An Affair To Forget

When I want to be alone I take a bath. Generally this works for about five minutes until Caroline's mermaid senses go all tingly and the next thing I know she has materialized from under the bathroom door and executed a neat swan dive as she enters the tub with me. Then Edward will wander in, look at us in surprise and say, "Oh, are we taking a bath?" and he'll plunge in too. That's when I climb out because bathing with three people in the tub is not really alone. Sure the butcher and the baker did it, but did Garbo? No.

When Steve wants to be alone he remodels part of the house which is further proof that Steve is much smarter than I am and not only because he understands which way to turn the wheel when he wants to back up to the left. Not only does no one strip off their dinosaur pants and climb into a construction zone with him but it is hard to prolong even the lengthiest bath much past an hour whereas the basement project alone took Steve two years. Two years of throwing up his hands apologetically and saying, "I would [whatever] but I have to flange the binnacles; unless you don't care if the toilet downstairs flushes... ?" And when I hastened to assure him that, yes, I do prefer those new flush toilets that everyone is talking about he said, "Well then I guess you'll have to [whatever] without me because those spy sprockets aren't going to monkeywrench the panel slotters all by themselves."

I mention this because Steve was without a project for almost a year and he started to get sort of twitchy and that's why this corner of our basement that used to be a good place to throw things we don't use but might want later (like the microwave with the broken door and the antique phone from Steve's grandparents' house in Ohio) is now painted burgundy and smells like popcorn. It's our new place to watch TV and although my intial reaction was Oh my god, really? Another place for Edward to watch television? I have to admit it has been pretty fun. We started Family Movie Night and at least once a week all five of us crowd onto beanbag chairs and fight over what to watch

[What is WRONG with these people? How can you NOT want to watch Tangled over and over and over and over again? It's awesome. That song? In the boat? With the floating lanterns? I LOVE THAT SONG]

Inevitably Patrick asked to invite some people over so that he could have Friend Movie Night (Patrick takes after his father in that he loves to entertain and doesn't quite get that hospitality is not manufactured wholesale by elves any more than clean towels are but fine) and after saying for the past six weeks, sure, we should do that some time I surprised the hell out of myself by saying ok how about Saturday?

Patrick made up a guest list that included every boy in his class but one and when I pointed out that he couldn't just not invite one kid he was horrified and said, "Oh I didn't mean to forget HIM. Of course we have to invite HIM. And all the girls too I guess."

So we have invited Patrick's entire fourth grade class (plus a very good non-school friend) for pizza and a movie at our house in two days.

These are my questions for you:

1. aaaaaarrrrruuuuugh

2. If I have a sufficient quantity of cheese pizza, water and lemonade and I make a giant salad and chocolate chip cookies do I need anything else except popcorn?

3. What? Movie? Should? They? Watch?

They are 9-10 year olds, boys and girls. I have only met a couple of parents and am anxious not to offend anybody by which I mean that I am anxious not to have anyone call me afterward to say, "Lemuel never used the word buttmunch before he was corrupted at your house." So, you know, ix-nay on the seminal Tom Hanks' work Saving Private Ryan I mean Bachelor Party. Also I don't want it to be something they have all seen so often that they get bored and wander into the rest of the house to set fires in wastepaper baskets - that's Caroline's job.  

Please (please please) advise. Also if you want to come over and help I will be able to excuse myself and take a bath. Just saying.

Comments

[sage]

Mr Bean's Holiday? Matilda? Macgyver? A medley of all three. Return of the Jedi?

[Jesabes]

The Hangover?

(I am NO HELP. My oldest child is 2, so all I've got is Toy Story 3 and The Princess and the Frog.)

[Kristi]

The first Star Wars!

I have on clue. Kids are super different. Mine is 6 and we don't let her watch anything but some of her friends are watching crazy PG13 movies.

So, yea. I bet other people will have awesome ideas :)

[Trisha]

2. Pizza, water, lemonade, salad, cookies, and popcorn sounds perfect. I absolutely would NOT add anything else. Simplicity is key, here.

3. So I guess "Tangled" is out? Wow, I've got nothing for this one. I'd be inclined to stick with an animated option. The Phineas & Ferb "Across the Second Dimension" is awesome and smart but only an hour long - so probably not. Hopefully the rest of your commenters will do better!

[me7c7v]

Coraline or Spirited Away--both really really good

[Jeannie]

The Princess Bride! An oldy but still good, with something for everyone!

[Adrienne]

Do an oldie but goodie- Bedknobs and Broomsticks? Original Herbie? Would you have to prescreen those? I wonder...

[Teri]

My kids are 12 and 7, and their faves right now are Buffy the Vampire Slayer the Musical (season 6!) and Singing in the Rain. Which is to say that I am no help to you at all. I like the Star Wars idea, though!

[Betsy]

My vote goes with Princess Bride -- you can't lose with that movie.

[Kate]

Either of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies would be perfect!

[Julie313]

My kids are younger ( two are 7 and two are 4), but they love Despicable Me. I will sit with them and watch it twice in a row because I love it, too (and sometimes the day just calls for two movies in a row!)!

[Christine]

I'd second the Miyazaki films- spirited away, castle in the sky, cat returns, how'll moving castle. Maybe the Diary of a wimpy kid movie? Wallace and Grommit?

[Linda]

Mars Needs Moms?

[Andrea]

Gosh-I have never commented before but I second "Spirited Away" and would like to add "Howl's Moving Castle", both movies are visual feasts and are perhaps something that the children may not all have seen a million times. Also "Jumanji" is pretty awesome and perhaps old enough that it is off the radar? I'd like to add that you are AWESOME for agreeing to host an entire 4th grade class for no better reason than Patrick's desire to break in the new family movie room with 20(?) of his closest personal friends. Yay you! Have fun!

[Beth]

The menu sounds absolutely perfect.

The Princess Bride is a great suggestion.

Another old one: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1950s, I think). Most of them won't have seen it and it is unobjectionable, a little scary (giant squid attack!), and they can laugh and joke at how old school it is.

[MsCellania]

The old Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory never fails to impress guests. Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka is sly and amazing, the kids are ridiculously naughty and the whole thing is unbelievably great. I would also have something for the kids who won't eat pizza; one of mine will not. Maybe those dinosaur chicken things from Costco?
I have gobs of kids over here all the time. Sometimes we do a taco bar, sometimes baked chicken and mashed spuds (again, the Costco spuds) and a big salad. Always popcorn, only water. Sodas end up more on the floor, less in the stomachs. Good Luck - it will be fun.

[MsCellania]

Coraline is too scary for some kids. The old Herbie is great. We still watch that. Another fun one is Bedtime Stories but there are a few inappropriate parts, if I remember right. I have been known to select the movie based on how short it is, too....

[suz]

I showed The Princess Bride to my kids because it is one of my favorite movies of all time and it was a little more, ah, grown-up, than I remembered. Some of the language was a bit much.

My kids (girl- six, boy- nine) both like Phineas and Ferb the movie. Heck, even I like it.

Also, the Tangled boat song is awesome. My daughter agrees.

[sweetcoalminer]

A few episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender? (the cartoon, not the horrible movie). Has for both boys and girls.

[Carrie]

The Neverending Story, Flight of the Navigator, The Great Race, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World...

[Carrie]

Ghostbusters

[Lippy]

I love Tangled, so pretty. The scene of the King and Queen as they get ready to release the lanterns, and she touches his face??? I die every time. Anyway, Princess Bride is awesome, what about Goonies? Or Tremors??? There is a ton of smoking and swearing, but...mmm probably not. The food sounds perfect.

[a]

Why don't you ask Patrick? He seems to never be short on the correct answers...and he's probably in tune with what his friends like.

[Jane]

Bugsy Malone!

[Darlene]

My kids are around Patrick's age and they all love The Wizard of OZ and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The kids may not have seen those. You could choose 3 movies and then have the kids vote. Good luck!

[Liz]

Ponyo!!!!

[deadkat]

I vote Matilda. It's a great movie and boys and girls like it pretty equally. (Although I'm not sure if it's a boy-girl party but I don't see why not.)

[Melanie]

Do kids these days eat salad? (I definitely didn't when I was a kid). Sounds unnecessarily complicated and takes up too much space on the plate. I'd do pre-cut baby carrots with ranch dressing.

[Taxmom]

Delurking to say "Secret of Roan Innish"?

[Liz]

The first Harry Potter? Curse of the Were Rabbit? Time Bandits? Baron Munchausen?

Ooh! Jason and the Argonauts!

[Jocelyne]

My kids adored The Dark Crystal. Again, going with vintage movies for novelty value.

Or maybe one of the original Muppet movies? Of course, you can't go wrong with Star Wars. I have lost count of how many times they've seen them.

Adding to the list of Miyazaki, don't forget Kiki's Delivery Service.

Oh. Or has Patrick seen The Secret of Kells? It's the sort of very odd movie that mesmerizes some people.

[Endoandbeyond.wordpress.com]

I second Melanie's comments re: salad and have baby carrots instead. Maybe some fruit like grapes or apple slices.

As for movies...I heard from a 9 year old that Rango is good. I love Wallace and Gromit. What about ET or Swiss Family Robinson? I used to watch CondorMan over and over when I was a kid.
I personally love Wall-E, Monsters Inc and Toy Story...but maybe they have they seen all of those as they are older films.

[Toni R.]

What about The Last Starfighter.

[Jess]

I second (or third, rather) the Princess Bride, we watched that for the first time at a school movie day in 5th grade. The Labyrinth was also a good one for both sexes.. What does Patrick think? He seems like a pretty intuitive kid.

[Elin]

What about a vintage Peter Sellers - The Mouse that Roared? Or the Ladykillers with Alec Guiness and Peter Sellers.

[cheyenne]

Spy Kids? I seem to remember it being pretty good. Or Goonies..

[Kate]

How To Train Your Dragon is great. I also vote the Princess Bride.

[Jen]

I second Melanie's comments re: salad and have baby carrots instead. Maybe some fruit like grapes or apple slices. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Court_Jester

[Beth]

Princess Bride was a huge hit with our 7 - 12 year old crowd. Well, 7 - 42. We also had a good family night with Beastmaster -- the kids loved the story, the adults roared with laughter.

[Lisa]

I third the suggestion of carrots (even without dip) over salad. Ghostbusters gets my movie vote ... or, has anyone mentioned E.T.?

[Hetty Fauxvert]

The salad thing is just leaping out at me. I must say, it's a rare 9 y.o. who will voluntarily eat salad! I think I'd go with some baby carrots (maybe with ranch dressing, if your movie space is easily cleanable) and some grapes or apple slices.

Movie . . . my inclination is toward the first Star Wars. Pretty exciting stuff, and they're probably not old enough to pick out the more glaring factual errors. (Love those NOISY explosions in space! LOL!) I love Princess Bride, but I think some of the language is not too coarse, but too complicated for a lot of kids that age. (Though I could be wrong on that.)

[Heather G]

Back to the Future? Raiders of the Lost Ark? Home alone?

I find they tend to have seen all the animated ones over and over.

Don't get Ace Ventura like I did for a movie night. All they talked about for the next week was the woman being a man.
Good luck.

[Toria]

These are all the DVDs I own that I'd consider suitable for that age group, but my only kid is the twinks age so I am just guessing.

Willow
Princess Bride
Labyrinth
Dark Crystal
Star Wars
Last Starfighter
Neverending Story
National Treasure?

Animated:
Anything Pixar
How to Train Your Dragon
Bolt
Over the Hedge
Any Wallace & Grommet
Tangled

and no salad ;)
Good luck!!

[MomVee]

The Iron Giant. And I agree with the suggestion to substitute baby carrots for salad.

[Sara]

I'm with the carrot people - ditch the salad and do carrot sticks (maybe with dip - but it is messy). You could add celery, there will probably be one or two kids who eat it with dip.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? I was thinking Big, but I think there might be inappropriate stuff. They are probably too young to understand the back story in Grease, right? Maybe an Indiana Jones? Those have guns...I'm no help either.

[Debra]

My daughter is in 4th grade and her advice is "plenty of popcorn" because once the popcorn runs out, the kids will lose interest in the movie and start playing manhunt in your house.

[Linda]

VideoETA.com

We use it at the library to plan Family Movie Night. It seems that the newer the movie, the better the attention span.

Though we just introduced Animaniacs, the TV show to our 10 year old and he is head over heels for it. I'll get him some of the Animaniacs movies once we've worked through a season (Which you can probably check out at your library too!)

[Rachel]

What about Goonies? Or my nephews were recently very entertained by Cloak and Dagger (streaming on Netflix). Sometimes old school is a nice change...

[KimN]

I was going to say The Neverending Story as well, but it can be a bit scary.

[Melody_NC]

I definitely recommend checking out any movies that you're considering on one of the parent guide movie sites. I played Goonies recently for my girls (almost 8) and had forgotten how much profanity is in that movie (used both by adults and kids). Oh, the 80s where I guess it was ok for your child to swear like a sailor. Yowza. I love that movie though and told my DH what in the heck were they thinking. This is a kids movie, I don't think using expletives was really necessary to move the plot along.

Absolutely love some of the suggestions you've received (Princess Bride is on my list for all time favorite movies) but I wouldn't feel comfortable showing a PG movie to other children without their parents' permission. Parental guidance and all that. I'd stick to the G rated ones.