Entertainment

256 voters

Good Movies for ESL Students to Watch

Updated June 14, 2019 1.8k votes 256 voters 26.6k views47 items

List RulesVote up good films for people learning English or to screen for students in an ESL class.

Walk into any classroom in the United States where they are teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) and you will find teachers using film to help instruct their students. Good movies for ESL students vary greatly in terms of style and content and selecting the right films largely depends on how far along your students are in their studies. Below, you'll find a list of suggested films to help you make the right choice for your classroom.

Films with a familiar premise and minimal dialogue are a great place to start, particularly so if students have seen these movies before in their native language. Things like Bambi and WALL-E, for example, are perfect for beginners. As your students' language continues to improve, however, you can move on to more dialogue-heavy films like Casablanca and The Fault in Our Stars to help immerse your students in English. It can also help to pick films about situations that may be familiar to your students, such as movies like My Big Fat Greek Wedding where two cultures collide. Vote up the best movies for learning English below and feel free to add anything you think is missing!

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Forrest Gump
Tom Hanks, Sally Field
Released: 1994
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
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The Fault in Our Stars
Shailene Woodley, Willem Dafoe
Released: 2014
Directed by: Josh Boone
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Big Hero 6
Jamie Chung, Maya Rudolph
Released: 2014
Directed by: Chris Williams, Don Hall
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The Terminal
Catherine Zeta-Jones, Tom Hanks
Released: 2004
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe
Released: 2001
Directed by: Chris Columbus
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The Book Thief
Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson
Released: 2013
Directed by: Brian Percival
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WALL-E
Sigourney Weaver, Laraine Newman
Released: 2008
Directed by: Andrew Stanton
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My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Nia Vardalos, Andrea Martin
Released: 2002
Directed by: Joel Zwick
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Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson
Released: 1971
Directed by: Mel Stuart
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To Kill a Mockingbird
Robert Duvall, Gregory Peck
Released: 1962
Directed by: Robert Mulligan
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Cast Away
Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt
Released: 2000
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
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12 Angry Men
Henry Fonda, Jack Klugman
Released: 1957
Directed by: Sidney Lumet
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Beauty and the Beast
Angela Lansbury, Frank Welker
Released: 1991
Directed by: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
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Divergent
Kate Winslet, Shailene Woodley
Released: 2014
Directed by: Neil Burger
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Casablanca
Ingrid Bergman, Humphrey Bogart
Released: 1942
Directed by: Michael Curtiz
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The Princess Bride
Billy Crystal, Robin Wright
Released: 1987
Directed by: Rob Reiner
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Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Eva Green, Asa Butterfield
Released: 2016
Directed by: Tim Burton
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Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Jim Carrey, Anthony Hopkins
Released: 2000
Directed by: Ron Howard
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Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Released: 1980
Directed by: Irvin Kershner
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Gravity
Sandra Bullock, George Clooney
Released: 2013
Directed by: Alfonso Cuarón
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Bambi
Sterling Holloway, Sam Edwards
Released: 1942
Directed by: James Algar, Samuel Armstrong, Paul Satterfield, Bill Roberts, Norman Wright
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The Maze Runner
Kaya Scodelario, Dylan O'Brien
Released: 2014
Directed by: Wes Ball
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The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach
Released: 1966
Directed by: Sergio Leone
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Jumanji
Kirsten Dunst, Robin Williams
Released: 1995
Directed by: Joe Johnston
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Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Natalie Portman, Keira Knightley
Released: 1999
Directed by: George Lucas
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