, but I got caught up) and I loved how earnest and sincere it was – they don’t make ’em like that anymore. The bullying’s a little tough but everything else seemed okay I think? And I guess it depends on your tolerance of fighting violence, but at least no guns! Not sure about language.
Thanks, Amy! I think I’m going to go for it then. (I just need to find something/someone to distract by 3-yr-old while we watch…) And thanks for missing me! I’ve been a bit absent from reading my favorite blogs lately. Jeeze! Where are my freakin’ priorities, right?!
“my” 3 yr old, that is
FYI, I checked out the “Common Sense Media” website (which has now become my go-to for getting the complete scoop on movies I want to show my kids but am too lazy to preview) and they recommended waiting until ages 10-13 to watch The Karate Kid. Here’s what they said about it:
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-karate-kid
I use the Common Sense Media site all the time, especially if I’ve never seen the movie, but I think a kid could probably handle Karate Kid a little younger? Depends on kid I guess.