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Air Force One

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 11, age appropriate for kids over 13; suggested age 13.
  • Is it any good?

    3.0
  • Common Sense says

    Ford makes farfetched action-hero-prez electable.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 13 and Up

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    They don't get much better than the hero, a strong dad, loving husband, concerned president (who actually dares to set ethical policy and write his own speeches over the heads of Washington hacks) and war hero who is also fearless and heroic. No, you never learn what party he represents, sorry. Secret Service agents are portrayed as courageous and self-sacrificing. A woman vice-president, whose authority and strength is questioned by both the villains and her own government, refuses to cave into pressure.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    A lot of gunfire, hand-to-hand combat (resulting in broken necks), and bullet casualties. Airborne explosions and warcraft dogfighting.
  • Sex:

    Not an issue.
  • Language:

    The s-word a few times, the f-word once, and "son of a bitch."
  • Consumerism:

    Beverage labels, cable news channel names
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Social drinking
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Air Force One

Parents need to know that violence in the film includes close-range shootings of innocent hostages, and death threats to women and an adolescent girl. There is also scattered profanity, but in general the R-rating is pretty surprising; seems the MPAA has slapped PG-13s on nastier films than this.

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Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the actions undertaken by President Marshall. Should a U.S. president perform lone-wolf heroics like that? You can educate kids about the post-Cold War time period. Going further back, cite presidents who were war heroes and whether that translated into good leadership or not (compare George Washington to Ulysses S. Grant, for example). What did kids think of all the Cabinet bickering about authority and command protocol while President Marshall was in jeopardy?

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Our Members Say

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Kid Reviewer Age 11
    I rate this title on for age 8 and give it 5.0

    A family movie!

    It's good. The R rating is suprising!

  2. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in California
    I rate this title on for age 16 and give it 0.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language

    • My highlights are:
    • Good role models

    e.g. Perfect for older kids, but not for tweens

    i love this movie but this movie contains things that kids or some adolescents should not see especially the violence and some bad words like they say the f word 2 times (gary oldman) when he says "get the f**k in the air" and "stop with your f***kin lies" (to harrison ford)

  3. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in California
    I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give it 4.0

    Soft-R Action Movie that's Worth Watching

    Air Force One is a very good movie for the action genre. The acting is well done and the premise holds up and it kept me interested throughout the film. 80's action movie fans will be pleasantly surprised and entertained. Parents should know that Air Force One is a soft-R. The language is that of a strong PG-13 (a couple of s**ts, 1 f**k, and other lesser words) and there is no sex, not even innuendo, in this film. The action is mostly gun violence aboard a plane, with bloody shoot outs, executions, betrayals, and a neck-snapping. The action is some-what strong, but not over-the-top, or extreme. If a parent is concerned about their kid watching this film, I suggest they watch it with them. Both you and your kid will have a fun time.

  4. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    I rate this title iffy for age 14 and give it 3.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate language
    • Negative message

    Bloody....

    I'm thirteen myself and I have to say this movie was a bit inappropriate for me it contains pretty brutal cold blooded killing and also a scene where the main terrorist (Gary Oldman) cruelly kills a woman to make the president do something rash and reveal himself. The only swearing I really paid any attention to was the president frequently saying goddamn.

  5. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Florida
    I rate this title iffy for age 12 and give it 3.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate language

  6. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in California
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 5.0

    HECKA GOOD!!!

    Great movie! The R rating is pretty much for the violence. The violence is pretty iffy for a R movie. A little more and it probaly would've been rated NC-17. Language is quite mild. Couple uses of s--t, one use of f--k, and son of a b---h. Go besides that and it's a great movie.

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