Let's Hear It for The Boy
by LoDHom | created - 05 Jun 2013 | updated - 2 months ago | PublicOscar voters don't really seem to appreciate boys. None has EVER won a competitive Oscar. Only four boys (under the age of 15) have been nominated: Haley Joel Osment ("The Sixth Sense," 1999), Justin Henry ("Kramer vs. Kramer," 1979), Brandon de Wilde ("Shane," 1953) and Jackie Cooper ("Skippy," 1931).
Compare that to three girls who have won, and at least eight more that have been nominated.
So, let's hear it for the boy! In no particular order after the first dozen or so.
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1. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
PG | 115 min | Family, Sci-Fi
A troubled child summons the courage to help a friendly alien escape Earth and return to his home world.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Peter Coyote, Dee Wallace
Votes: 316,957 | Gross: $435.11M
My all-time favorite.
2. The Champ (1979)
PG | 121 min | Drama, Sport
A former boxer discovers that his biggest battle of all is going to be with his ex-wife, Annie, who returns after abandoning their young son seven years prior.
Director: Franco Zeffirelli | Stars: Jon Voight, Faye Dunaway, Ricky Schroder, Jack Warden
Votes: 6,836 | Gross: $30.44M
Arguably the best performance by a young boy in a movie, ever. If your eyes stayed dry you have no soul.
3. The Kid (1921)
Not Rated | 68 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
The Tramp cares for an abandoned child, but events put that relationship in jeopardy.
Director: Charles Chaplin | Stars: Charles Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Jackie Coogan, Carl Miller
Votes: 86,800 | Gross: $5.45M
Jackie Coogan, the first 'child star' in cinema, gives one of the best performances I've ever seen, and that in a silent movie. Watching him being taken away is absolutely heartbreaking.
In the Ken Burns documentary, "Baseball: Fourth Inning", I was surprised to see a 5 second clip from 1921 of Babe Ruth meeting Jackie Coogan at a Yankee's game. Curious, I googled their names together and found this quote that Jackie gave years later: "Other boys went to see Babe Ruth. But Babe Ruth came to see me."
4. The Black Stallion (1979)
G | 118 min | Adventure, Family, Sport
While traveling with his father, young Alec becomes fascinated by a mysterious Arabian stallion who is brought on board and stabled in the ship he is sailing on. When it tragically sinks ... See full summary »
Director: Carroll Ballard | Stars: Kelly Reno, Mickey Rooney, Teri Garr, Clarence Muse
Votes: 9,967
Kelly Reno did a wonderful job acting, and was also an accomplished rider. He had to ride bareback and on a racing saddle, take falls from a galloping horse, and swim. The only scenes where a stunt double was used was for the full-gallop racetrack sequences.
The scene with him galloping bareback down the beach with his arms flung wide is one of the most beautiful ever filmed.
5. Stand by Me (1986)
R | 89 min | Adventure, Drama
After the death of a friend, a writer recounts a boyhood journey to find the body of a missing boy.
Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell
Votes: 314,027 | Gross: $52.29M
The best 'coming of age' movie ever.
6. Boyhood (I) (2014)
R | 165 min | Drama
The life of Mason, from early childhood to his arrival at college.
Director: Richard Linklater | Stars: Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Elijah Smith
Votes: 302,216 | Gross: $25.38M
An absolutely incredible film.
7. My Dog Skip (2000)
PG | 95 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
A shy boy grows up in 1940s Mississippi with the help of his beloved dog, Skip.
Director: Jay Russell | Stars: Frankie Muniz, Kevin Bacon, Diane Lane, Luke Wilson
Votes: 17,762 | Gross: $34.10M
The best 'boy and his dog' movie ever. Although Old Yeller is a close second.
8. Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)
PG | 109 min | Biography, Drama
A prepubescent chess prodigy refuses to harden himself in order to become a champion like the famous but unlikable Bobby Fischer.
Director: Steven Zaillian | Stars: Joe Mantegna, Ben Kingsley, Max Pomeranc, Joan Allen
Votes: 25,901 | Gross: $7.27M
9. Finding Neverland (2004)
PG | 106 min | Biography, Drama, Family
The story of J.M. Barrie's friendship with a family who inspired him to create Peter Pan.
Director: Marc Forster | Stars: Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Julie Christie, Radha Mitchell
Votes: 185,421 | Gross: $51.68M
Johnny Depp was nominated for Best Actor. Freddie Highmore deserved a nomination for supporting role, but at least he won the Critics Choice Award for Best Young Actor.
10. The Sixth Sense (1999)
PG-13 | 107 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A boy who communicates with spirits seeks the help of a disheartened child psychologist.
Director: M. Night Shyamalan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams
Votes: 795,604 | Gross: $293.51M
Terrific performance by Haley Joel Osment, nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Oscar. I read where he actually threw himself against a wall a few times to get himself "worked up".
11. Peter Pan (2003)
PG | 113 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
The Darling family children receive a visit from Peter Pan, who takes them to Never Never Land where an ongoing war with the evil Pirate Captain Hook is taking place.
Director: P.J. Hogan | Stars: Jeremy Sumpter, Jason Isaacs, Olivia Williams, Lynn Redgrave
Votes: 58,736 | Gross: $48.46M
12. Oliver! (1968)
G | 153 min | Drama, Family, Musical
After being sold to a mortician, young orphan Oliver Twist runs away and meets a group of boys trained to be pickpockets by an elderly mentor.
Director: Carol Reed | Stars: Mark Lester, Ron Moody, Shani Wallis, Oliver Reed
Votes: 29,238 | Gross: $16.80M
13. The Road (I) (2009)
R | 111 min | Adventure, Drama
In a dangerous post-apocalyptic world, an ailing father defends his son as they slowly travel to the sea.
Director: John Hillcoat | Stars: Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Robert Duvall
Votes: 196,945 | Gross: $0.06M
14. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)
PG-13 | 94 min | Drama, War
Set during WWII, a story seen through the innocent eyes of Bruno, the eight-year-old son of the commandant at a German concentration camp, whose forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy on the other side of the camp fence has startling and unexpected consequences.
Director: Mark Herman | Stars: Asa Butterfield, David Thewlis, Rupert Friend, Zac Mattoon O'Brien
Votes: 156,520 | Gross: $9.03M
15. Duma (2005)
PG | 100 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
An orphaned cheetah becomes the best friend and pet of a young boy living in South Africa.
Director: Carroll Ballard | Stars: Alex Michaeletos, Campbell Scott, Hope Davis, Mary Makhatho
Votes: 6,964 | Gross: $0.86M
Another beautiful film by Carroll Ballard (Black Stallion). Alex Michaeletos was chosen when he went right up to the cheetahs during his interview and began petting them, while all the other hopeful boys were rather reluctant. He grew up with them on his family's farm in Africa, and it shows. He even manages to get the cheetah to follow him onto a raft, something even the handlers weren't sure could be done.
16. Avatar: The Last Airbender (2003–2008)
TV-Y7-FV | 23 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
In a war-torn world of elemental magic, a young boy reawakens to undertake a dangerous mystic quest to fulfill his destiny as the Avatar, and bring peace to the world.
Stars: Dee Bradley Baker, Zach Tyler, Mae Whitman, Jack De Sena
Votes: 165,781
Honorable mention, since this isn't a movie. It's the best cartoon series I've ever seen, and Zach Tyler Eisen is great as the voice of Aang.
17. Empire of the Sun (1987)
PG | 153 min | Drama, History, War
A young English boy struggles to survive under Japanese occupation during World War II.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Christian Bale, John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson, Nigel Havers
Votes: 100,090 | Gross: $22.24M
18. Romulus, My Father (2007)
R | 104 min | Biography, Drama
It tells the story of Romulus, his beautiful wife, Christina, and their struggle in the face of great adversity to bring up their son, Raimond. It is a story of impossible love that ultimately celebrates the unbreakable bond between father and son.
Director: Richard Roxburgh | Stars: Eric Bana, Franka Potente, Marton Csokas, Kodi Smit-McPhee
Votes: 3,868 | Gross: $0.00M
19. Mud (2012)
PG-13 | 130 min | Drama
Two young boys encounter a fugitive and form a pact to help him evade the vigilantes that are on his trail and to reunite him with his true love.
Director: Jeff Nichols | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland, Sam Shepard
Votes: 149,886 | Gross: $21.59M
Two superb performances by Ty Sheridan and Jacob Lofland in a movie that reminded me a lot of the boys in "Stand By Me". I can give no higher compliment or recommendation than that.
20. The Chorus (2004)
PG-13 | 97 min | Drama, Music
The new teacher at a severely administered boys' boarding school works to positively affect the students' lives through music.
Director: Christophe Barratier | Stars: Gérard Jugnot, François Berléand, Jean-Baptiste Maunier, Kad Merad
Votes: 49,500 | Gross: $3.64M
21. Last Ride (2009)
Not Rated | 90 min | Drama
A young boy travels across Australia with his father, who's wanted by the law for committing a violent crime.
Director: Glendyn Ivin | Stars: Hugo Weaving, Tom Russell, Anita Hegh, John Brumpton
Votes: 2,061 | Gross: $0.01M
22. The Impossible (2012)
PG-13 | 114 min | Drama, Thriller
The story of a tourist family in Thailand caught in the destruction and chaotic aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Director: J.A. Bayona | Stars: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland, Oaklee Pendergast
Votes: 166,075 | Gross: $19.02M
23. Millions (2004)
PG-13 | 98 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Ethics, being human and the soul come to the fore when a 7-year old finds a bag of Pounds just days before the currency is switched to Euros and learns what we are really made of.
Director: Danny Boyle | Stars: Alex Etel, James Nesbitt, Daisy Donovan, Lewis McGibbon
Votes: 23,086 | Gross: $6.58M
24. The Perfect Game (2009)
PG | 118 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
Based on a true story, a group of boys from Monterrey, Mexico who became the first non-U.S. team to win the Little League World Series.
Director: William Dear | Stars: Clifton Collins Jr., Cheech Marin, Moises Arias, Jake T. Austin
Votes: 2,883 | Gross: $1.09M
Based on a true story, the perfect game still stands as the only one in Little League history.
25. Dear Frankie (2004)
PG-13 | 105 min | Drama, Romance
After having responded to her son's numerous letters in the guise of his father, a woman hires a stranger to pose as his dad when meeting him.
Director: Shona Auerbach | Stars: Emily Mortimer, Jack McElhone, Gerard Butler, Mary Riggans
Votes: 19,871 | Gross: $1.34M
26. Real Steel (2011)
PG-13 | 127 min | Action, Drama, Family
In the near future, robot boxing is a top sport. A struggling promoter feels he's found a champion in a discarded robot.
Director: Shawn Levy | Stars: Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly, Dakota Goyo, Anthony Mackie
Votes: 274,185 | Gross: $85.47M
27. Son of Rambow (2007)
PG-13 | 96 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
During a long English summer in the early 1980s, two schoolboys from differing backgrounds set out to make a film inspired by First Blood (1982).
Director: Garth Jennings | Stars: Bill Milner, Will Poulter, Jessica Hynes, Anna Wing
Votes: 28,755 | Gross: $1.78M
28. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)
PG-13 | 129 min | Adventure, Drama, Mystery
A nine-year-old amateur inventor, Francophile, and pacifist searches New York City for the lock that matches a mysterious key left behind by his father, who died in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
Director: Stephen Daldry | Stars: Thomas Horn, Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Max von Sydow
Votes: 89,696 | Gross: $31.85M
29. The Iron Giant (1999)
PG | 86 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
A young boy befriends a giant robot from outer space that a paranoid government agent wants to destroy.
Director: Brad Bird | Stars: Eli Marienthal, Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Aniston, Vin Diesel
Votes: 146,524 | Gross: $23.16M
30. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
PG-13 | 146 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
A highly advanced robotic boy longs to become "real" so that he can regain the love of his human mother.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, Frances O'Connor, Sam Robards
Votes: 263,275 | Gross: $78.62M
Another good job by Haley Joel Osment. He doesn't blink in the entire movie (his own idea).
31. Super 8 (2011)
PG-13 | 112 min | Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
During the summer of 1979, a group of friends witness a train crash and investigate subsequent unexplained events in their small town.
Director: J.J. Abrams | Stars: Elle Fanning, AJ Michalka, Kyle Chandler, Joel Courtney
Votes: 309,499 | Gross: $127.00M
32. Alabama Moon (2009)
PG | 99 min | Drama, Family
After the unexpected death of his survivalist father, an eleven-year-old boy raised in the Alabama wilderness must learn how to make a home in the modern world.
Director: Tim McCanlies | Stars: Jimmy Bennett, Gabriel Basso, Uriah Shelton, Clint Howard
Votes: 1,186
33. Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
PG | 101 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
Yearning for escape and adventure, a young boy runs away from home and sails to an island filled with creatures that take him in as their king.
Director: Spike Jonze | Stars: Max Records, Catherine O'Hara, Forest Whitaker, Pepita Emmerichs
Votes: 93,583 | Gross: $77.23M
34. The Goonies (1985)
PG | 114 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
In order to save their home from foreclosure, a group of misfits set out to find a pirate's ancient valuable treasure.
Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen, Corey Feldman
Votes: 201,837 | Gross: $61.50M
35. The Sandlot (1993)
PG | 101 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
In the summer of 1962, a new kid in town is taken under the wing of a young baseball prodigy and his rowdy team, resulting in many adventures.
Director: David Mickey Evans | Stars: Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar, Art LaFleur, Patrick Renna
Votes: 66,002 | Gross: $32.42M
36. Hearts in Atlantis (2001)
PG-13 | 101 min | Drama, Mystery
A widowed mother and her son change when a mysterious stranger enters their lives.
Director: Scott Hicks | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Anton Yelchin, Hope Davis, Mika Boorem
Votes: 32,834 | Gross: $24.19M
Anton Yelchin before he became Chekov in the latest Star Trek movies. An amazing performance and he more than holds his own with Anthony Hopkins.
37. Delivering Milo (2001)
PG | 94 min | Comedy, Fantasy
A guardian angel has 24 hours to convince a soul that life on Earth is worth the effort.
Director: Nick Castle | Stars: Anton Yelchin, Albert Finney, Bridget Fonda, Campbell Scott
Votes: 1,013
Another "Anton before he became Chekov".
38. Canvas (2006)
PG-13 | 101 min | Drama
A woman's schizophrenia affects her relationships with her husband and son.
Director: Joseph Greco | Stars: Griffin Miner, Marcia Gay Harden, Devon Gearhart, Julie Upton
Votes: 922 | Gross: $0.03M
A very moving film about how a family deals with the mother's mental illness. Marcia Gay Harden seems to have a knack for playing crazed women (see The Mist), but the surprise is Joe Pantoliano as the father in a very credible job of acting. Devon Gearhart is great as their son, torn between a mentally ill mother and a father who seems to be going crazy as well.
39. The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012)
PG | 105 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
A childless couple bury a box in their backyard, containing all of their wishes for an infant. Soon, a child is born, though Timothy Green is not all that he appears.
Director: Peter Hedges | Stars: Jennifer Garner, Joel Edgerton, CJ Adams, Odeya Rush
Votes: 40,969 | Gross: $51.85M
The parents are a bit over the top at times, but CJ Adams is excellent.
40. The Champ (I) (1931)
Passed | 86 min | Drama, Sport
Alcoholic ex-boxer struggles to provide a good living for his son.
Director: King Vidor | Stars: Wallace Beery, Jackie Cooper, Irene Rich, Roscoe Ates
Votes: 2,259
41. The Princess Bride (1987)
PG | 98 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
While home sick in bed, a young boy's grandfather reads him a story called The Princess Bride.
Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Robin Wright, Chris Sarandon
Votes: 335,790 | Gross: $30.86M
Rob Reiner directing, Mark Knopfler on music, and an amazing cast that includes Fred Savage. It has, and I quote 'Grandpa', "Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles..." The best fairy tale movie of all time.
42. Dark Skies (2013)
PG-13 | 97 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
As the Barrett family's peaceful suburban life is rocked by an escalating series of disturbing events, they come to learn that a terrifying and deadly force is after them, one which may have arrived from beyond the stars.
Director: Scott Stewart | Stars: Keri Russell, Jake Brennan, Josh Hamilton, Dakota Goyo
Votes: 63,311 | Gross: $17.41M
43. The Client (1994)
PG-13 | 119 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A young boy who witnessed the suicide of a mafia lawyer hires an attorney to protect him when the District Attorney tries to use him to take down a mob family.
Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Susan Sarandon, Tommy Lee Jones, Brad Renfro, Mary-Louise Parker
Votes: 51,338 | Gross: $92.12M
A rare film that is as good as the book it was based on.
44. Insidious (I) (2010)
PG-13 | 103 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A family looks to prevent evil spirits from trapping their comatose child in a realm called The Further.
Director: James Wan | Stars: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins, Lin Shaye
Votes: 235,956 | Gross: $54.01M
45. Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)
PG-13 | 106 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
The Lamberts believe that they have defeated the spirits that have haunted their family, but they soon discover that evil is not beaten so easily.
Director: James Wan | Stars: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Barbara Hershey, Lin Shaye
Votes: 129,926 | Gross: $83.59M
46. The Karate Kid (2010)
PG | 140 min | Action, Drama, Family
Work causes a single mother to move to China with her young son; in his new home, the boy embraces kung fu, taught to him by a master.
Director: Harald Zwart | Stars: Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith, Taraji P. Henson, Wenwen Han
Votes: 137,092 | Gross: $176.59M
47. Lucas (1986)
PG-13 | 100 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A socially inept fourteen year old experiences heartbreak for the first time when his two best friends -- Cappie, an older-brother figure, and Maggie, the new girl with whom he is in love -- fall for each other.
Director: David Seltzer | Stars: Corey Haim, Kerri Green, Charlie Sheen, Courtney Thorne-Smith
Votes: 12,730 | Gross: $8.20M
48. Hugo (2011)
PG | 126 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
In Paris in 1931, an orphan named Hugo Cabret who lives in the walls of a train station is wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz, Christopher Lee, Ben Kingsley
Votes: 271,818 | Gross: $73.86M
49. Little Big League (1994)
PG | 119 min | Comedy, Family, Sport
A young boy is bequeathed the ownership of a professional baseball team.
Director: Andrew Scheinman | Stars: Luke Edwards, Timothy Busfield, John Ashton, Ashley Crow
Votes: 8,450 | Gross: $12.21M
50. Skippy (1931)
Approved | 85 min | Family, Drama, Comedy