Inside Out, The Rookie & Lilo and Stitch with Bret Eckelberry

Family movie night sounds simple — but Bret Eckelberry, managing editor and movie reviewer at Plugged In, makes the case that it's one of the most powerful tools in a parent's toolbox. He joins Brian From to talk about why shared screen experiences matter, how to get resistant kids on board, and what movies actually make for great family nights. His picks span the decades: Inside Out for its remarkable ability to give families a shared emotional vocabulary; Toy Story 5 for its surprisingly timely take on screen addiction and the value of real-world friendships (when it hits streaming); and The Rookie, the 2002 Dennis Quaid film about a high school teacher who gets a second shot at his baseball dream — really a story about a man growing into his role as a husband and father. Brian and Bret also tackle the deeper question of whether family movie night always needs a discussion point (short answer: no — sometimes laughing together is the whole point), and Bret confesses the classic family movie he's always been happy to skip. His pick for a family with 8 and 10-year-olds this weekend: the original Lilo and Stitch. Find full reviews and family movie night recommendations at pluggedin.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.