After reading the reviews I was worried about showing this movie to our kids because of the comments made about the sexual situations. I decided to show it to them anyway and am glad that I did. It was as good as I remember it and has really stood the test of time. Our 8 year old really got into the idea of going back in time. The sexual situations didn't even hit his radar. The only issue we had was the language. Our 8 year old understands that it is a privilege to watch movies like this and that if he begins to use that language, we will stop watching anything but G movies. So far, that's working for us, but poor language was prevalent.
Back to the Future
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
'80s sci-fi time-traveler with laughs and romance.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 8 and Up
The good stuff
What to watch out for
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Violence & scariness:
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Sexy stuff:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Back to the Future was written by Elliot Panek
Parents need to know that this movie has some bullying in it and bits of language. The "s" word is uttered a few times, there is a reference to "reefer," and a few dated racial slurs are used by bad guys. There is a shooting, which appears to be lethal at first that is committed by a group of Libyan terrorists. It takes up no more than 3 minutes of the story, but is impossible to ignore. Sex, wanted and unwanted, is implied, but it's pretty harmless and will go over the heads of youngsters. There is no action is taken beyond flirting and kissing.
Families Can Talk About
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- Families can talk about ways in which individuals such as George can defend themselves without resorting to violence. They also might discuss family history -- as in when Mom met Dad.
Have you seen it? Review It!
More on Back to the Future
What’s the Story?
Brimming with lighthearted energy, BACK TO THE FUTURE mixes science fiction with romantic comedy for a classic 1980s blockbuster. To avoid being shot down by Libyan terrorists, teenager Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) travels back to the 1950s via a DeLorean time machine invented by friend and mentor, Emmett "Doc" Brown (Christopher Lloyd), Doc, a lovable wide-eyed, wild-haired stork of a mad scientist. Marty quickly gets more than he bargained for, accidentally interfering with the courtship of his own parents. He must aid his father in standing up to Biff (Thomas F. Wilson), the town bully, to get the attention of Marty's mother, to ensure their marriage and his existence in the future.
Is It Any Good?
The film remains light and breezy, never taking time-travel too seriously. Both romance and science defer to adventure. That said, the sci-fi sub-plot never disappears for more than a scene or two. Marty's friendship with Doc is at heart of the film, and it keeps the mid-section from becoming just another romantic comedy.
Adult viewers may find that the film milks anachronisms for one joke too many, while kids are likely to get as much of a kick out of the dated clothing, music, and slang of 1980s as Marty gets out of the lack of TV reruns and Tab soda in '50s. It should come as little surprise that Steven Spielberg executive produced Back to the Future. Like so many of his films, it manages to blend heady science-fiction, humor, adventure, and romance while retaining an exuberance and a sense of wonder familiar to anyone under the age of 12.
Movie Details
Studio: Universal Studios, Director: Robert Zemeckis
Run time: 116 minutes
Theatrical release: 7/3/1985, DVD release: 9/14/1989
MPAA Rating: PG for parental guidance
Run time: 116 minutes
Theatrical release: 7/3/1985, DVD release: 9/14/1989
MPAA Rating: PG for parental guidance
Our Members Say
See all 48 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
Great movie that plays well 20 years later.
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I rate this title on for age 16 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
Humor for children, content more mature. Funny for adults too.
In this case csm grossly understated the sex (Teenage boy in underware in a girls bedroom, attempted molestation in car, multiple cleavege shots...) Children should be old enough to handle this. It would have been nice to know this before we saw the film.
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I rate this title on for age 12 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- My highlights are:
Perfect movie...except for the language
This is a great, fun, movie, and besides a brief shooting at the start, the violence is fine, the inappropriate content is mostly okay except for a brief scene at the end, but the main problem is the language: there's a LOT of it. Otherwise, it's a great movie.
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
A great movie
My family loves this movie, in fact we love all the back to the future movies. We wish they still made movies like this now. It's entertaining throughout. Only objection is there is a tiny bit of language here and there. The s word.
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Good lighthearted Young teen movie.
This movie isnt too bad for kids under 13,its not.Some of the sexual situations will fly over their heads. Mild laungauge.Its one of the greatest movies of all time.
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I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Iffy for younger or sensitive viewers
I love this movie, but I did not enjoy some of the adult humor...
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I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
good for older kids not younger kids
i liked it but the reveiw said no sex and there was a lot in the ending a druncerd boy traped a girl in a car trying to kiss her and take off her clothes and also the boy was a bully almost broke a boy's hand and there is some drinking and the nasty words
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I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Excessive consumerism
Good movie for older kids
We watched this movie with our 8 and 10 year olds because we remembered it as a fun movie. We were shocked by the language - my kids learned lots of new words. It is a great movie that unfortunately has inappropriate language and sexual inuendos (going away with your girlfriend for the weekend and lying to your parents about it?) I should have waited until my kids were a little older to show them this movie.
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I rate this title on for age 7 and give it
amzing movie. dont worry about the swearing.
please, oh please calm down about the language. just because there is some swearing does not mean it is a bad movie. plus your kids can live with it. now just stop whining and enjoy the movie for what it is. its genius.
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I rate this title on for age 12 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
Lots of language that I wasn't expecting after reading the CS media review. D--m and s--t lots of times, plus JC, GD. Wish I would have known about this.
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I rate this title on for age 14 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Good role models
BEST MOVIE IN THE HISTORY OF MAN KIND!
I LOVE BACK TO THE FUTURE! IT'S GOT ACTION! IT'S GOT ADVENTURE! IT'S GOT COMEDY! THE ULTIMATE MOVIE! GREAT SCOTT!
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I rate this title iffy for age 7 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
Good movie but lots of swearing compared to kid movies
This was a good movie but concepts a little over my kids heads sometimes (ages 5 &7) with the whole time travelling concept. Lots of swearing compared to kid movies.
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I rate this title on for age 9 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Great original movie. Clever how it all ties together. Maybe too much swearing.
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I rate this title off for age 11 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
Bad writers use bad language in what could've been a good flick!
It could have been a really good movie -- too much unneeded bad language. Every single swear word there is was used prominently in the movie. What a waste.
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I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Negative role models
- My highlights are:
- Educational
watch it now
i love it,its so much funny.
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I rate this title on for age 12 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Fun for 12 and up
Entertaining .
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I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
They Had PG-13 Back In 1985...So Why Wasn't It Rated PG-13? I Wonder...
"Son of a b*tch", "d*mn", "h*ll", "sh*t", and "*ss" are used repeatedly throughout. Plus there are tons of explosions.
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
Wait untill you're eight!
I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!! But there is a gunhail part at the beginning and some kissy/violent parts at the end. WAY to much swearing, though, whenever we see a movie my brother compares how many cuss words to how many cuss words are in Back to the Future.
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
Wait untill you're eight!
I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!! But there is a gunhail part at the beginning and some kissy/violent parts at the end. WAY to much swearing, though, whenever we see a movie my brother compares how many cuss words to how many cuss words are in Back to the Future.
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I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Excessive consumerism
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
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Ratings at a Glance
| 82% | of parents say it has language their kids can't use |
| 27% | of parents say the sexual behavior isn't age appropriate |
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