by Kristen Bagwell
With 2 little kids, date night is hard to come by. Our daughter is only just getting into movies at age 4, and fortunately our son goes to bed early enough that he doesn't care. My point: if you could make a movie afternoon or evening, with your favorite choices...what would you watch?

I've listed some of the top picks in our house below, taking a few of my friends' points of view into account. What are your go-to movie favorites?

Family Movies
(Remember that some are not appropriate for little kids, and would be more for families with tweens and teens. I have put an asterisk next to ones that I know have a few curse words or inappropriate scenes for smaller kids.)
Shrek (any of them)
Adventures in Babysitting*
The Little Mermaid
Kung Fu Panda
Aladdin
Christmas Vacation*
The Princess and the Frog
The Karate Kid (new and old versions)*
Mrs. Doubtfire*
Charlie& the Chocolate Factory (new and old)
Elf*
Finding Nemo
The Parent Trap (new and old)
Annie
Toy Story
Star Wars*
The Incredibles
The Lion King
Monsters, Inc.
E.T.*
Home Alone*
Mary Poppins
The Sound of Music
Poltergeist (kidding, kidding … just wanted to make sure you were paying attention)

Chick Flicks
Dirty Dancing
Shag
Mystic Pizza
Sleepless in Seattle
Mean Girls
When Harry Met Sally
Pretty In Pink
Twilight Series (yes!!)
Bridget Jones’ Diary (if you have time, you have GOT to read these books. Freaking hilarious!)
Stepmom
Mama Mia (Rachel swears by this one, but the first 20 minutes are a challenge...sorry Rach!)
The Notebook
Steel Magnolias
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

Date Night or Group movies
(Mix of adventure drama, and comedy … some are big time tear-jerkers!)
Big Fish
What Dreams May Come
Knocked Up
Chicago
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
The Hangover (! and II)
It’s Complicated
Wedding Crashers
The Usual Suspects
A Few Good Men
Pulp Fiction
No Reservations
40 Year Old Virgin
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (you have to really commit to this one...it's good, but long)
Casablanca
Dumb and Dumber
An Affair to Remember

OK, your turn! List your movie staples below!