It’s not wise to let your children watch something without screening it first, but — thankfully — there may be a few exceptions.
For example: Dude Perfect. This quintet of basketball trick shot artists and comedy geniuses has amassed 51 million subscribers even though they don’t curse or make off-color jokes. Dads love them. Moms love them. Most of all, though, it’s children, tweens and teens who binge their zany, creative videos.
The best news? They’re all Christians.
But if you’ve never heard of Dude Perfect, this month is the perfect opportunity to get acquainted. That’s because the group has a new documentary — Dude Perfect: Backstage Pass — that’s free on YouTube and every bit as fun as their viral videos.
It follows their history — they met in college — but also takes viewers behind the scenes of their 2019 “Pound it, Noggin’” tour. It shows their basketball trick shows (including one from a blimp), their crazy variety program (one of them loses a game and has his eyebrows shaved) and their interaction with fans.
It also gives viewers a peak at their family and faith.
“If we lost everything tomorrow, it doesn’t matter. We know that the most important thing we have is Jesus,” Dude Perfect’s Garrett Hilbert says. “So it’s very important to the decisions we make and the content we produce.”
Fellow member Tyler Toney agrees: “Faith is really the underlying principle and theme behind everything Dude Perfect does.”
(The other members are twins Cory and Coby Cotton, and Cody Jones.)
Dude Perfect: Backstage Pass amassed 4 million views the first two days it was online. Not bad for a film that would be rated G if it were in theaters.
Search for “Dude Perfect documentary” or “Dude Perfect: Backstage Pass” on YouTube.
Also streaming this month:
Adults/teens
Nadiya’s Time to Eat (Netflix) — If simple recipes are your thing, then this is your show. Host Nadiya Hussain, a past winner of The Great British Bake Off, delivers tips, tricks and easy recipes to save time in the kitchen. TV-G. It entered the lineup in late April.
Soul Surfer (Netflix) — It’s a faith-based film about Bethany Hamilton, the professional surfer who lost her left arm due to a shark bite but persevered and re-learned how to surf. (Hamilton is a Christian.) Rated PG for an intense accident sequence and some thematic material. May 17.
The Rise of Skywalker (Disney Plus) — It’s the final film in the so-called “Skywalker Saga” and follows Rey as she battles an old villain in the Star Wars universe. Because of violence, scary images and some language, this one is not for small children. Rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and action. May 4.
Children
Shaun the Sheep: Adventures from Mossy Bottom (Netflix) — It’s a 10-episode series featuring the funniest stop-motion farm animals on the planet. In the first episode, Shaun and his animal friends start a pizza business but accidentally burn all their money. It only gets better from here. Rated TV-Y7. It entered the lineup in March.
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (Netflix) — A group of domesticated zoo animals get stuck in Africa while traveling to their New York City home. It’s a fun film with only a couple of caveats. (An elderly woman gets in a fight; we also hear some brief sensual dialogue.) Rated PG for some mild crude humor. May 1.
Abominable (Hulu) — A young Chinese girl mourning the death of her father befriends a creature — the abominable snowman — who is trying to find his way back to the mountains. Abominable is a DreamWorks film that has a couple of worldview caveats (such as a character saying the stars are “ancestors who watch over us”). It’s fun … but may be worth a short worldview talk. It also has solid lessons on death, family and mourning. Rated PG for some action and mild rude humor. It entered Hulu’s lineup in April.
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and entertainment for more than 15 years. He is the husband of a wife, Julie, and the father of four small children.
