A List of The Best Movies for Senior Citizens

Going to a movie theater to enjoy a film has become a much more involved and laborious process than it was in the past—especially for senior citizens who have difficulty getting around and may be hesitant to sit in a crowded, indoor cinema. Thankfully, there are a variety of free and paid movie streaming services and websites that seniors can easily navigate to access films that speak to their generation.

Here are some of the most humorous, uplifting, and entertaining movies for senior citizens to enjoy.

Last Vegas (2013)

Starring acting heavyweights Robert DeNiro, Kevin Kline, Michael Douglas, and Morgan Freeman, Last Vegas is a buddy comedy that plays like The Hangover for seniors. The PG-13 film follows four friends as they relive their glory days by throwing a Vegas bachelor party for their soon-to-be-wed pal.

Hope Springs (2012)

To reignite their years-long marriage, a wife (Meryl Streep) suggests she and her husband (Tommy Lee Jones) visit a renowned marriage counselor (Steve Carell) at a retreat in Great Hope Springs. The PG-13 comedy explores the many chapters of love and shows how romance never grows old.

The Bucket List (2007)

This comical and touching PG-13 story of friendship follows a billionaire (Jack Nicholson) and a blue-collar worker (Morgan Freeman) who have nothing in common except for a terminal diagnosis. As the unlikely pair set out to check-off everything they’ve never had a chance to experience, they realize that it’s never too late to heal, feel, and live life to the fullest.

The Old Man & The Gun (2018)

Robert Redford stars as aging career bank robber and recent San Quentin escapee Forrest Tucker in this PG-13 drama co-starring Casey Affleck as a detective hot on his trail and Sissy Spacek as a new love interest who becomes captivated with his disarming charm.

Book Club (2018)

This wild romantic comedy stars Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen, and Jane Fonda as four members of a book club who decide to read “Fifty Shades of Grey.” Soon the infamously scandalous book begins to affect their relationships in funny and inspiring ways.

Space Cowboys (2000)

This Clint Eastwood-directed action/dramedy co-stars Tommy Lee Jones, James Garner, and Donald Sutherland. The film follows four grounded and retired test pilots who never made it to space until NASA calls on them for a perilous mission to repair an old satellite that only they can fix.

Up (2009)

This heart-warming Disney-Pixar animated film tells the story of grumpy widower Carl (Ed Asner), whose home is being surrounded by big city development. With a collection of giant balloons, he floats his house up and away to visit the places that he and his wife had always dreamed of. Along the way, he meets unlikely friends in a boy scout and a talking dog, who both teach him life lessons about friendship and family. Featuring the voice talents of Christopher Plummer, Up is rated PG.

The Straight Story (1999)

Director David Lynch’s G-rated drama stars Richard Farnsworth as Alvin Straight, a 73-year-old man who needs to travel 750 miles to visit his ailing estranged brother, Lyle (Harry Dean Stanton). With no car or driver’s license, Alvin sets out on his lawnmower to make things right while he still has time.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)

Starring Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy and Dev Patel, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel details the loves, losses, and lives of a group of British retirees who travel to India to enjoy a retirement resort that isn’t quite what they imagined but delivers adventure nonetheless. While The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is rated PG-13, its Richard Gere-starring sequel, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, is rated PG.

Harry Brown (2009)

Michael Caine leads this British crime/thriller as the titular ex-serviceman and widower who visits a special kind of R-rated senior vengeance on the local hooligans who murdered his best friend.

Secondhand Lions (2003)

This coming-of-age film follows a shy, teenage Walter (Haley Joel Osment) who is sent away by his greedy mother to live with his two, wealthy, hermit uncles (Michael Caine and Robert Duvall) on their Texas ranch. Along the way, the curmudgeons raise Walter to be a man while rediscovering their youth through tales of their own fantastical adventures.

Calendar Girls (2003)

After a friend’s husband is diagnosed with cancer, Chris (Helen Mirren) convinces a group of high society English women to raise money by posing nude for their annual Women’s Institute calendar in this comedy co-starring Julie Waters and Penelope Wilton. Calendar Girls is rated PG-13.

Cocoon (1985)

Directed by Ron Howard, this fantasy/comedy follows a group of seniors who discover an alien-created “fountain of youth” inside an abandoned swimming pool next door to their Florida retirement home. Starring Steve Guttenberg, Wilford Brimley, Don Ameche, Jessica Tandy, Hume Cronyn, and Brian Dennehy, Cocoon and its sequel Cocoon 2: The Return are perfect for a Sunday afternoon double feature.

To watch any of the movies mentioned you find out where they are streaming online using JustWatch and The Decider. These free websites let you see what free or paid streaming services are featuring any movie you may wish to watch.

A Picture Perfect Setting for Seniors

At Encore at Avalon Park, our senior residents have access to a full library of uplifting films, both classic and modern that they can view from the comfort of their own living space. In addition to recreational activities, your senior loved one can also enjoy social activities and comfortable accommodations that will remind them of home. See for yourself how our assisted living community can be the perfect fit for your beloved senior. Call us today at 407-270-7500 to schedule a tour.