Movies Teens should watch
Movies that have a good message or theme for teens
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- DirectorPeter BogdanovichStarsCherEric StoltzSam ElliottA teenager with a massive facial skull deformity and biker gang mother attempt to live as normal a life as possible under the circumstances.[True story] A boy with a terminal craniofacial deformity, know as lionitis, tries to overcome the pain and prejudice he suffers, with the help of his wild, but loving mother (Cher). Love this movie!
- DirectorChris ColumbusStarsJulia RobertsSusan SarandonEd HarrisA terminally ill woman must deal with her ex-husband's new lover, who will be their children's stepmother.A realistic look of the feelings of all involved with a family's divorce and the father's remarriage. Themes: jealousy, resentment, pain, hurt, loyalty, compromise, and love. [Kleenex needed]
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsHenry FondaLee J. CobbMartin BalsamThe jury in a New York City murder trial is frustrated by a single member whose skeptical caution forces them to more carefully consider the evidence before jumping to a hasty verdict.***seen by both kids***
A jury of 12 (white) men must decide the fate of an 18 year-old boy accused of murdering his father. With everyone ready to convict almost immediately, only one man wants to take time to process the testimony and cut through the prejudice, impatience, and illogical thinking of the other jurors. Awesome cast! - DirectorBilly CrystalStarsBarry PepperThomas JaneAnthony Michael HallRoger Maris and Mickey Mantle race to break Babe Ruth's single-season home run record.[R -Language & sexual references] Friendship, competition, baseball legends and record breaking make for this heartwarming, but tense homage to baseball in the 60's. This true story about Roger Maris & Mickey Mantle attempting to break Babe Ruth's 1927 single-season home run record, can lead us to examine how we regard and treat sports and the athletes in our American culture.
- DirectorPat O'ConnorStarsChris O'DonnellMinnie DriverGeraldine O'RaweThree women, who've been friends since childhood, meet at university in Dublin in 1957. Student and boyfriend life begins.I heard the book is better, and the movie doesn't follow it completely, but I never read the book...needless to say I enjoyed the movie.
This 1950 period romance takes place in a staunch Irish Catholic culture. Benny, not a classic beauty, struggles with insecurities and coming of age. - DirectorTim RobbinsStarsSusan SarandonSean PennRobert ProskyA nun, while comforting a convicted killer on death row, empathizes with both the killer and his victim's families.A man on death row, soon to be executed is "befriended" by an activist nun, chosen to be his spiritual adviser. This film, dealing with capital punishment, shows the brutish side of the murderous monster, as well as his humanity, while also showing the anguish and loss of the victims families, and the belief of the nun, in a forgiving God, through repentance. The acting of Susan Sarandon & Sean Penn is stellar!
- DirectorMichael HoffmanStarsKevin KlineEmile HirschJoel GretschAn idealistic prep school teacher attempts to redeem an incorrigible student.Another well done, student-teacher relationship movie about honor, respect, morals/values, coming of age and the influence of parents, teachers and friends.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsTom HanksRobin WrightGary SiniseThe history of the United States from the 1950s to the '70s unfolds from the perspective of an Alabama man with an IQ of 75, who yearns to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart.Nostalgic, touching, fun, and moving, story of the life of a simple- minded man. "Life IS like a box of chocolates...you never know what you're gonna get". Great acting! Inspiring!
**My teens have seen this** - DirectorJohn FordStarsHenry FondaJane DarwellJohn CarradineAn Oklahoma family, driven off their farm by the poverty and hopelessness of the Dust Bowl, joins the westward migration to California, suffering the misfortunes of the homeless in the Great Depression.A classic! A family travels from Oklahoma's Dust Bowl to California curing the Great Depression.
- DirectorFrank DarabontStarsTom HanksMichael Clarke DuncanDavid MorseA tale set on death row, where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the lead guard, Paul Edgecombe, recognizes John's gift, he tries to help stave off the condemned man's execution.Tom Hanks & Michael Clarke Duncan shine in this mystical movie about a "gentle giant" condemned to death row, and the compassionate prison guard who seeks to help him.
I always enjoy Tom Hanks. - DirectorStanley KramerStarsSpencer TracySidney PoitierKatharine HepburnA couple's attitudes are challenged when their daughter introduces them to her African-American fiancé.Classic! Amazing acting from a stellar cast! A fun and funny look at racial relations in the 1960's when the white daughter of a wealthy, progressive California couple brings home a black fiance'. Love this!!
Staring: Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier - DirectorJessie NelsonStarsSean PennMichelle PfeifferDakota FanningAn intellectually disabled man fights for custody of his 7-year-old daughter and in the process teaches his cold-hearted lawyer the value of love and family.Sean Penn is amazing as a grown man with the mental capacity of a 7-year-old trying to raise his daughter himself. After an incident Child Protective Services steps in, yuppie lawyer Michelle Pfeiffer attempts to help Sam regain custody of his daughter and prove that, despite his handicap, he's a truly loving father.
This should interest my college, psych student son. - DirectorMarc ForsterStarsKhalid AbdallaAhmad Khan MahmoodzadaAtossa LeoniAfter spending years in California, Amir returns to his homeland in Afghanistan to help his old friend Hassan, whose son is in trouble.Years after fleeing the Taliban and immigrating to the United States, a privileged Afghan man returns to his war-ravaged homeland to try to repay a debt to a loyal childhood friend whose trust he once betrayed.
Friendship, family, jealousy, loyalty, honor and forgiveness are lessons this movie brings home. Good movie! - DirectorRobert BentonStarsDustin HoffmanMeryl StreepJane AlexanderAfter his wife leaves him, a work-obsessed Manhattan advertising executive is forced to learn long-neglected parenting skills, but a heated custody battle over the couple's young son deepens the wounds left by the separation.Loved this movie when I was younger. Watching the relationship of this father and son grow (after the mother abandons the family)
- DirectorBille AugustStarsLiam NeesonGeoffrey RushUma ThurmanValjean, a former criminal, has atoned for his past and now finds himself in the midst of the French Revolution, avoiding a law-obsessed policeman hell-bent on capturing him.Love this lush adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel stars Liam Neeson as Jean Valjean, an ex-convict trying to build a new life of nobility and compassion, only to be pursued by the callous Inspector Javert (Geoffrey rush), who doesn't intend to let Valjean escape his past.
Great cast! (Not a musical) - DirectorIrwin WinklerStarsHayden ChristensenKevin KlineKristin Scott ThomasWhen a man is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he takes custody of his misanthropic teenage son, for whom quality time means getting high, engaging in small-time prostitution, and avoiding his father.Moving dramedy that speaks eloquent volumes about the fragility -- and resilience -- of the human condition.
Faced with a sobering diagnosis of terminal cancer, George (Kevin Kline) decides to construct a beautiful new house on his land overlooking the Pacific Ocean, while at the same time trying to connect with his estranged son (Hayden Christensen).
Kristin Scott Thomas, Mary Steenburgen, Ian Somerhalder, Scott Bakula and Sam Robard round out this great cast. - DirectorRoberto BenigniStarsRoberto BenigniNicoletta BraschiGiorgio CantariniWhen an open-minded Jewish waiter and his son become victims of the Holocaust, he uses a perfect mixture of will, humor and imagination to protect his son from the dangers around their camp.A Jewish Italian waiter named Guido is sent to a Nazi concentration camp, along with his wife and their young son. Refusing to give up hope, Guido tries to protect his son's innocence by pretending that their imprisonment is an elaborate game.
An unforgettable fable that proves love, family & imagination conquers all. - DirectorGeorge Tillman Jr.StarsCuba Gooding Jr.Robert De NiroCharlize TheronThe story of Carl Brashear, the first African-American U.S. Navy Diver, and the man who trained him.True story of Carl Brashear who sets his sights on becoming the Navy's first African-American master diver, against formidable odds. Outstandig performances. A movie of courage and determination.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsHilary SwankClint EastwoodMorgan FreemanFrankie, an ill-tempered old coach, reluctantly agrees to train aspiring boxer Maggie. Impressed with her determination and talent, he helps her become the best and the two soon form a close bond.Brilliant acting by Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman and Hilary Swank.
- DirectorMartin RittStarsSally FieldJames GarnerBrian KerwinEmma moves to a ranch with her son after a divorce and befriends the older Murphy, but things turn complicated when her ex shows up.Sally Fields plays a recently divorced, single mom, who moves to a small town with her teenage son. As she tries to make a fresh start, everything seems to go wrong for her, until she forms an unlikely friendship with a crusty older widower played perfectly by James Garner. I love their relationship and the film is fun and humorous.
- DirectorJoel ZwickStarsNia VardalosJohn CorbettMichael ConstantineA young Greek woman falls in love with a non-Greek and struggles to get her family to accept him while she comes to terms with her heritage and cultural identity.Hilarious fun! Family...they drive you nuts but you can't help but love them.
In this romantic comedy, a single Greek woman falls in love with a non-Greek man, which is a problem for members of her strict family -- particularly her traditional father, whose Greek pride knows no bounds.
**my kids have seen this** - DirectorMartin RittStarsSally FieldBeau BridgesRon LeibmanA young single mother and textile worker agrees to help unionize her mill despite the problems and dangers involved.A young woman fights for unionization in her factory and discovers herself in the process.
In an Oscar-winning performance, Sally Field is unforgettable as Norma Rae Webster, the real-life Southern millworker who revolutionizes a small town and discovers a power within herself that she never knew she had. - DirectorMark RydellStarsKatharine HepburnHenry FondaJane FondaNorman is a curmudgeon with an estranged relationship with his daughter Chelsea. At Golden Pond, he and his wife nevertheless agree to care for Billy, the son of Chelsea's new boyfriend, and a most unexpected relationship blooms.An elderly couples estranged daughter "dumps" her boyfriends teenage son on them during their annual vacation. Fractured family relationships, healing and discovery are the themes and lessons. Great acting, humor and tears make for a great film.
- DirectorTed KotcheffStarsSylvester StalloneBrian DennehyRichard CrennaA veteran Green Beret is forced by a cruel Sheriff and his deputies to flee into the mountains and wage an escalating one-man war against his pursuers.**Josh's request**
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsMarlon BrandoAl PacinoJames CaanThe aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.**Joshs request**Seen Nov 2013**
Classic: When organized-crime family patriarch Vito Corleone barely survives an attempt on his life, his youngest son steps in to take care of the would-be killers, launching a campaign of bloody revenge in this Oscar-winning epic.
Great cast: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, John Cazale, Talia Shire, Abe Vigoda,