DVD Corner

Family Movie Night Menus Book Review

Dinner and a movie.

“Family Movie Night Menus” is the latest Turner Classic Movies book release from Running Press. This time around famed film critic Leonard Maltin and his daughter Jesse Maltin take up writing duties in this book that pairs 25 movies in chronological order (from 1921’s “The Kid” to 2007’s “Enchanted”) with 25 recipes. Each film is accompanied by a written piece that describes the film, its history and its legacy. Given that Leonard Maltin is a noted film historian, you get plenty of fascinating tidbits about everything from the Coogan Law to Bob Clark’s initial plan for “My Summer Story.” The book also begins with an introduction with comments from both Leonard and Jesse and concludes with acknowledgments and a handy index. 

Dinner and a movie is an age-old custom. With “Family Movie Night Menus” (AKA “Family Movie Night Menus: Recipes & Films For Unforgettable Times Together), Leonard and Jesse Maltin want to liven up that tradition with a book that features fun thematic movie and recipe pairings. Of course, there’s plenty of obligatory classics that appeal to people of all ages here like “Star Wars,” “The Wizard Of Oz,” “A Christmas Story,” “The Princess Bride” and “Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone.” Some entries like “Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory” also really lend themselves to a food pairing (with this movie you get Splendiferously Indulgent Cupcakes piled with candy). Sure, some of the recipes are pretty basic (like “Coogan Cakes”), but you don’t want to make them too complicated. The goal of this book is to just have a fun family night by making some tasty food and watching a classic film. In that it succeeds. I know I personally wouldn’t mind trying out some of these recipes myself. I’m looking at you Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie that is paired with “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.”

Since there are only 25 entries here, there’s only so many films you can include here. With that said, I still feel like there were some puzzling omissions. Aside from “Mary Poppins” which has an animated sequence, there are no animated films here (which was a creative choice by the authors). Personally, I feel like animated films are tailor made for a project like this. It just feels odd to not see any Disney, Studio Ghibli or Pixar animated films. Likewise, there’s no sign of any comic book movies, Muppet movies, or classics like “The Karate Kid.” Again, it’s all subjective, but if you’re targeting a family crowd, putting something like “Bride Of Frankenstein” or “A Tree Grows In Brooklyn” feels like an odd fit here even with the TCM label. They’re both great movies to be sure, but is it right for this book? That’s certainly up for debate.

Quibbles aside, “Family Movie Night Menus” is still worth picking up especially if you’re looking for something fun to do at home with the family. Recommended.

April 5, 2026 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Book review | Family Movie Night Menus Book Review, Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone, Jesse Maltin, Leonard Maltin, Recipes, Star Wars, The Wizard of Oz, Turner Classic Movies