Watch a Homeschool Friendly Mystery Movie for Your Next Family Night

If you’ve been looking for a movie to watch with the family lately, you’ll know how hard it is to find any that are “clean”, safe from elements you don’t want the kids to see, and this is doubly true if you’re looking at movies for teens and up. It’s also extremely rare to find a movie that not only features Christian characters but also has homeschoolers in the mix.

If you’ve been looking for a movie like this, I’ve got you covered. I was excited to have the opportunity to review a family-friendly movie aimed at ages 12 and up and featuring homeschoolers. Here are the details and why you want to check out this movie for your next family movie night.

Disclosure: I received compensation from the post. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Occasionally other affiliate links are included as well. I make a commission on these sales. I only promote resources I approve and/or use.

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Mount Hideaway Mysteries: Exes and Oh No’s: The Family Movie and Its Creator

The movie– Mount Hideaway Mysteries: Exes and Oh No’s– was created by Brett Monk, a homeschooling dad. Brett has a degree in Film/Radio/TV and has worked in media for over 30 years. He was also a church-planting pastor for 10 years. His wife is a real estate agent in Virginia. 

They adopted their daughter through the foster care system when she was 13. During the time she was still in foster care, they were required to enroll her in public school. Most of the family’s friends are homeschoolers, and they realized that homeschooling would allow them to personalize her education. After her adoption they began homeschooling. And because they are both self-employed, she gets lots of vocational training.

The Producer/Co-Writer and Lead Actor, Mikayla Mulgrew Leybovich, is a homeschool grad. Co-Star Stacey Bradshaw (“Touched by Grace”, “Unplanned”, “Vindication”) and MANY of the cast and crew members are also homeschooled/homeschool graduates. One of the goals of the creators is to build an ongoing, commercially profitable business that employs these folks and encourages others to create similar “home-based film company” businesses.

The movie has action, adventure, and some romance, but is designed to be clean, so that the family can watch together. You can learn more about the cast and crew as well as the values the movie embodies by visiting the site here.

A Clean Mystery Movie

The movie is about Bethany Shanholtz, a beautiful young government operative. She moves back to her rural hometown to get away from the spy life. But townspeople start getting murdered and her government bosses convince her to investigate, unofficially. She’s not allowed to use agency resources so she calls upon local friends from her childhood as a homeschooled farm girl. 

The investigation quickly leads to Bethany’s ex-boyfriend Jamie and the mystery surrounding his sister’s mysterious death many years ago. The closer Bethany gets to the answers, the more the murders seem to be related to her own past, and the town’s future.

You can see a trailer for the movie here.

The movie is filmed in Virginia and has beautiful scenery! Many of the locations in the film are real farms, businesses, and historical places that the film company got permission to use. The movie also includes lots of really cute animals. Some are the pets of the actors, and a pet store actually let the crew film there and use some of their animals as well.

Why You’ll Want to Watch This Movie for Your Next Family Movie Night

Family movie nights are a great opportunity to get the family talking- something I think is awesome! There are lots of great talking points in this movie and many reasons I think you need to check it out for your next family movie night. Here are my top five.

~ Show your kids that a movie can feature competent parents. One of the things I think is so discouraging about many of the t.v. shows and movies aimed at kids now is that the parents in them always come off as stupid and incompetent. Mount Hideaway Mysteries Exes and Oh No’s is different. One mom is seen as intelligent and has advanced degrees. Another dad is super smart and runs the homeschool co-op’s Criminal Science Club.

~ Discuss with the family that this movie has a faith component but isn’t “preachy.” Too often a movie with a Christian message tries to push that message so directly it ends up coming across as preaching. In this movie many of the characters are Christians, and they live in such a way that their Christian values are evident. But they don’t blatantly preach their message to the audience.

~ Show your kids that a movie can portray homeschoolers and portray them respectfully. Homeschoolers aren’t often featured in mainstream media. And when they are, it’s often in a mocking way. In this movie, however, they play a big part, and homeschooling is portrayed very positively.

~ Enjoy a storyline that is actually intelligent and that has plot twists. Too often shows that are “family-friendly” are banal. It’s the same story over and over, and it’s very predictable. Mount Hideaway Mysteries Exes and Oh No’s has a plot that will actually encourage watchers to think about the mystery and figure out what’s going on.

~ Watch strong female characters with your kids. In many shows women are portrayed as victims or bullies. But in this movie, the women- although not perfect- are strong women. And moms and daughters particularly will enjoy watching them work through the challenges that come their way.

Learn More About This Independent Family-Friendly Movie

I know you want to watch the movie! So what now?

~Visit the website to learn more.
~ Rent or buy the movie on Google, Amazon, or iTunes.
~ Check out the social media profiles Mount Hideaway Media. On YouTube you can find trailers as well videos about making the movie. You can also follow them on Pinterest and Facebook.

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