The 8 Best Family Movies on movie.guru, Ranked

Family movie night usually starts with a fight over the remote. These eight end it, ranked by movie.guru score.

Number one is tied on score, and I'm still calling it the winner.

1. 8
   Life of Pi (2012)8.3

   A CGI tiger gives the best supporting performance here.

   Ang Lee makes 127 minutes of open ocean look like a dream. $609 million worldwide, and Suraj Sharma holds his own opposite a tiger that isn't there.
2. 7
   Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)8.3

   The most fun Potter, and the messiest one.

   157 minutes trying to cram a giant book into one movie. The movie.guru score is 8.7. My Guru's Take is 7.0, because it rushes everything.
3. 6
   Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)8.9

   The best Potter movie, and the ranking is wrong.

   Alfonso Cuarón directs, Gary Oldman shows up, and Buckbeak steals every scene. A 9.0 movie.guru score and a 9.0 Guru's Take, the highest Take of any Potter here.
4. 5
   The Princess Bride (1987)9.1

   A fairy tale that roasts fairy tales and still loves them.

   Swordfights, a giant, a battle of wits, and only 98 minutes long. It made just $31.1 million worldwide, then became the movie every family quotes at dinner.
5. 4
   Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011)9.2

   The Battle of Hogwarts is the best stretch in the series.

   Critics and audiences both rank it above 94% of notable movies, and it made $1.34 billion worldwide. Helena Bonham Carter playing Hermione in disguise is the funniest bit in the series.
6. 3
   It's a Wonderful Life (1946)9.6

   James Stewart cracking under pressure is the best acting here.

   Made in 1946 for a reported $3.2 million, and it still plays like it was shot yesterday. An 8.6 on IMDb from 561,652 votes.
7. 2
   The Wizard of Oz (1939)9.5

   Judy Garland's voice is still the best special effect in it.

   102 minutes of pure weirdness: talking trees, flying monkeys, an emerald city. Critics and audiences both rank it above 98% of notable movies.
8. 1
   E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)9.2

   Ties Oz on score and wins the tiebreaker on heart.

   Critics rank it above 99% of notable movies. Made for a reported $10.5 million, it earned $797.3 million worldwide. John Williams's score does half the work, and nobody minds.

$3,484 says the kids pick a Potter, the adults pick Oz, and you end up watching The Princess Bride anyway.

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Current mood: ready to fight about it