<p>The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.</p>
<p>any suggestions for dad and 11 almost 12 year old. My husband’s movie partner has shifted to the youngest. It is hard to find movie’s that are appropriate for both of them.</p>
<p>At 11, my kids liked Buster Keaton movies, Marx Brothers, Beatles (Help);
I grew up on Charlie Chaplin, Laurel & Hardy and Jacques Tati (Mon Oncle, Traffic, Parade, Mr. Hulot on Vacation);
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is probably suitable for an 11-year old.</p>
<p>Spirited Away. Nothing objectionable in it but I could see it being scary for really little kids. My Dad, who is normally not a movie person, adored it!
Howl’s Moving Castle is also excelent, but it’s kinda long and might be a bit too much for an 11/12 y.o.</p>
<p>Other movies that can be watched with 11 year-olds:</p>
<p>Star Wars, ET, Harry Potter, Mary Poppins, Nanny McPhee, The Sound of Music;Charade, Roman Holiday, My Fair Lady; Amelie; Chocolat.</p>
<p>Most musicals from the 30s - 60s: Singin’ in the Rain (again), On the Town, Anchors Aweigh, Take Me Out to the Ball Game, Funny Face, Funny Girl, etc.</p>
<p>Back to the Future (1 and 3 especially - 2 has some pretty unpleasant scenes for an 11 y/o), the Indiana Jones series (if the kids aren’t too sensitive), That Thing You Do (that’s lots of fun - makes me wish Tom Hanks would write and direct another movie).</p>
<p>Tweeners may well be the toughest group to select movies for Youre thinking Finding Nemo and theyre thinking about watching the Rock killing monsters in Doom. Like generals that fight the last war, parents pick movies based on their historic memory. The kids loved Barney and My Little Pony; theyll just love the latest animated feature at the Cineplex. Ask your eleven year old: Ice Age: The Meltdown or Scary Movie 4?</p>
<p>I think the operative words are select and appropriate. At some point, a top down management style gives way to a collaborative approach. Take them to the video store and let them point out movies that they think are cool. Let it be their call. A reasonable ground rule would be no R rated films. PG-13 films are a fact of life and make up the bulk of the films found in most video stores. The kids may well select a movie that you may be uncomfortable with. Depending on the content and language, this may not be a bad thing. As long as you watch the movie with them, they have the benefit of your wisdom and experience. If you run across a questionable scene you can stop the movie and ask them if they understand whats going on. Eventually, youll get a feel for what they like.</p>
<p>For 11/12-year-old (boy or girl?) with adult:</p>
<p>Wonderful for children and adults:
“The Secret of Roan Inish”
“L’Ours” (The Bear, 1988)
“Holes”
“White Fang”
“Little Man Tate”
“Remember the Titans”
“Rudy”
“Babe”
“To Kill a Mockingbird”
“Big”</p>
<p>Also Laurel & Hardy, specifically “Swiss Miss” and “A Chump at Oxford.” Old Disney, some mentioned already, like “Mary Poppins” (subtle humor for the adult, great music) and “Greyfriars Bobby” (sweet story, historically accurate).</p>
<p>If it’s a girl:
“Watcher in the Woods”
“A Little Princess” (either version)</p>
<p>For a boy:
“Creature from the Black Lagoon”
Three Stooges (a predilection carried on the Y chromosome 
)</p>
<p>Either boy or girl:
“The Cat From Outer Space”
“Journey to the Center of the Earth” (1959)
“The Time Machine” (1960)</p>
<p>A lot depends on the kid. My S loved the original Star Trek episodes at that age (and never outgrew them). I loved Hitchcock’s “The Birds.”</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. Alot of them they have already seen. She isn’t a big fan of black and white films. She is at that age where she still likes the kid movies but is sometimes embarrassed to walk up to the counter with them. She loves animal movies. She watched the Airbud and Homeward bound movies till the VHS tape broke. This past week she rented King Kong, Zathura, and Chicken Little. But she also begged to be able to rent Bring it On. She wants to rent Elizabethtown, anyone seen it? We don’t let her rent R rated movies and have finally given up on restricting all the PG 13. We have a great small video store that is good about warning us off some of them. But it is great to go in with a list.</p>
<p>Re: animal films</p>
<ul>
<li>Babe (James Cromwell)</li>
<li>Mouse Hunt (Nathan Lane)</li>
<li>Dreamer (Dakota Fanning/Kurt Russell)</li>
<li>March of the Penquins</li>
<li>Black Stallion (Kelly Reno)</li>
<li>Seabiscuit (Jeff Bridges)</li>
</ul>
<p>One of my favorite films is Spellbound (a documentary) about the 1998 Scripps Howard National Spelling Contest. The film documents a group of very diverse children who make it to the nationals. Truly inspirational!</p>
<p>If your daughter is interested in “Bring it On”, she might also like “Mean Girls” (Linsay Lohan). It’s a social satire about high school girls cliques (and, prehaps a cautionary tale). I don’t recall the amount of innuendo in the movie, so others who recall the movie may want to chime in here…</p>
<p>All ages and all genders might like Red Hot Ballroom, a story of NYCity kids that learn about dancing and about themselves in the process.</p>
<p>Last week we saw a cool old black/white restored silent movie called Piccadilly on one of the classic flick tv stations. Check it out if you can.</p>
<p>I think it’s “Mad Hot Ballroom,” and it was wonderful indeed. Saw it with my 18-year old son during a break on a college visit (he was kind of a captive audience, but he loved the movie!)</p>
<p>“Bring It On” is PG-13. If she wants to see that, it comes on cable fairly often, probably an edited version. It’s not bad; I can see where young teen girls would like it. She may like “Drumline” too. Great story, very entertaining for dad, and there’s dancing in it the girls like. It’s also PG-13 as is “Mean Girls.” Girls her age love Lindsay Lohan. PG: “Mr. Holland’s Opus.” My band-student son loved it at that age, watched it over and over, but I haven’t seen it.</p>
<p>Enthusiastic seconds for “Spellbound,” “Mad Hot Ballroom,” “Mouse Hunt,” and “Black Stallion,” especially if she loved the books (I did at her age). If she loves horses as lots of girls her age do, try “Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken.”</p>
<p>V for Vendetta was REALLY good! Personally though I’m a fan of old movies, On the Waterfront, Citizen Kane, A Streetcar named Desire, and Gone with the Wind are some of my favorites! But I would also have to say comedies like Monty Python and the Holy Grail are also at the Top of my list!!</p>