By Frannie Ucciferri, Common Sense Media


There's truly something for everyone this Holiday Movie season. Use our guide to decide which movies your family and friends will want to see together over the holidays -- and which ones to skip. And be sure to check back when these movies hit theaters for our detailed ratings and reviews!

Below are the November releases. Check back soon for our detailed ratings and reviews for December!
 


 
Doctor Strange (11/4)
Target age: Tweens and teens

What’s the buzz? Doctor Strange is another addition to the rapidly expanding Marvel cinematic universe (The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy). After his career as a brilliant neurosurgeon ends in horrific car crash, the egotistical Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) begins a journey that leads him to the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) and the sorcerer Baron Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor). Strange must set aside his selfish ways to master the secrets of the mystics and alternate realities to become the next Sorcerer Supreme -- and defeat a powerful enemy. Kids and teens flock to Marvel films for their action-packed adventures; you can expect violence and peril in this one, too, as well as more mysticism and sorcery in what looks to be a darker origin story.




 

Loving (11/4)
Target age: Teens

What's the buzz? Loving is a drama based on the true story of Richard and Mildred Loving (Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga), an interracial couple who fell in love and got married in Virginia in 1958, despite the fact that their union was illegal in the state at the time. After the Lovings are arrested and exiled from the state, their struggle to return to their hometown becomes a larger fight for equality that goes all the way to the Supreme Court. Jeff Nichols' film, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to lots of buzz, looks to be an inspiring celebration of courage and love.




 

Trolls (11/4)
Target age: Kids

What's the buzz? Trolls is a digitally animated musical comedy from DreamWorks inspired by the tall-haired troll dolls but with more funky adventures than '60s nostalgia. The story follows an unlikely pair of troll heroes, the overly optimistic Princess Poppy (voiced by Anna Kendrick) and her grumpy opposite, Branch (Justin Timberlake), who journey beyond their world and face the ugly, troll-eating Bergens. The voice cast also includes the likes of Zooey Deschanel, John Cleese, and James Corden. Some jokes might rely on potty humor or else go over kids' head entirely, but overall Trolls looks like a quirky, family-friendly movie.






Almost Christmas (11/11)
Target age: Teens

What's the buzz? Almost Christmas doesn't appear to stray far from the formula for dysfunctional-family holiday movies: For the first time since his wife's death, Walter (Danny Glover) gathers his whole family together for Thanksgiving, begging them to put aside their fighting for a few days. But it's not long before they fall into chaos, attacking each other with everything from a fire extinguisher to a shotgun. Eventually they find a way to honor their mother and come together in the spirit of the holidays, but probably not before viewers encounter a fair bit of suggestive humor, drinking, and strong language.


 

 

Arrival (11/11)
Target age: Teens

What’s the buzz? Arrival is a science-fiction story that focuses on an expert linguist called in to help communicate with aliens that have landed on Earth. Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is recruited by the government to lead an expedition to investigate the alien vessels and find out whether they come in peace -- or whether humankind is on the verge of a global war. Expect some scariness and action violence.




 

The Edge of Seventeen (11/18)
Target age: Teens

What’s the buzz? The Edge of Seventeen is a high school dramedy about how painfully awkward it is to be a teen. Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld) feels like her life is over when her annoyingly popular older brother, Darian (Blake Jenner), starts dating her best friend, Krista (Hailey Lu Richardson). Nadine feels abandoned by her best friend, as well as by her unsympathetic teacher, Mr. Bruner (Woody Harrelson), and inattentive mother (Kyra Sedgwick), who favors Darian anyway. Teens will likely be drawn to Steinfeld's realistic, brutally honest portrayal of Nadine, which looks like it will be instantly relatable to anyone who's ever felt awkward as a teen. But expect some racy content, including sexual behavior, underage partying, and strong language.




 

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (11/18)
Target age: Tweens and teens

What's the buzz? Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is based on J.K. Rowling's original story about Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), the author of a Hogwarts textbook that describes various beasts and dragons. The movie follows Newt's adventures in New York's secret community of witches and wizards 70 years before Harry Potter first arrived at Hogwarts. As in the Harry Potter movie saga, there may be some action and violence to watch out for as Newt searches for his misplaced magical creatures in the No-Maj (American for "Muggle") world.


 



Moana (11/23)
Target age: Kids

What’s the buzz? Disney's Moana follows an adventurous girl from the Pacific Islands (voiced by newcomer/Native Hawaiian Auli'i Cravalho). Guided by a large, tattooed demigod named Maui (Dwayne Johnson), Moana sails out on an epic quest to become a master wayfinder like her ancestors and save her people. Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker -- the filmmaking team behind family favorites such as Aladdin and The Princess and the Frog -- Moana promises to combine lots of laughs with classic Disney heart to entertain kids and parents alike. But expect some action sequences and monsters that might be too scary for the littlest kids.






Rules Don't Apply (11/23)
Target age: Teens

What’s the buzz? Rules Don't Apply is a romantic dramedy set in Hollywood in 1958. A young, sheltered actress named Marla Mabrey (Lily Collins) arrives in Hollywood under contract to eccentric real-life billionaire/film tycoon Howard Hughes (Warren Beatty). Sparks fly instantly between Marla and her driver, Frank Forbes (Alden Ehrenreich), even though she's Baptist and he's Methodist -- and engaged. Not to mention, Hughes expressly forbids his employees from having relationships with the actresses. Marla and Frank find their beliefs tested not only by each other but by Hughes' own odd behavior and romantic overtures toward Marla. Teens might be interested in the movie's star-studded cast (Alec Baldwin, Matthew Broderick, Annette Bening, Martin Sheen), but expect drinking, kissing, and sexual situations.


 

 

Lion (11/25)
Target age: Teens

What’s the buzz? Lion is based on the incredible memoir A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley (portrayed by Dev Patel), who used modern technology to reunite with his birth family in India after a 25-year separation. After accidentally boarding the wrong train and traveling hundreds of miles from home, 5-year-old Saroo becomes lost on the hectic streets of Calcutta. Eventually, he's adopted by an Australian couple (Nicole Kidman and David Wenham), but he never forgets the family he lost. Decades later, Saroo begins a desperate search, painstakingly piecing together memories, rail maps, and Google Earth images to find his way home. This emotional movie looks like it will be OK for teens, but younger kids might not be able to handle the main storyline of a lost child, as well as the harrowing scenes of young Saroo struggling to survive alone for months in Calcutta.





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Published: November 17, 2016