Tweens are a tough crowd. Their taste in movies is more fickle than your mood ring while watching Inside Out. They don’t want to watch anything too babyish, you don’t want them watching anything too mature, and we think they deserve to watch cinema that has taken just as much care in its production as the latest Oscar bait. And that’s where our list comes in.
We’ve scoured the streaming services to curate a list of movies for tweens that will engage not just the pickiest kid, but everyone in the room—including the parents who binge on a strict diet of restricted ratings. From fairy-tale retellings and mystery thrillers to tender portraits of growing up and hilarious peeks into tween social hierarchy, the following 18 standout films are poised to become your preteen’s favorite movies—and yours, too.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Judy Blume—a premier name in the YA genre, 65 years and counting—has raised generations of young women on novels filled with frank writing and subject matter some parents regard as taboo. In Are You There God?, 11-year-old Margaret prays for boobs, her period, and boys to like her. But rather than fall prey to raunch comedy, the film, in the care of director Kelly Fremon Craig, is a tender portrait of growing up that everyone in the room will relate to—even the boys.
Where to watch: Starz
Rated: PG-13
You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah
Parents, you grew up on the silly humor and crass jokes of Happy Madison productions. But your kids? Maybe not yet. Luckily, there is a movie from the Sandman canon you can enjoy with younger audiences. It’s You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, and it’s about two best friends who let a clueless boy drive a wedge between them. A peek into the world of epic bat mitzvahs and growing up in the age of social media, girl politics, and Dua Lipa, it’s a pop-preteen dream with a slappin’ soundtrack to boot.
Where to watch: Netflix
Rated: PG-13
Dora and the Lost City of Gold
The animated show made for preschoolers gets a send-up in the form of a live-action, self-aware adventure flick that follows the bilingual Dora from the comfort of the jungle into the wilds of high school. Now 15 and forced into archetypal hierarchies, Dora does everything she can to fit in. That is until she and her new friends embark on a mission to find Dora’s missing parents and unearth the mysteries of the titular Incan civilization.
Where to watch: Paramount+
Rated: PG
Enola Holmes 2
When we’re introduced to Enola Holmes, played brilliantly by Stranger Things‘ Millie Bobby Brown, in Netflix’s original film, she’s living in her super-sleuth brother Sherlock Holmes’ shadow. In part two, though, Enola graduates to a full detective for hire, teaming up with friends and Sherlock himself to solve her very first case. Fun and twisty, this movie for tweens delivers all the suspense and action you want in a mystery, wittily styled to hold the attention of all ages.
Where to watch: Netflix
Rated: PG-13
Dumplin’
It ain’t easy being the plus-size daughter of a Southern beauty queen, but Willowdean Dixon, aka Dumplin’, ain’t just gonna roll over and go away. Protesting the standards enforced by beauty contests, she signs up for her mother’s pageant and inadvertently starts a movement. A wonderful way to kick-start a conversation about body positivity to the tune of Dolly Parton’s greatest hits, no less, Dumplin’ is a feast for the soul and a celebration of curves, confidence, and country charm.
Where to watch: Netflix
Rated: PG 13.
Cinderella
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s classic fairy tale gets a modern makeover in this 2021 movie musical about a dreamer and the magical night that changes her life. Singer Camila Cabello stars as the titular ballroom belle, with the iconic Billy Porter stealing every scene as her fairy godparent, Fab G. The stacked cast also includes Idina Menzel as the evil stepmother, Minnie Driver as Queen Beatrice, Pierce Brosnan as King Rowan, and Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Robert.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Rated: PG
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Princess Diaries
Anne Hathaway stars in this 2001 comedy as Mia Thermopolis, a typical teen who gets the surprise of a lifetime when she discovers she’s royalty. The Queen of Genovia—who just so happens to be Mia’s long-lost grandmother (and the amazing Julie Andrews)—is on a mission to make Mia fit for the throne, but there are some hilarious hiccups along the way. This is a true classic, so get your kid on board before Princess Diaries 3 comes out so you can enjoy that one together, too.
Where to watch: Disney+
Rated G
The Sleepover
Imagine finding out the woman who makes the best PB&Js ever is actually a former high-end thief hiding in the Witness Protection Program. That’s what happens to siblings Clancy and Kevin. After getting wind that their parents have been kidnapped to pull off one last job with an ex-flame of their mom’s, the two and some of their friends team up for the rescue mission of a lifetime. Comedy, high-octane action, kids with no supervision: It’s Spy Kids for the modern age.
Where to watch: Netflix
Rated PG
Freaky Friday
The body-swap genre is territory well tread. But when it comes to putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, the narrative vehicle is tops. Throw in Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, and you have an undebatable winner. The two play a mother-daughter duo in this movie for tweens—Lohan, a rebellious teen, and Curtis, her uptight mom—who switch bodies after eating a magical fortune cookie. They’ll have to learn to see things from the other’s perspective to set things right,
Where to watch: Disney+
Rated PG.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
Lara Jean Covey writes love letters to her crushes—as a diary of sorts—that are meant to be for her eyes only. When they all get mysteriously mailed out, her crushes confront her one by one, wreaking havoc on her life. If you have the time, complete the wonderful trilogy with the following two romantic comedies that are adapted from the best-selling novels by Jenny Han.
Where to watch: Netflix
Rated: PG 13
Stargirl
An unassuming high schooler finds himself inexplicably drawn to the free-spirited new girl, whose unconventional ways change how they see themselves—and each other. If your family are fans of America’s Got Talent, you’ll recognize Grace Vanderwaal as the angelic-voiced ukulele player who captured Simon Cowell’s heart. And anyone ready for an encore can queue up Hollywood Stargirl, the 2022 sequel—another love letter to those who dare to dream big.
Where to watch: Prime Video
Rated: PG
We Can Be Heroes
A band of kids with extraordinary talents has to fend off an alien invasion after their superhero parents are kidnapped. The team is led by Missy—the only kid with no superpowers of her own. A fun, empowering ride, We Can Be Heroes proves that any kid can shine in their own right—cape or no cape.
Where to watch: Netflix
Rated: PG
Yes Day
A family reconnects for a day of fun and adventure after Mom and Dad promise to say Yes! to anything and everything their kids want in this funny flick starring Jennifer Garner and Jenna Ortega. And consider yourself warned: This is the kind of life-imitates-art stuff that can either enhance your life (Marie Kondo) or haunt you forever (Frozen‘s “Let It Go”). So be prepared for your brood to ask, nay beg, for a yes day of their own. Every day. Until you say the magic word.
Where to watch: Netflix
Rated: PG
Tall Girl
At 6-foot-1… and a half, Jodi Kreyman towers above her classmates and most adults. And lately, her insecurities have grown just as lofty as her height. Used to slouching and sick of taking up space, Jodi is ruthlessly teased by her peers. But when an exchange student moves to campus who’s even taller than she is, she learns to love every inch of who she is—and maybe she’ll even find romance in the process.
Where to watch: Netflix
Rated: PG
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School of Rock
Released in 2003, this Richard Linklater classic sees Jack Black rock out as Dewey Finn, an aging musician who gets kicked out of his band and becomes a substitute teacher at an uptight private school to pay the bills. While there, he teaches his class precocious elementary students to shred and riff like there’s no tomorrow. What ensues is a humorous and endearing movie musical that hits all the right notes.
Where to watch: Paramount+
Rated PG.
Finding ‘Ohana
Parents who love the ’80s classic The Goonies will enjoy this Netflix offering with a similar vibe just as much. A heartfelt gateway adventure for thrill-seeking newbies, it follows a brother and sister from Brooklyn who spend a summer with family in Oahu, Hawaii, and end up on the hunt for glory and gold in the form of pirate’s booty. While searching for their treasure, they reconnect with their heritage along the way.
Where to watch: Netflix
Rated: PG
The Karate Kid
This 2010 remake sees the titular kid practicing not karate, but kung fu. Jaden Smith plays Dre, who butts heads with a bully after he moves from Detroit to Beijing. Jackie Chan plays Mr. Han, the martial arts master who teaches Dre to stand up for himself. And even though the newest addition to the Karate-verse doesn’t include Dre, it does pick up with Mr. Han. So there’s no time like the present to get your tween acquainted with the storyline.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Rated: PG
Hidden Figures
The unsung heroes of space exploration are given their due in this enlightening 2019 gem that tells the story of the team of Black women mathematicians—Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson—who guided the first American astronaut into orbit. Injecting its narrative with authenticity, the film offers a peek into the racial tensions that existed at the time and the terrible treatment Black Americans endured in the workforce. So expect to answer some tough questions.
Where to watch: Disney+
Rated: PG
