With schools closed, kids at home and parents navigating the reality of homeschooling, families are facing new challenges right now. One hack is to turn watching TV and movies into lessons of sorts: history, music or even just a lesson about who you used to be and what you used to watch. So this week's family streaming guide is the throwback edition. Because the best options are the ones the whole family (including parents can enjoy).
As a teenage babysitter in the late '90s, I used to bring my collection of VHS tapes to my gigs, and can guarantee that Steven Spielberg's "Hook" is the ultimate kiddie crowd-pleaser. My charges used to beg to watch it every Saturday morning, and therefore, it's probably the film I have seen the most. This "Peter Pan" sequel of sorts stars Robin Williams as the erstwhile Pan, who has to relearn how to be a kid to fight off nemesis Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman). It's a lesson we could all take to heart right now. It's streaming on Netflix now for all your watching and rewatching needs.
Also streaming on Netflix is the goofy '90s Nickelodeon movie "Good Burger" starring "Saturday Night Live" legend Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell (most recently seen on "Dancing With the Stars") as a couple of So-Cal slacker burger jockeys in this spinoff from their teen sketch show "All That." It's supremely silly late '90s slapstick stuff, and may inspire an outbreak of kids parroting Ed's famous line: "Welcome to Good Burger, home of the good burger, can I take your order?" But we could all use a dose of silly right about now, and it's fun to see Kenan's comedy chops as a teen.
There are, of course, some great retro animated and otherwise series to watch too. Hulu has "Sesame Street" streaming, as well as the classic Nickelodeon series "Hey Arnold!" and the Cartoon Network classic "The Powerpuff Girls." The original '80s and '90s "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" animated series is also available for rent on Amazon, and available for free with Amazon Prime is "The Best of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," a gentle show featuring the inimitable Fred Rogers, a TV host who took kids seriously, talked to them with respect and helped them navigate all their challenging feelings.
When it's time for indoor recess, cue up the greatest concert film of all time, Jonathan Demme's Talking Heads documentary "Stop Making Sense," free to stream with Amazon Prime. Consider it a crucial lesson in rock 'n' roll history, and ensure your kiddos will be the coolest kids on the block. Before long, the whole family will be moving, grooving and boogying to the danceable tunes, and David Byrne's singularly unique dancing and singing style will have kids of all ages riveted. If we can't go to concerts, we might as well bring them inside for right now, and a dance break during the day is crucial for staying sane and happy.
