Thanksgiving treats

Look beyond the best-selling rentals for suitable family viewing | Andrew Coffin

As often as not, holiday gatherings at some point involve a trip to the video store. Once the Thanksgiving feast is consumed, the requisite walk taken, and the dishes scrubbed, more than one family looking for a way to relax together will send a delegation to the neighborhood Blockbuster.

Once in the store, the challenge lies in selecting a movie that will appeal to—and be appropriate for—the entire family. No small task, this.

Families are well-advised to look beyond what the rest of the country is watching. For even though "family" movies are well-represented in the recent top five on the rental charts, few provide suitable family entertainment.

The list, in order of rank: Swordfish, Shrek, The Animal, Dr. Dolittle 2, and Cats and Dogs. Of these, only Swordfish (rated R, with brief nudity) is targeted specifically at adults, although it's clearly been crafted with the mindset of a 12-year-old. This preposterous cyber-thriller starring John Travolta is interesting only because of several now-eerily relevant plot points.