Diksha Sundriyal
The Motion Pictures Association of America defines the PG-13 rating as one that strongly advises parents against potential material that may be unsuitable for children under 13. Within the scope of that definition, we think it would be safe to assume that close to 60% of the films that are released each year are rated PG-13, clearly implying that a majority of our favorite films could fall under the rating’s purview.
While the criterion in itself is vast, it is able to encompass more than a few popular and latest films. The G and PG-rated films are reserved for mostly animations, children-centered movies, and Disney features, whereas the R-rated films are for the more serious. The remaining movies can potentially fall anywhere under this spectrum, but it turns out that quite a lot of those find themselves in the PG-13 category. But that, by no means, discredits the film. Plus, let’s be honest, they can be the perfect respite after a hard day, and isn’t that the point of movies?
27. Uglies (2024)
‘Uglies’ is set in a dystopian future where beauty standards have taken over class distinction. Every person is given a pretty face at the same age and it alters them in ways more than one. In such a world, we follow Tally (Joey King), who is given the chance to be free rather than beautiful. However, freedom has its price, one that Tally may not be ready to pay. Divided between people she should be with and wants to be with, she is faced with a choice that can make her or mar her forever. Based on Scott Westerfeld’s eponymous novel, ‘Uglies’ is a binge-worthy drama that falls under Netflix’s umbrella of VFX-infused sci-fi. You can watch it here.
26. Candy Jar (2018)
‘Candy Jar’ revolves around high school student Lona Skinner and her nemesis, Bennet Russell. Lola and Bennet cannot stand the sight of each other and make their hatred clear whenever they get a chance. However, when the position of the debate team president comes into question, both give it their all as it will look good on their college applications. Although they don’t want to work together, the principal forces them to be co-presidents. Working together for the first time, their relationship takes a sudden turn, and with much in common, there is a hint of a budding romance. You can watch the movie here.
25. Dumplin’ (2018)
Danielle Macdonald stars as plus-size teen Willowdean “Will” Dickson, who is addressed as Dumplin’ by her mother Rosie (Jennifer Aniston). Rosie is one of the core members of the committee that plans the town’s beauty pageant content. So naturally, Rosie is all about good shape, which takes the form of a brick in the mother-daughter relationship. Complications multiply when Will makes up her mind to take part in the contest as a form of “protest in heels.” Will she win the pageant? Will it solve her issues with her mother? ‘Dumplin’ carries a powerful message about body positivity and confidence and makes for a memorable watch. You can stream the movie here.
24. Always Be My Maybe (2019)
A lovely love story, ‘Always Be My Maybe’ is the story of two childhood friends- Sasha and Marcus, who have grown up as neighbors and were great friends. However, they have fallen out since then, and when the film starts, they have not spoken to each other for around 15 years. But one day, a chance meeting brings them back to each other’s lives.
Marcus now performs in a local rock band, whereas Sasha is a renowned chef. The two old friends come across each other suddenly, and they hit it off quite well. While Marcus does have a girlfriend called Jenny, he admits to his father that he has once again developed a soft corner for Sasha. The only problem is that the chef has recently met someone she is in love with. The film is hilarious, well-written, and tries to come up with something different from the regular romantic comedies that we often get to see. You can stream the film here.
23. To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)
This romantic teen comedy is the perfect respite after a long day. We see Lana Condor as Lara Jean, a high school junior who has written letters addressed to all the boys she has had a crush on. But she has never sent them out. So, naturally, her worst nightmare comes to life when, one day, the boys start confronting her with the letters. Soon, one thing leads to another, and she ends up in a fake relationship with one of her former crushes, Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo). The movie deals with how the two come to terms with their emotions, and it must also be noted that the film was one of the most popular releases of the year. You can watch it here.
22. Athlete A (2020)
Although the whole world reveres USA Gymnastics, there have been rumors about dark secrets lurking underneath the shiny exterior. ‘Athlete A’ is an incredible documentary that sheds light on these rumors and follows a group of investigative journalists from The Indianapolis Star as they explore the allegations against then-CEO Steve Penny. The documentary also delves into the murky interior and examines how Larry Nassar was sexually assaulting young female gymnasts. Feel free to check it out here.
21. The Half of It (2020)
‘The Half of It’ is a beautiful coming-of-age comedy where we meet Ellie Chu, a very reserved student who lives with her widowed father. Paul Munsky, who is on the football team, asks for her help in writing a love letter to his crush, Aster Flores. Although Ellie initially has reservations about doing it, she eventually agrees and even sets them up on a date. The rest of the movie follows Ellie as she tries to understand her own feelings.
The plot champions the LGBTQ community and is a step forward in the right direction. It handles some rather heavy themes, such as sexuality, love, and faith, and gives us a modern twist on it. This is even more commendable when you realize that not many movies out there do what ‘The Half of It’ does for popular culture today. Feel free to check out the movie here.
20. Thunder Force (2021)
Scientist Emily Stanton (Octavia Spencer) and longshoreman Lydia Berman (Melissa McCarthy) are estranged childhood friends meeting after a long time in a world threatened by super-powered criminals and psychopaths. While in Stanton’s lab, Lydia inadvertently gets herself injected with a serum that gives her superpowers as well. These, Stanton and her team have been working on for a long time. Together, the two women decide to form a superhero team to fight crime, especially the evil Mayoral candidate William Stevens. The movie is directed by Ben Falcone, who is also Melissa McCarthy’s husband. You can stream it here.
19. Murder Mystery (2018)
Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler are both huge icons of comedy, having had highly successful careers at the top of Hollywood for decades now. Thus, when the two powerhouse performers joined forces for the Netflix original film ‘Murder Mystery,’ audience interest was already soaring high.
In this film, Sandler plays the role of Nick Spitz, a police officer in New York City. His wife, Audrey (Aniston), believes that they have lost the spark in their marriage, and thus, to reignite the same, the two head off to Europe for a vacation. There, the couple comes across a relatively wealthy gentleman at the airport who invites them on his family yacht. Audrey and Nick readily agree and soon find themselves amid opulence they have never seen before. Their joy suddenly comes crashing down when a murder takes place, and they are suspected of being the killers. The pair has to solve the case themselves before things get out of hand. Though the film has nothing new to offer, it is the sheer performance of the two leading actors that makes this film an irresistible watch. You can check it out here.
18. In Her Place (2024)
Maite Alberdi’s ‘In Her Place’ explores an unusual connection between paralegal Mercedes Arévalo and convicted murderer María Carolina Geel (pen name of author Georgina Silva Jimenez). Based on the true story of Jimenez, who fatally shot her lover, the film is a reinterpretation of a story from Alia Trabucco Zerán’s book ‘The Murderers.’ The author’s murder trial was held in Chile in 1955, and the film showcases the same while addressing Mercedes’ obsession with Geel and her life. A rare film that is as captivating as it is bizarre, ‘In Her Place’ can be streamed right here.
17. The Union (2024)
Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry team up for Julian Farino’s globe-trotting action comedy ‘The Union.’ It follows Mike (Wahlberg), a construction worker, who is recruited by his high-school sweetheart Roxanne (Berry) into her covert intelligence agency called ‘The Union.’ Why? So that he, as an outsider and therefore unsuspected, can help her and the Union retrieve a classified list of NATO spies that has been stolen from the organization.
As the two travel the world to find the list, they get pulled into heavy-weight action as other groups of spies and terrorists want the list as well. Meanwhile, Mike and Roxanne begin falling for each other all over again. Can love stick in the middle of heavy fire? ‘The Union’ is a thoroughly entertaining action flick underscored by Berry’s beauty and Wahlberg’s whacky humor. It can be watched here.
16. The Gray Man (2022)
‘The Gray Man’ is an action thriller directed by the Russo Brothers (Joe Russo, Anthony Russo) of ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame’ fame. The movie shows a CIA assassin, Six (Ryan Gosling), who gets his hands on a chip given to him by his dying target, who turns out to be a member of the Sierra program, the same program that Six is a member of. The chip is supposed to contain compromising info about Six’s superior, Denny Carmichael (Rege-Jean Page). Carmichael cannot risk the possibility of Six getting his hands on the intel, so he employs Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans), a former CIA agent, to find Six. Whether Six is able to avoid Hansen and prove Carmichael guilty is what the movie chronicles. You may watch ‘The Gray Man’ here.
15. The Adam Project (2022)
‘The Adam Project’ is a sci-fi adventure movie directed by Shawn Levy (‘Real Steel,’ ‘Night at the Museum’). Adam Reed is a 12-year-old kid (Walker Scobell) who finds his future adult self (Ryan Reynolds) hiding in the garage. The adult Adam is on a secret mission to find his father (Mark Ruffalo), whose death occurred a year ago in kid Adam’s timeline. Once they find their father, they can save the planet. But what they need to accept is that their father is dead and help each other cope with the loss. What makes the journey entertaining for the audience is that the two Adams do not really like each other. This takes the form of funny conversations that take place throughout their journey. You can watch ‘The Adam Project’ here.
14. Rez Ball (2024)
‘Rez Ball’ takes place in New Mexico and centers on the Chuska Warriors, a Native American high school basketball team. After losing their best player to suicide, the team is on the verge of giving up on its chances to win the state championship. However, their coach (Jessica Matten) resorts to the Native roots to help them cope with the sense of loss by embracing the pain and giving their best. The inspiring and heartwarming drama, directed by Sydney Freeland, is based on true events as mentioned in journalist Michael Powell’s non-fiction book ‘Canyon Dreams: A Basketball Season on the Navajo Nation.’ You can watch it here.
13. I Am Mother (2019)
‘I Am Mother’ is set on a dystopian Earth and revolves around a teenage girl raised by a robot named Mother, specially designed to repopulate the Earth. The robot and the girl share an incredible bond rivaled by very few in such a reality. However, the sudden arrival of a stranger and the revelation of alarming news threaten not only their relationship but the future of the planet! You can check out the film here.
12. Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018)
Based on the entertaining and heart-warming stories by Rudyard Kipling, ‘Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle’ revolves around Mowgli, a human child raised by wolves in a jungle in colonial India. Although Mowgli believes the jungle to be his home and lives by the jungle law, he is pretty curious about his human origins. However, when a treacherous tiger, Shere Khan, threatens the law of the jungle and his friends’ lives, Mowgli is forced to step up and face his responsibilities. You can watch ‘Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle’ here.
11. The Cloverfield Paradox (2018)
The ‘Cloverfield’ series is one of the best science fiction franchises out there. Since the first film in 2008, these movies have approached the concept of an alien invasion in a rather refreshing way. They lean towards creating a specific atmosphere instead of concentrating on giant monsters and their destructive abilities via CGI.
In the last and final installment of the series, which acts more like a prequel, we get to know how the aliens managed to enter Earth in the first place. The story is set when fossil fuels are depleting, and the world is on the brink of war over energy resources. In such a condition, the Earth sends a group of astronauts to the Cloverfield Station so that they can attach a particle reactor, which would provide the planet with unlimited energy. Though most are happy with this proposal, some are of the opinion that this would open up wormholes between parallel universes, which can result in attacks by aliens. The film does not match up to the brilliance of its predecessors, but it does provide a rather exciting context to them. You may watch it here.
10. Okja (2017)
If you have watched films like ‘Parasite’ and ‘Memories Of Murder,’ you are already aware that Bong Joon-Ho is one of the most talented directors working today. He has always been quite off-beat while choosing subjects for his films, and when he made ‘Okja,’ he did foray into a more commercial zone. But that does not mean that the movie is just a mainstream one with nothing in its core.
The film powerfully speaks in favor of the conservation of natural resources and makes a case for technology not to attempt to meddle with the natural form of animals. The central character of ‘Okja’ is a little girl called Mija who has been given a scientifically modified pig to take care of by a big company called Miranda Corporation. Little did she know that the company would one day want the pig back to cut its meat and sell it in the market. When they send people to take the pig, Okja, back to London, Mija follows them in order to protect the life of her beloved pet. You may watch ‘Okja’ here.
9. IO (2019)
Margaret Qualley is now well-known for playing the role of Pussycat in Tarantino’s ‘Once Upon A Time in Hollywood,’ but we often forget that in the same year, she also had a starring role in Netflix’s original film. The story of ‘IO’ is set during a time when the Earth has become inhabitable due to excessive pollution. Human beings have had to shift their base to a space station somewhere near the moon of Jupiter.
Out of the few people who are still living on Earth, Sam Walden is a scientist who wishes to reverse this situation by any means possible. She does meet another human being who tries to change her mind. But Sam is adamant that redemption is possible. Despite this desolate landscape where there is no life, she comes across romance, rejuvenation, and a chance to live life once again. The film does have a rather interesting premise and is a must-see. You can stream ‘IO’ here.
8. Enola Holmes (2020)
When you hear the name Holmes, there is no way you don’t think of Sherlock. But Netflix brings in a new, rather welcome, addition to the franchise. In it, Sherlock’s and Mycroft’s younger sister, Enola, commences a search for their mother when she mysteriously disappears on the girl’s 16th birthday. After all, she is the only person who can give her famous brother a run for his money. ‘Enola Holmes’ makes for a great watch when you’re in the mood for something entertaining without it being too heavy. At its core, the film is an uncomplicated mystery, and it does an excellent job of engrossing the viewer. Plus, it also features an ensemble cast of Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin, and Helena Bonham Carter. You can stream it here.
7. The Two Popes (2019)
This biographical drama stars Jonathan Pryce as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the future Pope Francis, and Sir Anthony Hopkins as Pope Benedict XVI. When the Cardinal submits his resignation as the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he is called for a meeting with Vatican City. There, Pope Benedict XVI constantly refused to sign his resignation while hiding some thoughts of his own. Set right after the infamous Vatican leaks scandal, the two have a rather honest conversation about their roles in the papacy. ‘The Two Popes’ is a movie that is as charmingly funny as it is exquisite. It also manages to have pretty graceful conversations around theology, and for this very reason, we feel as though the movie is one that you should watch. You may watch it here.
6. Tick, Tick… Boom! (2021)
‘Tick, Tick… Boom!’ is based on the life of Jonathan Larson (Andrew Garfield), a playwright who passed away on January 25, 1996, one day before his third play Rent would have its preview performance at Off-Broadway. The play would go on to become one of the longest-running plays in the history of Broadway. Directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda (also a Broadway playwright), ‘Tick, Tick… Boom!’ is the name of another of Laron’s three plays (the first one is ‘Superbia,’ and ‘Tick, Tick… Boom!’ is the second, followed by the third and final one, ‘Rent’). The movie throws light on Larson’s life and shows how, at one point, he even reconsidered his career choice. You may watch it here.
5. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
Directed by Rian Johnson, ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’ is a standalone sequel to ‘Knives Out’ (2019), although you need not watch the first installment to understand the second one. We have detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), who arrives at the Glass Onion, the lavish private Greek island of tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton), along with the latter’s closest friends. Bron has invited them for a mystery game, albeit Benoit was not on his list. So who did invite him? However, Benoit solves Bron’s mystery game within seconds, but the real mystery begins when one of Bron’s friends dies after drinking from Bron’s glass. With the cops not arriving till the following day, it is up to Benoit to find out who tried to poison Bron. If you are looking for a murder mystery, look no further than this one that you can stream here.
4. Logan Lucky (2017)
Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Logan Lucky‘ stars three of the most popular Hollywood actors: Daniel Craig, Channing Tatum, and Adam Driver. What’s even better is that all three of them come together to steal money. Jimmy Logan (Tatum) has lost his job, his brother Clyde (Driver) has lost his arm, and Joe Bang (Craig) has lost his life (not dead, just incarcerated). How these three weirdos come together to rob a Speedway is what we find out in this gripping and thoroughly entertaining heist action comedy full of twists. So, to see just how “lucky” Logan really is, you can watch ‘Logan Lucky’ right here.
3. The Dig (2021)
Directed by Simon Stone, ‘The Dig’ is based on the 2007 novel by John Preston. The film is a dramatized account of the 1939 excavation of Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, England, which revealed a ship burial dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period. The film is also set in 1939 and stars Carey Mulligan as Edith Pretty (real person), who hires archaeologist Basil Brown (real person), played by Ralph Fiennes, to look into the burial mounds on her rural estate in Sutton Hoo. The events are set against the backdrop of the impending Second World War and show what eventually happens to the excavation and where the findings end up. An enriching biographical drama underscored by brilliant performances, ‘The Dig’ received five nominations at the 2021 BAFTAs. You can watch the film here.
2. Rustin (2023)
This brilliant biographical drama is based on the life of gay Black civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, who also organized the 1963 March on Washington. It is here that Martin Luther King Jr. took the world by storm with his “I Have a Dream” speech. Directed by George C. Wolfe, ‘Rustin’ shows the struggles undertaken, the obstacles faced, and the heavy strings pulled by Bayard Rustin during his fight for racial equality and civil rights, especially after his homosexuality came to light. Colman Domingo nailed his role as Bayard Rustin, winning multiple accolades and awards for his performance, including an Oscar nomination. The film co-stars Jeffrey Wright, Aml Ameen, Gus Halper, and Johnny Ramey. You can watch ‘Rustin’ here.
1. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022)
Based on Carlo Collodi’s immortal 1883 Italian novel ‘The Adventures of Pinocchio,’ ‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’ follows Geppetto, a woodcarver who makes a wooden puppet, Pinocchio, to cope with his son’s untimely demise due to an airstrike during World War I. A sprite sympathizes with Geppetto and brings the puppet to life. The following adventures of Pinocchio are set against the backdrop of a fascist Italy and incorporate war themes, thereby taking the film to a whole new level.
This, along with Del Toro’s decision to go for stop-motion style animation, makes ‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’ more organic and visually stunning. Despite going through development hell for years, the film finally dropped on Netflix and received worldwide acclaim from critics and audiences. It won the award for Best Animated Film at the Oscars, the BAFTAs, and the Golden Globes. You can watch the film here.
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