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The African Queen

(1951, Rated NR, Classic, Starring Katharine Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, Peter Bull)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 12, age appropriate for kids over 14; suggested age 14.

  • Is it any good?

    5.0

  • Common Sense says

    A cinematic masterpiece for the family.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 14 and Up

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Class issues

  • Violence:

    Some

  • Sex:

    Very mild suggestion that Charlie and Rose sleep together

  • Language:

    None

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Charlie gets drunk; Rose pours all of his liquor into the river
 

What Parents Need to Know

About The African Queen

Parents need to know that this movie has some violence: destruction of the village, characters in peril several times, from nature and from the German sailors.

Read our full review by Nell Minow

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Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the reason that German troops were in Africa in the 1900s.
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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 16
    who3697cares
    Lives in Pennsylvania
    I rate this title iffy for age 12 and give it 3.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use

    I love Hepburn and Bogart, but did they ever do anything as overrated as this? They are fine together, but their romance rarely ever makes sense, and the plot rambles on pointlessly about nothing.

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate
  2. Parent Reviewer
    Tsion
    Lives in Nebraska
    I rate this title on for age 10 and give it 3.0

    An Engaging, Well-Acted, But Overlong Film...

    THE AFRICAN QUEEN really has nothing that bad in it, as much as I recall. I saw it for the first time about three weeks ago and was interested in what COMMONSENSE had to say. I don't know where the 14+ rating came from; there's no language, sex, or violence (only some tense scenes). I liked the film and Katherine Hepburn was excellent, but the pacing was bad and it ran about 20 minutes too long.

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate

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