The Goonies, E.T., Matilda and Mean Girls…the list goes on. These movies from the ’80s, ’90s and 2000s are the ones we grew up watching and they deserve a spot on your family’s movie-night lineup.
Remember when choosing a movie meant wandering the aisles of Blockbuster, arguing over the last available copy of something good and hoping nobody forgot to rewind the tape? Those were the days. And while our kids have 1.5 million movies at their fingertips, there’s something to be said for introducing them to the ones we grew up loving.
Some are funny, some are heartwarming and some are just wonderfully ridiculous (especially when you watch them through adult eyes). Whether you’re introducing your eight-year-old to a certain homesick alien or watching your teenager discover the joys of a perfectly timed John Hughes one-liner, these 20 movies from the ‘80s, ’90s and 2000s are worth revisiting together.
For ages 8–10
1. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) — A lonely boy befriends a stranded alien in a story about friendship, family and the importance of having a bicycle with a basket. Bonus: Spot a tiny Drew Barrymore!
2. The Goonies (1985) — A group of kids hunts for pirate treasure, dodges criminals and proves that the best adventures happen when the parents aren’t around.
3. The Princess Bride (1987) — Sword fights, giants, true love and endlessly quotable dialogue make this fairy tale anything but ordinary.
4. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989) — Four kids accidentally become insect-sized and discover that the backyard is a terrifying place when you’re smaller than an ant. Fun fact: Rick Moranis is returning to the screen next year after taking a decades-long hiatus from acting to raise his kids as a single parent.
5. Home Alone (1990) — Eight-year-old Kevin McCallister gets the house to himself for Christmas and turns it into an elaborate obstacle course for two spectacularly incompetent burglars.
6. The Sandlot (1993) — A new kid finds his people through baseball, summer adventures and one very intimidating (and massive) neighbourhood dog.
7. Matilda (1996) — A brilliant little girl with horrid parents and a truly awful principal discovers that books, kindness and a few special powers can change everything.
8. Shrek (2001) — A grumpy ogre, a talking donkey and a princess with a secret turn every fairy-tale convention upside down.
For ages 11–13
9. Back to the Future (1985) — A teenager accidentally travels back to 1955 and has to make sure his parents fall in love before he disappears from existence.
10. The Karate Kid (1984) — A bullied teenager learns karate, patience and the surprisingly useful arts of waxing cars and painting fences from an unlikely mentor.
11. Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) — Robin Williams plays a divorced dad who disguises himself as a British nanny to spend more time with his kids, with predictably chaotic (and surprisingly heartfelt) results.
12. Jumanji (1995) — A mysterious board game unleashes wild animals, dangerous disasters and a whole lot of reasons to stick with Monopoly.
13. Clueless (1995) — A wealthy Beverly Hills teenager plays matchmaker, navigates high school drama and delivers some of the most memorable one-liners of the decade. It’s Alicia Silverstone’s most famous role.
14. The Parent Trap (1998) — Identical twins separated at birth meet at summer camp and hatch an elaborate plan to reunite their unsuspecting parents.
15. School of Rock (2003) — Jack Black poses as a substitute teacher and turns a classroom of overachievers into a rock band, much to the horror of the school administration.
For ages 14–16
16. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) — One very resourceful teenager skips school with his friends and makes an excellent case for the occasional mental health day.
17. The Breakfast Club (1985) — Five teenagers from entirely different social circles spend a Saturday in detention and discover they have more in common than they thought.
18. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) — Shakespeare gets a high-school makeover complete with teenage romance, sibling rivalry and Heath Ledger singing on the bleachers. (This is one of the many flicks that made Julia Stiles an it-girl of the ’90s.)
19. Legally Blonde (2001) — A fashion-loving sorority girl heads to Harvard Law School and proves that being underestimated can be a pretty powerful motivator.
20. Mean Girls (2004) — A formerly homeschooled teenager enters the ruthless world of high-school cliques in a comedy that’s still painfully recognizable two decades later. “On Wednesdays, we wear pink” is basically universally known these days.
Editor’s note: These age groups are suggested starting points, not official ratings. Some older movies contain language, stereotypes, scary scenes or mature humour that may surprise today’s parents. The Goonies, for example, is recommended for ages 10+ by Common Sense Media, while Mean Girls is better suited to older teens. It’s worth checking content guidance before pressing play.
