Father's Day is right around the corner and if you're looking for something nice to do for your father on Sunday, here's one very simple and easy option: watch a movie with him. A new survey asked 1,000 movie loving dads what modern classics they would love to share with their kids. Now they've released the list and while it doesn't contain many surprises, it may combine to be the ultimate summer viewing guide.
In order to be considered for the Fandango list, the "modern classic" had to be a film that was released between 1975 and 2010, it had to be an original film or at least the first in a franchise, and it had to be rated G, PG, or PG-13. One assumes this is because if you're sharing R-rated movies with your kids, they're probably not children anymore. Check out the top 25 movies that made the cut.
1. Star Wars2. E.T.3. Jurassic Park4. Forrest Gump5. Toy Story6. Shrek7. Rocky8. Avatar9. The Lion King10. Raiders of the Lost Ark11. Finding Nemo12. Back to the Future13. The Karate Kid14. Home Alone15. Ghostbusters16. The Incredibles17. The Goonies18. Field of Dreams19. Ferris Bueller's Day Off20. Jaws21. Independence Day22. Spider-Man23. Big24. Gremlins25. Iron Man
One of the things that great art, and great pop culture, tend to drive us to do is share it. There's a reason that people don't usually go to the movies alone. Even though you can't speak to the person you're with, you're still driven to share the experience. Such is the case when parents have children. They look back at the things that had a major impact on their own lives, and they want to share those things with the next generation, in hopes that they may share that experience together.
The earliest film on the list is 1976s Rocky, while the most recent is 2008's Iron Man, which closes out the list. In between you have some of the greatest, and most popular, films of all time. Unsurprisingly, there are a number of movies whose plot is built around a relationship between a father and child. The Lion King, Finding Nemo, and Field of Dreams all fit this mold. You can tell what an impact each of these films had by how many of the franchises are still going.
Both Nemo and Independence Day, are seeing sequels this year. Ghostbusters is being rebooted. Raiders of the Lost Ark, Toy Story, and Avatar are all in line for sequels. Seeing Star Wars at the top of the list is far from surprising. There may be no single movie that has had such an impact on an audience. I still remember the first time I saw it, though it was on cable TV, the entire family, including dad, sat down to watch it together, one of the few times that ever happened.
What movies are the ones that you'd like to share with your kids, or the kids you might have one day? Is there a movie that you saw for the first time when your father showed it to you? Let us know your story in the comments.
