To ask for film help within the hour?

[Jones3A]

We need a film to watch this evening, me DH and DS. Rare treat as DD8 is out on a sleepover.

My son is 11, he's mature, and he's increasingly keen to watch more adult style films.

He's not easily spooked and not squeamish.

He's seen Shawshank, a few good men, the dark knight, Forrest gump and hacksaw ridge, recently. All with both of us there to talk through the themes and difficult subjects. Some I've slightly regretted after tbh (Shawshank).

DH and I have argued this week because of some of the increasingly adult suggestions of films they're making together, to watch next. I don't mind him watching some stuff that's pushing it a little, but he's only a kid, and there's no rush.

What can we watch tonight that's exciting/challenging enough that he feels it's grown up, without filling his 11yo brain with things he doesn't need to be worrying about yet?

I use common sense media too, really helpful

Master and Commander is great. Hunt for Red October, the Jason Bourne films are too.

We’ve recently watched Romeo and Juliet (Baz Luhrmann) Henry V (Kenneth Branagh) The Truman Show, and Are You there God, It’s me Margaret with our similarly aged son.

We will watch films and skip through a few scenes if it’s something we don’t feel is suitable or the children aren’t ready for.

Enjoy your evening.

Yes we do. He enjoyed the imitation game but was heartbroken with the end, how Turing was treated.

@BettyBardMacDonald my DD has loved Julie & Julia since she was 10 or so, we watched it again recently, it's one of our go to feel good films. DD is 21 now.
Anyone traumatised by sad dog films, NEVER watch Hatchi, I was traumatised

Hatchi was real. Why shouldn't people watch it? If we are going to continue to perpetuate animals for pleasure, why shouldn't they be celebrated? I'm not having a go at you, but people should bloody watch it and realise that animals are not ours for the taking - fuck breeding of any animals!!!

Yeah, I sometimes watch children's films as an adult too, but I wouldn't recommend Frozen or Moana to the OP.

She said: "My son is 11, he's mature, and he's increasingly keen to watch more adult style films."

Harry Potter is a children's book and film series about a boy wizard which most kids will have seen by age 11. It's a stupid suggestion that doesn't fit the OP's criteria.

There is a film with Will Smith in called Concussion if you’ve not seen it. It’s a 12A rating. It’s based on a true story of the doctor who made the connection between dementia and other serious conditions with the constant concussions suffered by NFL footballers, then how he was silenced by the NFL.

I don’t like NFL and it took a lot of persuasion to watch but I found it gripping, a really interesting story.

Zero Dark Thirty with Jessica Chastain (Rated 15) based on the hunt to find Osama Bin Laden and the intelligence officer who put the pieces together is also brilliant, there is a bit of swearing in it but it is very good, not sure whether it might be a bit too mature but it’s really interesting.

The Green Mile centres around the rape and murder of two little girls. I really think for that reason alone, it's not suitable for an 11 year old.

I agree with everyone who thinks the Green Mile is unsuitable for an 11 year old. I'm not sure how recently the people suggesting it have seen it, but a lot of the themes are very troubling even for an adult.

Marley and Me made me ugly cry. Tears pouring down my face for a significant portion of that film!

Napoleon Dynamite or The Peanut Butter Falcon were hits here.

And also has horrific scenes of the death penalty being botched. If my 12 year old watched this and WASN'T disturbed by it I would be concerned! No, it's not a horror, but it's very adult.

ODFOD.

I've watched it with DCs and it's a really good one for early teens - just squishy and scary enough, but really funny and exciting too. It's also a very good natured film - the characters are all likable and there's no sense of people just waiting around to be killed.

I agree with this. The green mile and Philadelphia affected me massively as a young teen. Jaws and Alien didn't at all.

The later films are definitely darker and explore more adult themes. When watching these As a 45 year old I don’t feel like I’m watching a film that is just for children, like Moana or Frozen.

It was just a suggestion which OP is entitled to say thanks but no thanks. No need for the ridicule really