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The Brothers Solomon

(2007, Rated R, Comedy, Starring Will Arnett, Will Forte, Kristen Wiig)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 14, age appropriate for kids over 16; suggested age 15.
  • Is it any good?

    1.0
  • Common Sense says

    Goofy lowbrow comedy is too crude for kids.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 15–16

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    The majority of the movie's jokes are premised on the brothers' social incompetence, which involves farting, misspeaking (particularly blithe, unintentional insults -- like calling a woman fat without any malice), misunderstanding (an African-American character thinks they're racist; cops think they're soliciting children), fighting, and crying. Ignorance (manifested as mean jokes and snide remarks) and the plot about a surrogate mother lead to arguments, threats, and general discomfort (it's framed as comedy, but the results are often strained). The brothers' surrogate makes some good points about the responsibilities of parenthood.
  • Violence:

    Cars screech and collide (mildly). Woman is hit abruptly by bus (nothing graphic shown). John hits Dean's nose with a dart (no blood, but wincing). James repeatedly threatens the brothers with violence, but he doesn't take action. The brothers design a crib that can withstand rocks, glass, and other objects being hurled at it (which they demonstrate with loud glee); they also experiment with tossing and catching a doll meant to represent a real infant.
  • Sex:

    In a dream, John licks (with visible tongue) water left when a bikini-clad Tara leaves a hot tub. An extended joke about pedophilia has the brothers sitting in a car near a park, trying to solicit a little girl to get ice cream (their intentions are harmless). Phrases include references to "anal," "nuts," "vagina," "baby hole," "put a baby inside you," "hard-on," "tits," "dick," "multi-orgasmic." But for all of their talk, the guys don't really get any action. A visit to a sperm bank includes talk of semen and discussion and brief views of porn magazines (with titles that include words like "jugs" and "jizz"). Some homoerotic/homophobic humor (Dean kisses a date's father on the lips; when the brothers make up after a fight, John is naked -- though only his chest is seen -- during their hug, causing Dean to ask him to put on a towel).
  • Language:

    Frequent profanity, including lots of uses of "f--k" and "motherf--ker," plus "s--t," "ass," "a--hole," "hell," "damn," "bitch," "crap," "sucks," and "c--ksucker."
  • Consumerism:

    Visual and verbal mentions of many products and companies, including Meetspot, Craigslist, Little Debbie, Barnes & Noble, Laverne & Shirley, Energizer Bunny, North Face, and Snickers. Also specific references to other movies (Ulee's Gold, Stuart Little).
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    John invites Tara out for drinks, then sets up a dinner with champagne in the hallway outside her apartment (when she rejects him, he drinks ostentatiously); Dean drinks liquor in despair. Brief cigarette smoking.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About The Brothers Solomon

Parents need to know that teens may well be interested in this lowbrow comedy -- despite (or, more likely, because of) its frequent jokes about bodily functions and sex, crude innuendo, and strong language (particularly variations on "f--k"). There's some mild slapstick violence (falls, wrestling, minor car collisions), as well as some awkward sight gags (a bloodless dart in the nose), and brief references to drugs (morphine) and drinking. Two dating jokes might be considered mean: Dean calls a girl "fat," and a sight-gag flashback shows the brothers with their prom dates, two older Eskimo women. An African-American character verbally challenges stereotypes but ends up physically fulfilling them, in language and menacing demeanor (he's a walking stereotype).

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the appeal of R-rated comedies. Do the raunchy bits make movies like this funnier, or do they go overboard? Do you think anyone in real life is quite as socially clueless as the Solomon brothers? Does exaggerating people's quirks make them funnier? Why or why not? How does the brothers' view of women affect their attempts to start relationships? Parents and teens can also discuss how the movie defines "family." How does the Solomon family change by the end of the movie?

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Alabama
    I rate this title on for age 13 and give it 3.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate language

    Nothing Wrong Here

    Ok this movie is not bad at all it could have be rated PG-13. I have seen alot worst that should have been rated R, but was not. Also, it's just my opinion, but CommonSense over rates some things and some parents do need to know that! How about parents watch the movies for themselves and then make a decision? Anyways, I thought the movie was fine and funny. Maybe alittle bad on the language, but again Mean Girls rated PG-13 had more bad language then this movie!

  2. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in Minnesota
    I rate this title off for age 2 and give it 0.0

    GROSS!!!!!!!

    This is a really stupid movie DO NOT WATCH IT all I saw was the commonsense review and that made me just throw up.

  3. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in Massachusetts
    I rate this title off for age 2 and give it 1.0

    Tenagers Only

    This book is for TEENAGERS. I think this is better for kids who understand and won't get a bad influence on them.

  4. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in Oklahoma
    I rate this title off for age 2 and give it 0.0

    OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I have not seen this, thank the lord,but from what i saw on the commonsense clip for it it is terrible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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