Once upon a time, the Western was the most popular movie genre in all of Hollywood. These movies held generational appeal because families watched them together, and grandparents loved introducing their grandkids to actors like John Wayne and directors like John Ford. While the genre has experienced a resurgence in recent years, most of the newer films are the kind of grim and gritty stuff most parents would never dream of sharing with their children.
Fortunately, returning to the good old days is even easier than you think. There are several family-friendly Western movies available for streaming. Keep reading to discover the best films you can watch with your family in a genre that isn’t quite ready to ride off into the sunset!
8
Back to the Future Part III
Release Year | 1990 |
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Runtime | 1 hour, 58 minutes |
Back to the Future Part III took time-traveling protagonist Marty McFly to one final location for the end of this trilogy: the Old West. The first film trapped him in the ‘50s while the second catapulted him into the far-flung future of 2015. The third and final film has Marty traveling to the past in search of Doc Brown, an eccentric inventor whose time machine has stranded him in the 19th century. He’s settled into his new life quite well, but the arrival of his young friend may once again place their collective future in jeopardy.
What makes Back to the Future Part III work so well is that, despite our heroes being time travelers, the whole thing really does play out like a Western. The film provides everything you’d expect from the genre, including high-stakes, high noon duels and a daring train robbery. It also does so while completing the arcs for both Marty and Doc, making this more than just another family-friendly Western. It’s also the final chapter in what remains one of the greatest trilogies in movie history!
7
Shanghai Noon
Release Year | 2000 |
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Runtime | 1 hour, 50 minutes |
Back in the ‘90s, there was a Western renaissance thanks to the success of movies like Tombstone and Unforgiven. It was also a decade of surprisingly funny Western comedies, including City Slickers and the aforementioned Back to the Future Part III. All of this moviemaking momentum just kept building until we got Shanghai Noon, an unexpectedly breezy buddy comedy that perfectly caps off a decade laughing it up in the Old West.
In this film, Jackie Chan plays a servant of the Chinese Emperor who must travel to America to find a runaway princess. Meanwhile, Owen Wilson plays a gang member abandoned by his gang; with nothing better to do, he decides to help in the quest to help his newfound partner get the girl. The result is a movie whose “East meets West” comedy holds up surprisingly well.
With a perfect mixture of comedy and action (Chan’s stunts are particularly memorable), this film is fit for the whole family. And bringing families together is certainly one of the best ways to get your money out of Hulu.
6
They Call Me Trinity
Release Year | 1970 |
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Runtime | 1 hour, 55 minutes |
It can be hard to introduce children to Westerns because kids enjoy punchlines more than gunfights. Fortunately for families, They Call Me Trinity has plenty of both! In this comedic Western, we follow the strange adventures of even stranger siblings. The titular Trinity is a bit of a scoundrel but one heck of a shot, and Bambino is an escaped convict turned con man. These two are the last characters you’d expect to be heroes, but they’re the only ones that can protect a tiny Mormon settlement from the predations of bandits.
If you’re a fan of the genre, you might worry that the whole “unexpected heroes protect a settlement from evil henchmen” thing is a bit played out. Fortunately, They Call Me Trinity makes this trope feel fresh, thanks in large part to the performance of Terence Hill and Bud Spencer as bumbling heroes with hearts of gold. They’re completely different from the cowboys of old, and that forces audiences to see some of their (admittedly boilerplate) Western adventures through new eyes, which is why this film was popular enough to spawn a sequel.
5
Broken Arrow
Release Year | 1950 |
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Runtime | 1 hour, 33 minutes |
Not to be confused with the killer action movie starring John Travolta and Christian Slater, Broken Arrow is a movie that presents a kinder, gentler vision of the Old West. In this movie, a man played by Jimmy Stewart helps out an injured Native American teenager. He subsequently sets out to learn more about Native languages and culture as he attempts to mediate disputes between a fearful tribe and a white world they have come to see entirely as enemies.
Like most Westerns, Broken Arrow makes for a terrible history film. Every beat of the premise and plot involves imagining a better world, one in which more people emulate Stewart’s character and try to understand Native Americans that others have decried as savages. Accordingly, the movie’s rose-colored vision of a past that never really existed can be a bit cloying at times. But it’s an entertaining romp with genuine feel-good vibes, and it’s worth celebrating as one of the few films from that era that positively portrayed Native Americans.
4
The White Buffalo
Release Year | 1977 |
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Runtime | 1 hour, 37 minutes |
It’s a rookie mistake to think that Westerns never embraced other genres. For example, The White Buffalo is a perfect example of what happens when you combine the Western and Fantasy genres together. In this movie, famous folk hero Wild Bill Hickok (Charles Bronson) dreams about a white buffalo so consistently that he sets off to try to find one during his waking hours. Along the way, he learns plenty about Native American culture thanks to Crazy Horse (Will Samson), his erstwhile friend and guide.
Just as The White Buffalo combines genres, it arguably combines themes. Director J. Lee Thompson wanted to create a Western version of Moby Dick in which a folk legend tangled with a beast almost too powerful to imagine. But themes of revenge and domination of the natural world are tempered by the various lessons Wild Bill learns about the world around him. The fact that the man learning these family-friendly lessons is played by someone (Bronson) best known for the R-rated Death Wish films is just a surrealistic cherry on top.
3
The Magnificent Seven
Release Year | 1960 |
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Runtime | 2 hours, 8 minutes |
If you love Westerns, you want to make sure to show your family the very best. And it honestly doesn’t get much better than The Magnificent Seven, which was created as the yee-haw version of Akira Kurosawa’s classic film Seven Samurai. In this Western epic, a village constantly besieged by bandits sets out to hire an expert gunslinger to protect their town. In turn, he recruits even more talent until they have (you guessed it) seven cowboys ready to throw down with any bandit that crosses their path.
The premise alone is cool as ice water in a saloon. But what gives this film an extra level of charm is that it had an all-star ensemble cast featuring some of the biggest names of the time. This includes Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, Charles Bronson, and more. For those who love the forgotten films of yesteryear, this movie serves as a great gateway to get your children and grandchildren interested in more films starring these iconic actors.
2
The Apple Dumpling Gang
Release Year | 1975 |
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Runtime | 1 hour, 40 minutes |
Most Westerns are very serious. Even the nominally family-friendly ones are full of conniving villains, stoic heroes, and damsels in distress. Luckily, there are some exceptions to the rule, including The Apple Dumpling Gang. The premise of this broad comedy involves a smooth-talking gambler getting conned into raising three orphans. The kids cause all manner of destruction, but all of that pales in comparison to the chaos caused when they discover gold in a mine they have inherited. In its broad comedy and performances, this plays like an older Netflix original in the best possible way.
Those kids are nominally our main characters in The Apple Dumpling Gang, and as child actors go, they’re pretty good. Most of the entertainment, though, comes from the comedic interactions between the adults. In particular, we get some funny stuff from the dynamite duo of Tim Conway and Don Knotts. These two would go on to become legendary leading men in various comedies, but that would never have happened if this earlier movie hadn’t (ahem) found gold by casting them.
1
The Sign of Zorro
Release Year | 1958 |
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Runtime | 1 hour, 31 minutes |
It’s weird to think about now, but Zorro used to be one of the most famous characters in the world. So popular, in fact, that Disney created an immensely popular TV show about this bandit with a heart of gold back in the ‘50s. Unlike many vintage TV shows, this series’ episodes revolved around ongoing arcs. That made it easy to cut them into movies, which is how The Sign of Zorro was created.
Eight episodes of Disney’s hit shows were edited together to create this film. This approach to filmmaking effectively makes this character and his Western adventures more accessible to modern viewers. That’s because the editing helps to trim a bit of the fat off these episodes while also streamlining the ongoing narrative. It also helps draw more attention to the captivating performance from Guy Williams, a veteran genre jumper best known for playing Zorro and for playing the dad in the original Lost In Space.
Far too many Westerns are R-rated affairs not suitable for younger pardners out there. Fortunately, all of these films are suitable for the whole family and serve as proof of how the West was “fun!”
