TL;DR: The Emily Blunt Cheat Sheet
If you're looking for a quick win for movie night, here are the Emily Blunt essentials ranked by "I won't have to answer questions about trauma later" levels:
- Best for Little Kids (Ages 4-7): Mary Poppins Returns and Gnomeo & Juliet.
- Best for Family Night (Ages 8-12): Jungle Cruise and The Muppets (she has a great cameo).
- Best for Tweens/Teens (Ages 12+): Edge of Tomorrow and A Quiet Place.
- The "Wait Until They're Older" List: Oppenheimer, Sicario, and The Girl on the Train.
We’ve all been there. It’s Friday night, the pizza is on the way, and you’ve spent forty-five minutes scrolling through Netflix while your kids argue about whether they want "something with animals" or "something where people fall down."
Enter Emily Blunt. She’s basically the Swiss Army Knife of Hollywood actresses. She can sing, she can do stunts, she can be terrifyingly quiet, and she can play a sarcastic assistant better than anyone on the planet. For parents, her filmography is a goldmine because she has a weirdly high "hit rate" for movies that don't make adults want to scroll on their phones the whole time.
But because she moves so effortlessly between Disney musicals and R-rated psychological thrillers, you have to be careful. You don't want to accidentally click on Sicario when they were expecting Mary Poppins.
Here is the Screenwise breakdown of Emily Blunt’s kid-friendly (and kid-adjacent) catalog.
When your kids are in that phase where a "scary" scene involves a slightly too-loud villain, these are your best bets.
Let’s be real: taking over a role from Julie Andrews is a suicide mission for most actors. But Blunt pulled it off. She’s a bit more "stern British nanny" and a bit less "sugar-coated" than the original, which actually feels more like the books.
- Why kids love it: The animation/live-action hybrid scenes are vibrant, and the songs are catchy enough to be stuck in your head but not so annoying that you’ll regret life.
- Parent Note: It’s a very safe bet. No "brain rot" here—just solid, high-production-value storytelling. If your kids like this, they'll probably enjoy our guide to the best movie musicals for kids.
It’s Shakespeare, but with garden gnomes and Elton John music. Blunt voices Juliet. Is it high art? No. Is it better than watching a weird unboxing video on YouTube for the 400th time? Absolutely.
- Why kids love it: It’s colorful, fast-paced, and has a lot of physical comedy.
- Parent Note: There’s a sequel, Sherlock Gnomes, which is... fine. It’s the "C+" of animated movies. Good for a rainy afternoon when you just need 90 minutes of peace.
This is where Emily Blunt really shines. These movies have a bit more edge, better humor, and actual stakes.
Think Indiana Jones meets The Mummy, but with Emily Blunt and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Blunt plays Dr. Lily Houghton, a scientist who refuses to wear a dress and basically runs circles around everyone else.
- Why kids love it: It’s a total adventure. There are cursed conquistadors, puns (so many puns), and great action sequences.
- Parent Note: It’s a Disney movie, so the violence is very "fantasy" based. It’s a great bridge movie for kids who are starting to grow out of "little kid" animation but aren't ready for Marvel-level intensity.
Blunt plays the Baker’s Wife in this Sondheim adaptation. It’s a mashup of every fairy tale you know (Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood), but with a twist.
- Why kids love it: It’s fun to see all the different stories collide.
- Parent Note: Heads up here. The first half is a classic fairy tale. The second half gets dark. Characters die, people are unfaithful, and the "happily ever after" is thoroughly deconstructed. For kids under 8, it might be a bit much. For kids 10 and up, it’s a great conversation starter about how life isn't always a Disney movie.
Ask our chatbot for more movies that put a twist on classic fairy tales
If you have a middle schooler or a young teen, you’re probably looking for movies that feel "adult" without being inappropriate. Emily Blunt is the queen of the PG-13 thriller.
Also known as "Live Die Repeat." It’s a sci-fi movie where Tom Cruise keeps dying and restarting the same day (think Groundhog Day with aliens). Blunt plays Sergeant Rita Vrataski, aka "The Full Metal Bitch" (yes, they call her that, so be prepared for a little bit of language). She is the ultimate action hero here.
This is a "gateway horror" movie. It’s about a family (Blunt stars opposite her real-life husband, John Krasinski) who has to live in total silence to avoid being hunted by monsters with hypersensitive hearing.
- Why kids love it: It’s incredibly tense. It’s one of the few movies that can actually make a room full of teenagers stop texting because they’re too scared to make a sound.
- Parent Note: It’s rated PG-13 for a reason. It’s scary, and there is some heavy emotional stuff involving family loss. However, it’s also a beautiful story about parental sacrifice. If your kid is asking to watch R-rated horror movies like It or Smile, this is a much better, "safer" alternative to test the waters.
Check out our guide on whether your child is ready for horror movies
One thing to love about Emily Blunt’s characters is that they are rarely "damsels in distress." Whether she’s a nanny, a scientist, or a super-soldier, she’s usually the smartest person in the room.
When you're watching these with your kids, it’s a great opportunity to talk about:
- Gender Roles: In Jungle Cruise, her character is constantly mocked for wearing pants. It’s a funny, low-stakes way to talk to kids about historical norms and breaking them.
- Parental Protection: A Quiet Place is basically a metaphor for the lengths parents go to keep their kids safe in a dangerous world. It’s a heavy topic, but one that older kids can really resonate with.
- The "Business" of Media: Blunt often talks about how she picks roles based on the script, not the paycheck. If you have a kid interested in acting or filmmaking, she’s a great example of a "craft-first" career.
While most of the movies listed above are PG or PG-13, remember that "PG-13" is a very broad category. A Quiet Place is a very different PG-13 than The Devil Wears Prada (which is mostly just fashion-based snark and some light swearing).
If you have a particularly sensitive kid, even the "monsters" in Jungle Cruise might be a bit much. They’re made of snakes and mud and look a bit creepy. Always know your kid's "scare threshold" before hitting play.
Learn more about navigating PG-13 ratings for sensitive kids
Emily Blunt is a "safe bet" for parents because her movies generally lean into high-quality storytelling rather than cheap gimmicks. You aren't going to find a lot of "brain rot" in her filmography.
If you’re just starting out, go with Mary Poppins Returns. If you want to actually enjoy the movie yourself while the kids are entertained, go with Jungle Cruise. And if you want to be the "cool parent" who lets their 13-year-old watch a "horror" movie, go with A Quiet Place.
Next Steps:
- Take the Screenwise Family Tech Survey to see how your movie choices compare with other intentional parents in your community.
- Create a "Watch List" for your kids based on their specific WISE scores.
- Ask our chatbot for a personalized movie recommendation based on your kids' ages