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Bang the Drum Slowly (1973)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 11, age appropriate for kids over 12; suggested age 12.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0

  • Common Sense says

    Talky, leisurely, and poetic baseball drama.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 12 and Up

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    Henry Wiggen puts his friendship with Bruce Pearson ahead of everything else (though we hear from incidental dialogue that this may not always have been the case). The rest of their team is multicultural, and the team owner is female (but not necessarily sympathetic).
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Not an issue.

  • Sex:

    Sideways talk about baseball players having prolific love affairs; references to sexually transmitted disease and Playboy magazine. The close friendship between Pearson and Wiggen is misinterpreted (briefly) as homosexuality.

  • Language:

    One F-word, many "dammits," and use of the S-word (one character apologizes profusely before uttering it), and the P-word (for urination).

  • Consumerism:

    References to a handful of popular men's magazines and their advice on dressing and hairstyles.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Social drinking.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Bang the Drum Slowly (1973)

Parents need to know that this movie is the furthest thing from nonstop baseball action. It's extremely talky, with the game scenes almost an afterthought. There is lots of salty locker-room language, including references to (possible) homosexuality and adultery and sexually transmitted diseases. The subject of a man dying young isn't tackled religiously. Characters just sadly accept his fate.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the characters' motivations. Why does Wiggen go to such extremes to protect Bruce, when he (according to another character) had no great friendship with his fellow player before the fatal medical diagnosis. Do you think Wiggen's actions show team spirit, or just the opposite? What do you think would have happened if he had told the truth about Pearson in the first place?
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