Teen Scene: 3 movies to help the stuffing go down

You ask your parents to go out with some friends and they quickly answer no without a moments pause to consider the request. "This is family time," they tell you. Great -- family time just when you get a break away from the hell gates of school.

But, just because your time has to be spent with your out-of-date grandparents or your annoying little cousins, doesn't mean you can't enjoy yourself. You might as well make the best of things, right?

In order to please the tired chefs and the rambunctious children simultaneously, opt to rent a couple movies. I know you're thinking, "I'm crazy -- how can you please everyone at once, it's almost impossible." But, with these suggestions you're almost guaranteed success.

If you're looking for a cutesy, comical flick, pick up the chart topping "Finding Nemo." Parents will appreciate its humor while kids will dazzle at its animation and adventure. Teenagers, you'll like it, too, trust me.

The movie details Nemo, a boy clownfish and his overprotective father who must embark on a great adventure through the ocean waters in order to recover his son who was stolen from his coral reef home and put into a dentists fish tank in Sydney, Australia. Marlin, the father, voiced by Albert Brooks, meets a forgetful fish named Dory, voiced by Ellen DeGeneres, who tags along for the journey. Meanwhile, back in Sydney, Nemo and his new tank friends plot a scheme to escape.

This animated adventure will bring fun and laughter to the entire family. According to a conducted online survey, user ratings show a whopping nine out of 10 star favorite and users have it ranked as the 94 best movie of all times.

If "Finding Nemo" doesn't intrigue you, then try the action packed "Spider-man." Peter Parker (Toby Maguire) was orphaned at a young age and lives in Queens, N.Y., with his Aunt May (Academy Award nominee Rosemary Harris) and his Uncle Ben (Academy Award winner Cliff Robertson). Peter lives an ordinary high school life, obsessing over the ever-popular Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), until the day his class takes a trip in which they are given a special demonstration on spiders and Peter is bit by a genetically altered spider.

Soon after, Peter discovers his strengths and powers and uses them to fight crime. Along his quests to save the lives of people and better his community, his own infatuation, Mary Jane, gets into a bit of trouble herself. Spider-man, as Peter titles his occupation, saves Mary Jane multiple times and finds her appreciation in a sweet kiss one night.

This PG rated action flick catches the eye of all age groups with its "on the edge of your seat" scenes, sweet romances, and the unrealistic sense of superheroes and make believe villains as well.

If you are in search of a more classic film, one that will really make you feel thankful for the things you have today, rent the holiday classic, "It's a Wonderful Life."

George Bailey, a man who grew up in the small town of Bedford Falls, finds himself hopeless and lost one Christmas Eve and contemplates suicide on a bridge. George's life dream was to make something of himself by leaving this small town, but his plans were forever stymied by his father's death, which forced him to stay behind and take care of the family business. When George begins to consider himself a failure, he finds himself on the bridge.

Angels above are watching down on this poor soul and discuss saving him as we see his whole life in a flashback. Just as George is about to jump, Clarence, a guardian angel, rescues him physically and mentally by preventing the jump and showing him what a truly great person he is and just how wonderful his life is as well. Clarence gives George a peek into a world where he never existed and just how much of a difference he made in the community and in individual lives of people in his neighborhood.

These three family movies are guaranteed to not only entertain, but bring the family closer as well. Whether you're in search of a comedy, action, or a classic, renting a movie will sure lift those family time blues over this holiday weekend.

Katie Moon is a senior at Lely High School and an intern at the Daily News.