Does your family have a movie night? Do you closely monitor what your kids watch at home or go see in the theaters? If you answer positively to either one or both, then you must have a kind of criteria list for what passes as a good, worthwhile family movie. Most parents look for the wholesome factor.
If you’re lazy – admit it; otherwise you’ll bother to read reviews before giving your permission – you’ll declare every GP rating acceptable. Other parents, however, have stricter standards. For instance, what counts as profane for them may be perfectly acceptable for you. What strikes you as typical childhood peccadilloes may be considered inappropriate by them. Kissing scenes, even light pecks, may be taboo. Fairy Tales aren’t harmless. They’re usually teaching something very twisted albeit the “good triumphs over evil” premise.
These parents may have something against Disney. They’ll probably have something against Nickelodeon, with all its burping and slime. They do not laugh at butt cracks. They consider words like “jerk” or “dork” improper. They want movies to reflect very specific values (like families that think they’re green may consider a documentary on carbon credit offsets a great family movie); otherwise, they’re poison to the mind. Criteria definitely vary, but as a rule, so long as there’s no cursing, violence and sex, a film can be deemed a family movie.