When the Chicago Park District announced the programming for this summer’s Movies in the Parks series, the criticisms from Chicago’s cinephile community were audible for miles.

The selections were panned as pedestrian, unfocused, lacking originality, and just plain boring. And, honestly, the criticisms hold some truth. Many of the featured films are less than spectacular (Yogi Bear and The Last Airbender, I’m looking at you), and recent big, dumb and loud Hollywood blockbusters (Iron Man 2, Twilight: Eclipse, Salt and more) dominate. It would have been nice to see among the mix a Marx Brothers romp or even a delightful (but less immediately recognizable) recent indie gem like Damien Chazelle’s new classic, the perfect musical, Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench. The Park District had an opportunity to do something daring and create a sophisticated free film series that balanced public appeal with brains. They dropped the ball in some respects.

These critiques are coming from one of the aforementioned hardcore film nuts, of course. Not to generalize, but the everyday, casual filmgoer cares not about such nitpicky programming trivialities. They’re concerned about the overall entertainment value, both for themselves and, more importantly, their families. The films are mere backing soundtracks for fun, easy nights with the whole family. The Park District delivers this in spades — unfortunately, at the expense of cinema appreciation.

If you want a quiet place to dig into your favorite classic, stay home and watch it from the comfort of your living room. But if you want to grab a picnic and gather with a few hundred friends for free (the important word here) escapist fare under the stars, the Movies in the Park series is for you.

Looking past the duds amongst the bunch, there are a bevy of fine films.

Oscar fare, both contemporary and classic, is heavy. From last year’s nominees list alone, one finds free screenings of Christopher Nolan’s intense puzzle dream, Inception (July 1 at Margate Park, 4621 N. Marine Drive), David Fincher’s social network expose, the aptly titled The Social Network (July 5 at Montgomery Ward Park, 630 N. Kingsbury St.), and the Coen Brothers’ remake of the classic Western, True Grit (July 28 at Amundsen Park, 6200 W. Bloomingdale Ave.).

The Oscar fare extends to the featured animated films, as well, with How to Train Your Dragon (July 15 at Commercial Park, 1845 W. Rice St.), Pixar’s stellar Up (August 2 at Montgomery Ward Park), the heartwarming robot love story WALL-E (August 31 at Willye White Park, 1610 W. Howard St.), and Toy Story 3 (September 16 at Independence Park, 3945 N. Springfield Ave.) amongst the standouts.

For those looking for classic musicals for the whole family, the series offers The Wizard of Oz (July 8 at Independence Park), Grease (July 9 at Oz Park, 2021 N. Burling St.), West Side Story (July 25 at Oz Park), and My Fair Lady (August 27 at Jonquil Park, 1023 W. Wrightwood Ave.).

The series also presents a swath of Eighties nostalgia guaranteed to appeal to the teens and adults in the crowds. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (July 12 at Fulton River Park, 601 W. Kinzie St.), Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (July 13 at the Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St.), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (July 16 at Jonquil Park and July 18 at Wicker Park, 1425 N. Damen Ave.), Sixteen Candles (August 17 at the Chicago History Museum) and Top Gun (August 18 at Mary Bartelme Park, 115 S. Sangamon St.) will definitely pull them in.

The three films presented as a part of the Chicago Park District Lake Side Classics Series (screened in Grant Park in Grove Five at Columbus Avenue and Balbo Street) take the cake, however. You can’t argue with the James Bond great Dr. No (August 16), the Chicago-set classic A Raisin in the Sun (August 23), and Liz Taylor and Richard Burton at their argumentative best in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (August 30).

The Chicago Park District Movies in the Park Series runs through September 16th. All films start at dusk. For more information and to find a complete schedule of all films offered, visit www.chicagoparkdistrict.com.