I heart movies, especially when they’re fun. Yipee! As I sat in a screening room for the new Jackie Chan/Amber Valletta/George Lopez/Billy Ray Cyrus flick, The Spy Next Door, I couldn’t help but watch the two boys in front of me.

Okay, let me backtrack by saying it’s a total treat seeing movies with the press. You watch with a discerning eye, read the press notes, and marvel at the project as a piece of art. Anyway, there are also no lengthy coming attractions. Yipee! No popcorn or food for that matter (you can tell what my New Year’s resolution is now, can’t ya? Food-free venues are a good thing indeed). Hooray! However, there’s one thing missing from screenings: People!

As in a test audience. As I watched the super fun spy flick featuring a super spy who watches his girlfriend’s three kids while she’s out of town (much to their chagrin, I might add), I also watched the boys in front of me. Their chuckles and reactions were as if they were right on cue. And it was amusing hearing them cringe when a scene got “mushy” and by that I mean two characters kissed.

Anyway, when it comes to watching movies and knowing what you want your kid to watch, I give this film two thumbs up. (Ugh, how trite does that sound?) Check that, I give it a silver star to the top of the Empire State Building and back again!

It’s fun watching PG films from a kid’s perspective but quite daunting to wonder what they can and should see at a young age and what they shouldn’t. I guess that comes along with the territory of parenting and when it comes to Hollywood, let’s hope a whole lot of directors and producers continue to put their responsibility cap on and create “clean” and kid-friendly films. In due time they’ll be PG-13 movie-goers and at that time, I suppose the true stress settles in. Until then, let kids be kids and let movies continue to entertain.

What were some of your fave PG kid-friendly flicks? I’m so not a fan of The Wizard of Oz (that witch is SCARY in all CAPS!) so I’ll have to go with Mary Poppins. Ah.

Photo by Lionsgate