Looking to avoid your family during the holiday? Watch these movies with or without the fam!
- THE BLIND SIDE (2009)
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Okay, so maybe you’re not a football fan. However, odds are high that you’ll like this movie. It’s about more than just football. Based on a true story about the former NFL player, Michael Oher, this movie is about growing a family, developing love, and offering help. During high school, Michael is homeless and gets taken in by the Tuohys, and he expands his education while learning to play football (which he obviously excels at). The audience endures the many ups and downs of Michael Oher’s teenage years, and you may shed a tear or two. Additionally, the female protagonist is played by Sandra Bullock, who is phenomenal and alone a great reason to watch.
- SWEET HOME ALABAMA (2002)
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Two words: REESE. WITHERSPOON.
Sweet Home Alabama is such a classic, feel-good rom-com starring the one and only Reese. Furthermore, Patrick Dempsey also plays a major role in this film. The audience watches Reese’s character, a fashion designer who moved from Alabama to New York and becomes engaged, returning home despite her best efforts to divorce her husband. If you haven’t already seen this movie, you don’t know what you’re missing. And if you have seen it— it’s the type of movie that you could enjoyably rewatch. I won’t give any spoilers, but there is a reason this is a ROMANTIC comedy.
- LITTLE WOMEN (2019)
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Ronan, Florence Pugh, Emma Watson, Laura Dern, and Timotheé Chalament (as well as Meryl Streep). Watching the family dynamics change through fighting, marriage, illness, and the civil war ensured captivation among the audience. This movie evoked laughter, tears, and empathy, and not to mention an ending that was arguably disliked.
- DEAD POETS SOCIETY (1989)
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I feel like I can’t even say anything about this movie without giving it away. All I’ll say is: Robin Williams as an English teacher in an all-boys boarding school, and “O Captain my Captain!”
- TOWER HEIST (2011)
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This movie is very light-hearted, which you may need as a follow-up if you watch Little Women and Dead Poets Society in the span of a few days. Starring Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller, we watch a series of events unfold in an attempted heist. Ben Stiller is the manager of an apartment in New York City with some of the richest tenants in the city. After Stiller and his employees were wronged by the owner of the penthouse, they intend to make things right by stealing what they deserve. It’s likely this movie made an appearance on your TV in past Thanksgivings while flipping through channels, looking for a football game or coverage on the Macy’s Day parade.
- JACK AND JILL (2011)
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I’m including this movie in my list solely because my college-aged sister still laughs hysterically every time she watches it. Adam Sandler plays both the male and female protagonists and is accompanied by Al Pacino and Katie Holmes. Adam Sandler navigates his relationship with his sister (Adam Sandler) during the holidays. I wouldn’t say that this is a smart comedy, but definitely an easy laugh to watch with or without the family.