Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
My very worst movie-going experience was in 1984, when my parents took me to see “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and I threw up everywhere. (I’ll let you guess which scene caused that.) So I probably won’t show “Temple of Doom” to the kids anytime soon or anytime ever, but the rip-roarin’ “Raiders” adventure is a must-see.
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
I’m pretty sure the first sight of E.T. freaked me out a little, but I learned to love him. So much so that I had a eventually owned an E.T. doll with a glowing heart. (I also owned a stuffed ALF. I had a thing for weird-looking aliens, I guess.) The government agents were far scarier than wrinkly little E.T. I think they may have inspired the “You’re a Government Project and Mom and Dad are Scientists” long con I pulled on my little brother years later.
Annie (1982)
I can’t say this with 100 percent certainty, because my memory is awful spotty, but I’d be willing to wager that I wore my parents’ eardrums out warbling “Tomorrow” after I saw “Annie.” Four-year-old Nichole loved Annie, and 30-whatever-year-old Nichole was rather disappointed when Poppy wouldn’t watch it with her a few years ago. We did see the new “Annie” together. Poppy enjoyed it, but I thought it lacked heart. Also, Jamie Foxx is no Albert Finney.
A Christmas Story (1983)
I don’t think I saw “A Christmas Story” until I was an adult, but I’ve been an adult for quiet awhile now so it feels like I’ve been watching it my whole life. I still delight in watching it every year. Common Sense Media decrees it appropriate for children ages 8 and older, and I can’t wait to show it to the kids for the first time this year so they can join Rockford and I in making “Christmas Story” references throughout the season.
The NeverEnding Story (1984)
I found “The NeverEnding Story” mildly terrifying when I was a kid. But it was a good scared, you know?
I think Poppy and Pete need to see this ASAP so they’ll understand why I frequently sing “The never-ending stooooooOOOooory” when Rockford tells a Very Long Rockford Tale and why I always say “Hey, that dog looks like Falkor!” whenever I see one of those dogs that looks like Falkor.
The Goonies (1985)
“The Goonies” is an essential tale of friendship, outcast empowerment and booby-twaps. The kissing scene is certain to gross Pete out, but hopefully the swashbuckling and scary criminals element will make up for that.
We’ll probably hold off on watching it for a few years due mostly to Brand’s risqué Spanish translations, but the kids will be required to watch it at least once before they go off to college. How else will they learn that Goonies never say die?
(I can’t believe this is the only Coreys movie on my list.)
Labyrinth (1986)
My children love Muppets, so they’ll definitely love “Labyrinth,” right? OK, so these Muppets aren’t exactly Kermit and Fozzie, but “Labyrinth” also features amazing hair, a compelling storyline and a song that will get stuck in their heads for the rest of their lives. That’s a win-win-win in my book.
The Princess Bride (1987)
Romance? Check. Pirates? Check. Revenge? Check. A giant making goofy rhymes and puns? Check. Billy Crystal? Check.
“The Princess Bride” has everything, and it was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid and also now that I’m not a kid. I watched it with Pete and Poppy earlier this year, and they did not love it. Sometimes it’s like I don’t even know those two.
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)
I was remembering “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” as a ’90s movie, but it actually came out in 1989. It includes a trifecta of ingredients that add up to a classic cinema experience: whimsey, humor and Moranis. My brother and my cousin got to ride the bee for a “This is how green screens work” demonstration when we went to Hollywood Studios as children, and I will always be jealous of that.
Waaaaay back in May, I told you that we were going to be having Family Movie Nights at ButterscotchSundae headquarters. I shared with you a list of 
.
as I present to you: A selection of my favorite family films from that most glorious age of cinema, 1990s.
Is “Home Alone” a great movie about child abandonment and endangerment, or is it the greatest movie about child abandonment and endangerment? That’s hard to say, but it certainly has to be the slapstickiest. Twelve-year-old me found this one to be a laugh-a-minute riot. 
“Hook” is a weird twist on “Peter Pan,” in which Peter grows up to be a total square, Jimmy Buffett is a pirate, Violet Crawley is Wendy and someone has named their child Rufio and he responds by going all “Beyond Thunderdome” meets a troll doll. 
Macauley Culkin was the boy king of the early ’90s, wasn’t he? I remember this movie as a delightful romp that suddenly shocked the tears right out of my ducts. I was 13, though, so I probably stuck the popcorn bucket over my head to hide my tears.
As much as I loved “Mrs. Doubtfire” when I was a kid, I was a little hesitant to include it in my list. It’s kind of a creepy story, and it would probably be a viral sensation if it happened in real life. Regardless, it’s Robin Williams and he’s equal parts manic and charming, so it made the list despite being pretty darn weird.
I’m a sucker for a sentimental tale of human-animal friendship, so of course “Free Willy” is on the list. My brother was a jaded, world-weary 10-year-old the first time we saw it, and I remember hearing him gasp at that final leap to freedom. 
” is available as a digital rental or purchase from Amazon.
Speaking of animal-kid buddy movies…
” is available for free streaming via Prime and as a digital rental or purchase and Amazon.
This adaptation stays true to Roald Dahl’s dark and sometimes-scary humor. Be warned that, as with pretty much every Dahl story I’ve read, a lot of the adults in this story are truly despicable. In the end, though, kindness and gentle hearts win the day and the rotten folks get their comeuppance.
” is available as a digital purchase as Amazon.
Fact: ’80s kids are incapable of washing their cars without employing the “wax on, wax off” technique. 
Rockford might stop speaking to me if I left “Hoosiers” off the list. This one’s got redemption, romance, an underdog story and a whole truckload of Midwestern nostalgia. It’s good stuff.
I was still in my Emilio Estevez (thank you, “Young Guns”) phase when “The Mighty Ducks” came out, so my 14-year-old self was not opposed to going to a Disney movie about hockey. I’m grateful for that, because it’s a fun movie.
There aren’t enough girl-power sports movies out there. This one is top-notch, and without it we would never have known just how much crying is acceptable in baseball. It’s probably my favorite Madonna movie.
“Rudy” was responsible for my brief love of Notre Dame football and for my penchant to chant “Rudy” when I’m trying to inspire friends and family to greatness. It stars 
“The Sandlot” is a funny, heartwarming baseball movie, and I was not at all into funny, heartwarming baseball movies in 1993. And so I don’t think I saw this when it originally came out. I’m seeing the kid who played Ham all over the place all of a sudden, so I guess things are going alright for him.
I did see “Angels in the Outfield” in the theater, which must mean I was at my dad’s house when it came out because we went to a lot of family-friendly sports movies together. 
When I was growing up, even the kids who weren’t Chicago Bulls fans acknowledged that Michael Jordan was pretty much the greatest basketball player of all time, ever. Now my kids know him as “the ‘Space Jam’ guy.” I’m OK with that, because it’s a totally tubular ’90s sports movie and it’s the only one on this list that features Wayne Knight and Bill Murray.
Another hockey movie!