It happens every December. After all the presents are exchanged, feasts eaten and carols sung, everyone is tired and a little bit bored. That's when it's time for a beloved lazy family tradition: watching a movie.
It can be hard to find something that'll satisfy your parents, grandparents and any kids running through the house — especially if you're trying to catch up on new movies you missed this year. That's why PhillyVoice rounded up some of the best movies from 2022 that work for a multi-generational crowd. Best of all? They're available to stream.
The movies are broken down into three categories. First up is movies to watch with kids, aka child-friendly movies you can watch with the whole family. Next on the list is movies to watch with parents, or crowd-pleasing films for adults that won't surprise you with an uncomfortable sex scene or buckets of blood. Finally, we close out with three flicks for a smaller, late-night crowd — movies to watch after grandma goes to bed. They're not graphic, but they might have a few more off-color jokes or brutal punches than your Nana (or Aunt Linda) would appreciate.
Get ready to enjoy family movie night, or, if you really went nuts at dinner, a nice nap:
What to watch with a bunch of kids
Turning Red
Streaming on Disney+
A Pixar coming-of-age tale with a fantasy twist, "Turning Red" follows 13-year-old Mei Lee. A dutiful daughter and student with devoted friends, Mei thinks she has it all figured out. But then one night, she transforms into her ancestor Sun Yee's favorite animal: a red panda. Mei discovers she only morphs into the giant, furry creature when she's extremely stressed or upset, and that this unusual affliction runs in her family. Her mother plans a ritual to reverse the curse, but in the weeks leading up to the ritual and a concert featuring Mei's favorite boy band, she struggles to keep her conflicting feelings in check.
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Minions: The Rise of Gru
Streaming on Peacock
"Minions: The Rise of Gru" marks the fifth installment in the wildly popular "Despicable Me" series. This one continues the origin story of supervillain Gru and his one-eyed henchmen, the Minions. When the gang double-crosses a supervillain team called the Vicious 6, Gru is kidnapped and held hostage. The Minions must retrieve a magical stone they stole (and then lost) to free Gru and save his life.
Enola Holmes 2
Streaming on Netflix
Sherlock Holmes' kid sister is back in this YA mystery. After stumbling upon a viscount on the run in her first outing (2020's "Enola Holmes"), Enola takes on her first official case as a professional detective. It involves a missing factory worker Sarah Chapman, inspired by the real-life strike leader of the 1880s. Meanwhile, Sherlock struggles to solve a government blackmail case. Are the two stories linked? There's only one way to find out.
What to watch with parents
Ticket to Paradise
Streaming on Peacock
Two megawatt movie stars (George Clooney and Julia Roberts) trade barbs in this destination rom-com. David and Georgia are bitter exes who reluctantly join forces to break up their daughter's whirlwind engagement and impending wedding in Bali. But as hijinks ensue, sparks start to fly.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Streaming on Netflix on Dec. 23
Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is summoned to the private island of tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton), who has assembled some of his oldest friends for a murder mystery party. But when someone actually winds up dead, Blanc must investigate each of the guests, including a model-turned-sweatpant designer (Kate Hudson), a scientist (Leslie Odom, Jr.), a governor eyeing a Senate run (Kathryn Hahn), an aggro YouTube celebrity (Dave Bautista), Miles' former business partner (Janelle Monae) and various assistants (Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline).
Kimi
Streaming on HBO Max
Most of "Kimi" takes place in one apartment, making it an extremely relatable pandemic thriller. Angela (Zoe Kravitz) is a tech employee who works from home, listening to audio captured by an Alexa-esque device called Kimi. When she hears a potential crime, she stumbles into a massive corporate cover-up that forces her to confront her agoraphobia and leave her home for answers.
What to watch after grandma goes to bed
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Streaming on Showtime, or Hulu, Amazon Prime or Paramount+ with a Showtime add-on
As the title would suggest, this indie hit has a little bit of everything. Part martial arts movie, part wacky comedy, part romance, part moving mother-daughter drama, "Everything Everywhere All at Once" is seemingly just the story of Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh), a Chinese immigrant mom disconnected from her husband (Ke Huy Quan), queer American daughter (Stephanie Hsu) and difficult father (James Hong). But when she shows up at the local IRS office to settle an audit of her laundromat, she discovers she's actually part of a multiverse full of different Evelyns with different stories. She must tap into their skills and lived experiences to reconnect with her family and save the world.
The Banshees of Inisherin
Streaming on HBO Max
Normally, a period piece set in Ireland is total grandma bait — but this one is from writer-director Martin McDonagh, who has a pretty dark sense of humor and also a tendency to swear. This movie opens with clueless Pádraic (Colin Farrell) learning his best friend Colm (Brendan Gleeson) no longer wants to speak with him. The more Pádraic presses, the more extreme Colm gets, eventually threatening to chop off his own fingers. There's also a cute donkey and a bunch of nosy townspeople filling out this funny, tragic story of simple guy spiraling over sudden change.
Emily the Criminal
Streaming on Netflix
This crime thriller starts small. Emily (Aubrey Plaza) is a food service worker just looking to make extra cash to pay her student loans when she hears of a shady work opportunity. The job? Buy a TV on a stolen credit card and get $200. Initially appalled, she pulls it off and comes back for more. But as the cons get bigger and more dangerous, Emily struggles to maintain the delusion that she's just another struggling millennial working a temp job — and not a budding crime boss.
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