Watch With Your kids

Some movies are better when you watch them with your kids. Sometimes, your kids will not consider "Duck Soup" or "The In-Laws" because the movies are old, or in black and white, or require some effort. I went through a phase when my kids were little, where I made them watch the best comedies of all time. They still remember Preston Sturges and Andrew Bergman movies as adults.

Other times, it's better to watch with kids because the intensity or subject matter of the movie requires you to help them process the movie. This is a better alternative to not letting them to see the movie at all. First, the kids will see what they will see. Parents can define the aesthetic and moral standards that their offspring will use to process less savory entertainments. Obviously, preview these. I have much broader standards than most parents.

More importantly, the stories in movies like "American History X" are important, and watching children stumble and grow in authentic terms are important to development. "Walkabout" has some shocking moments. But the appropriateness of the R rating is that boys and girls [at least junior high age], should process the movie with Mom and Dad, rather than on their own, or without having experienced the redemptive power of the characters' story.