7 Family Movies to Lift Your Spirits

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It’s January, and that means much of the country is cooped up indoors. They’re dreaming of warmer days, watching the world through frosted windows and, perhaps, stepping outside for a quiet walk in the snow.

They’re also – of course – watching movies. January is a strong month for families looking for wholesome entertainment. There’s a series of popular animated films, a new uplifting documentary, and even a family-friendly detective adventure.

Here are seven family movies worth watching this month:

Ainsley McGregor Mysteries: A Case for the Watchmaker (Great American Family/Pure Flix) \– A former criminologist hoping to settle down in the tranquil town of Sweet River with a new career instead finds herself pulled back into a murder investigation. Her peaceful plans unravel when a book club member reopens a cold case involving a man who was murdered years earlier over a rare antique watch. Candace Cameron Bure stars in the lead role. It’s the third installment in the Ainsley McGregor series.

It’s Not Like That (Wonder Project) – A widowed pastor raising three children navigates grief, single parenthood, and the daily demands of leading a church when he reconnects with a newly divorced mother of two teenagers. As their families grow closer, both must wrestle with whether their connection is simply friendship – or a new love story. This eight-episode series launches Jan. 25.

Despicable Me (Netflix) – The world’s most lovable “supervillain” hatches a plot to steal the moon, but watches as his heart is transformed when three orphaned girls unexpectedly become part of his life. This Illumination/Universal film launched a beloved franchise but – incredibly – didn’t even receive an Oscar nomination. (Toy Story 3 won that year.) Steve Carell voices the lead character, Gru. Rated PG for rude humor and mild action.

Despicable Me 2 (Netflix) – The adventure of villain-turned-good guy Gru continues as he’s recruited by a secret anti-villain agency and paired with energetic agent Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig) to stop a new global threat. Gru also finds a wife. This 2013 movie was nominated for two Oscars – Best Animated Movie and Best Original Song – and was the year’s third-highest grossing film. Rated PG for rude humor and mild action.

I Can Only Imagine (Wonder Project) – A young boy growing up in a volatile home finds refuge from his abusive father in music and faith. Years later, as the lead singer of the band MercyMe, he pens the hit song I Can Only Imagine – inspired by his father’s transformation after the latter accepted Christ. This Kingdom Story film was a box office smash and sparked a sequel, which will be released Feb. 20. Rated PG for thematic elements including some violence.

The Lord’s Prayer (Angel) – This uplifting documentary journeys through the Middle East to uncover the meaning of Jesus’ most famous prayer in the very places where they were first spoken. Hosted by Brad Gray with insights from N. T. Wright and other scholars, the film explores each line of the prayer as both a theological truth and a practical call to live out God’s Kingdom in everyday life. Rated PG.

Facing the Giants (Netflix) – A high school football coach struggling in life and on the gridiron decides to rebuild his program by putting faith first. Facing the Giants was the first hit movie by filmmakers Alex and Stephen Kendrick, who went on to release Fireproof, War Room, Overcomer, and The Forge. Produced for just $100,000, the film stunned the industry by earning about $10 million – 100 times its budget. Rated PG for some thematic elements.

Related Article

Wonder Project’s ‘It’s Not Like That’ Delivers Compassion, Grace and Faith, Actors Say

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Monkey Business Images


Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. 

Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.

 

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Larry Elder is an American lawyer, writer, and radio and television personality who calls himself the "Sage of South Central" a district of Los Angeles, Larry says his philosophy is to entertain, inform, provoke and to hopefully uplift. His calling card is "we have a country to save" and to him this means returning to the bedrock Constitutional principles of limited government and maximum personal responsibility. Elder's iconoclastic wit and intellectual agility makes him a particularly attractive voice in a nation that seems weary of traditional racial dialogue.” – Los Angeles Times.

Mike Gallagher Mike Gallagher began his broadcasting career in 1978 in Dayton, Ohio. Today, he is one of the most listened-to talk radio show hosts in America, recently having been ranked in the Talkers Magazine “Heavy Hundred” list – the 100 most important talk radio hosts in America. Prior to being launched into national syndication in 1998, Mike hosted the morning show on WABC-AM in New York City. Today, Talkers Magazine reports that his show is heard by over 3.75 million weekly listeners. Besides his radio work, Mike is seen on Fox News Channel as an on-air contributor, frequently appearing on the cable news giant.

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Michelle Malkin is a mother, wife, blogger, conservative syndicated columnist, longtime cable TV news commentator, and best-selling author of six books. She started her newspaper journalism career at the Los Angeles Daily News in 1992, moved to the Seattle Times in 1995, and has been penning nationally syndicated newspaper columns for Creators Syndicate since 1999. She is founder of conservative Internet start-ups Hot Air and Twitchy.com. Malkin has received numerous awards for her investigative journalism, including the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL) national award for outstanding service for the cause of governmental ethics and leadership (1998), the Reed Irvine Accuracy in Media Award for Investigative Journalism (2006), the Heritage Foundation and Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity's Breitbart Award for Excellence in Journalism (2013), the Center for Immigration Studies' Eugene Katz Award for Excellence in the Coverage of Immigration Award (2016), and the Manhattan Film Festival's Film Heals Award (2018). Married for 26 years and the mother of two teenage children, she lives with her family in Colorado. Follow her at michellemalkin.com. (Photo reprinted with kind permission from Peter Duke Photography.)

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7 Family Movies to Lift Your Spirits

Carbonatix Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Carbonatix

It’s January, and that means much of the country is cooped up indoors. They’re dreaming of warmer days, watching the world through frosted windows and, perhaps, stepping outside for a quiet walk in the snow.

They’re also – of course – watching movies. January is a strong month for families looking for wholesome entertainment. There’s a series of popular animated films, a new uplifting documentary, and even a family-friendly detective adventure.

Here are seven family movies worth watching this month:

Ainsley McGregor Mysteries: A Case for the Watchmaker (Great American Family/Pure Flix) \– A former criminologist hoping to settle down in the tranquil town of Sweet River with a new career instead finds herself pulled back into a murder investigation. Her peaceful plans unravel when a book club member reopens a cold case involving a man who was murdered years earlier over a rare antique watch. Candace Cameron Bure stars in the lead role. It’s the third installment in the Ainsley McGregor series.

It’s Not Like That (Wonder Project) – A widowed pastor raising three children navigates grief, single parenthood, and the daily demands of leading a church when he reconnects with a newly divorced mother of two teenagers. As their families grow closer, both must wrestle with whether their connection is simply friendship – or a new love story. This eight-episode series launches Jan. 25.

Despicable Me (Netflix) – The world’s most lovable “supervillain” hatches a plot to steal the moon, but watches as his heart is transformed when three orphaned girls unexpectedly become part of his life. This Illumination/Universal film launched a beloved franchise but – incredibly – didn’t even receive an Oscar nomination. (Toy Story 3 won that year.) Steve Carell voices the lead character, Gru. Rated PG for rude humor and mild action.

Despicable Me 2 (Netflix) – The adventure of villain-turned-good guy Gru continues as he’s recruited by a secret anti-villain agency and paired with energetic agent Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig) to stop a new global threat. Gru also finds a wife. This 2013 movie was nominated for two Oscars – Best Animated Movie and Best Original Song – and was the year’s third-highest grossing film. Rated PG for rude humor and mild action.

I Can Only Imagine (Wonder Project) – A young boy growing up in a volatile home finds refuge from his abusive father in music and faith. Years later, as the lead singer of the band MercyMe, he pens the hit song I Can Only Imagine – inspired by his father’s transformation after the latter accepted Christ. This Kingdom Story film was a box office smash and sparked a sequel, which will be released Feb. 20. Rated PG for thematic elements including some violence.

The Lord’s Prayer (Angel) – This uplifting documentary journeys through the Middle East to uncover the meaning of Jesus’ most famous prayer in the very places where they were first spoken. Hosted by Brad Gray with insights from N. T. Wright and other scholars, the film explores each line of the prayer as both a theological truth and a practical call to live out God’s Kingdom in everyday life. Rated PG.

Facing the Giants (Netflix) – A high school football coach struggling in life and on the gridiron decides to rebuild his program by putting faith first. Facing the Giants was the first hit movie by filmmakers Alex and Stephen Kendrick, who went on to release Fireproof, War Room, Overcomer, and The Forge. Produced for just $100,000, the film stunned the industry by earning about $10 million – 100 times its budget. Rated PG for some thematic elements.

Related Article

Wonder Project’s ‘It’s Not Like That’ Delivers Compassion, Grace and Faith, Actors Say

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Monkey Business Images


Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. 

Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.

 

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