As fun as going out to the movies can be, forking over your money at the ticket counter and concession stand can get pretty expensive. And when you consider you might not even like some of the latest movie releases, losing money on a bad film can be annoying.
On the other hand, renting DVDs can be a more affordable – and fun – way to spend the night for friends and families on a budget. Because renting DVDs give you more choices than a movie theatre, you’re more likely to find a movie you’ll enjoy. And since renting DVDs is cheaper than going out, it’s easy to make your next movie night a double (or triple) feature for real movie buffs.
Here’s a list of great movies from multiple genres that have been entertaining audiences for years, earning them spots on the top DVDs to rent.
Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
Gene Kelly stars as Don Lockwood, a silent movie star struggling to make his first “talkie” movie even as his egotistic leading lady Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) jeopardizes the production with her screechy voice. Enter Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds) a chorus girl who dubs Lina’s voice and wins Don’s heart. But when Lina blackmails Kathy into dubbing all of her talkies, Don and his friends must think fast to save Kathy’s career.
A great feel-good romantic comedy movie to rent for people who love musicals, Singin’ in the Rain features great song-and-dance numbers including Kelly’s famous Singin’ in the Rain performance, and Donald O’Connor’s show-stopping Make ‘Em Laugh.
Back to the Future (1985)
When teenager Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) helps Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) test his new DeLorean time machine, Marty is accidentally sent back to 1955 where he bumps into his parents and screws up their first meeting. Now, with his future existence in jeopardy, Marty must get his parents to fall in love while finding a way to restart the time machine and send him back to the future.
A great movie to rent for science fiction fans, Back to the Future also contains enough nostalgia and comedy to make it a popular DVD rental that can be enjoyed by grandparents eager to reminisce about the 1950s, parents who want a family-friendly comedy, and teenagers and kids who like exciting and hilarious action sequences.
Fans of this movie will also want to rent DVDs of the sequels – Back to the Future Part II and Back to the Future Part III, which take Marty into the year 2015 and then back to the Old West.
Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995)
For Glenn Holland (Richard Dreyfus), teaching high school music was only supposed to last until he finished writing his symphony and became a world-famous composer. But when his wife becomes pregnant, “Mr. Holland” decides to keep teaching just a little longer – and winds up spending thirty years of his life helping kids appreciate music. As his dreams of being a composer slip away, however, Mr. Holland receives an unexpected gift from his students that reminds him of the value of his work.
A popular choice for movie and music lovers, Mr. Holland’s Opus condenses three decades of a man’s life into a frequently funny yet poignant story about the rewards and sacrifices that come with teaching. The movie soundtrack is wonderfully varied (appropriate for a movie that deals with appreciation of music and the arts) and features George and Ira Gershwin’s Someone to Watch Over Me, Richard Berry’s Louie Louie, and movie composer Michael Kamen’s stirring An American Symphony.
