Look, The Sound of Music is an absolute classic with impeccable wholesome credentials and zero content concerns. It's the movie your parents probably made you watch, and you probably loved it... or endured it.

The reality check: this is nearly three hours of 1960s cinema pacing, which means modern kids will find it about as engaging as watching grass grow in slow motion. Yes, the songs are iconic. Yes, Julie Andrews is luminous. Yes, the themes are beautiful. But will your 8-year-old actually sit through it without checking the time every 10 minutes? That's the real question.

If you have a musical-theater kid or you're willing to break this into multiple viewing sessions, it can be a genuinely enriching experience. The wholesome family dynamics, the gentle introduction to WWII history, and the celebration of music and courage are all wonderful. Just go in with realistic expectations about attention spans, maybe have a intermission planned, and don't feel bad if you need to explain that movies used to be... different.