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Bug

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 15, age appropriate for kids over 17; suggested age 15.
  • Is it any good?

    3.0
  • Common Sense says

    Paranoid horror/thriller is too intense for kids.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 15–17

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    A guilt-ridden, fearful woman descends into a terrifying relationship with a paranoid man; locked inside a motel room, they can't imagine a way out. References to a child who "disappeared" from his mother's side in a supermarket.
  • Violence:

    Jerry knocks Aggie to the floor, bloodying her lip and making her cry; Aggie throws a drink at the door; Aggie slaps R.C.; Peter pulls his own teeth with pliers (very bloody); Peter and Aggie's faces and bodies are increasingly cut (presumably as they've picked at bugs/bites); Jerry pushes Aggie to the wall, holding a flashlight on her; Peter repeatedly (and bloodily) stabs a man ferociously; Peter attacks Jerry's hand with a staple gun; (spoiler alert) at the end, the central characters strip naked, douse themselves and the room with fuel, then strike a match: scene cuts to flames, then credits (you don't see bodies burning).
  • Sex:

    Kissing takes place in a lesbian bar; Agnes kisses RC; sexual slang ("homo," "beaver," "jacking off"); single sex scene shows close-ups of nipples, sweating torsos, hands, and faces; after sex, a man is plainly nude (brief full frontal and back nudity); Aggie appears on the toilet (visible in profile through the open door); in one scene, the central couple strips naked, with breasts and pubic hair visible in profile.
  • Language:

    Frequent bad language, including more than 50 "f--k"s (a few with "mother-"), as well as "s--t," "son of a bitch," "ass," "damn," and "goddamn."
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Characters drink (mostly beer and wine) and smoke hand-rolled cigarettes; more drinking and smoking in background of bar scene; cocaine sniffing; crack smoking.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Bug

Parents need to know that this intensely paranoid film absolutely isn't for kids. Not a horror movie in the conventional sense, it's still very scary and violent -- an ex-husband hits and frightens his former wife; there's a brutal stabbing murder; a man pulls out his own teeth with pliers; and it's implied that two characters set themselves on fire. There's smoking, drinking, drug use (cocaine and crack), relentless swearing (mostly "f--k"), and nudity (close ups of nipples and sweating bodies, a brief full-frontal shot of a man).

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Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the effects of trauma. How is Agnes troubled by her memories and her lingering fears? Do you think that the "bugs" are real? What else could they represent? Families also can talk about what genre this movie falls into. What makes something a horror movie? What distinguishes horror movies from thrillers and dramas? What kinds of movies are scariest -- gory slasher films, or suspenseful thrillers? Why?

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Our Members Say

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in California
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 1.0

  2. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Colorado
    I rate this title off for age 17 and give it 0.0

    Worst Movie I've seen yet!!!

    I am Greatly dissapointed that Ashley Judd would have anything to do with this movie. This move was just AWFUL!! It was weird and disgusting! They didn't even explain anything in the movie. It was just all around weird.

  3. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Illinois
    I rate this title off for age 17 and give it 0.0

    IT Was TErrible......

    This movie was absolutely horrible.I watched most of it in awe of how stupid these people could actually be. When the lady started screaming I Am Super Queen Bug at the top of her lungs I just said nope. It was the worst movie of the year (2007 and 2008). Possibly the worst movie of my life.

  4. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    Lives in New York
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 3.0

    It's Ok.....but..... Not what I really wanted or expected.

    Now, for me summarize this movie is completely difficult. This movie is hard to understand. I'm not sure if the plot made any sense to me. All I was really looking for was a movie about scary, disgusting bugs, but I goota a lot more than that.(I mean that the military involved and doctors and that crap isn't necessary in the movie.

  5. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Texas
    I rate this title off for age 17 and give it 0.0

    terrible movie

    This movie was so bad i did not even finish it. I was very disappointed that Ashley Judd is in this movie.

  6. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in California
    I rate this title off for age 17 and give it 0.0

    It sucks!!!

    let me tell you something, this movie was really unpleasant. It is not scary, but it's really nasty. I dont know what was the director thinking about when he made this movie. It's that bad that I had to get a re-admission for another movie because i did'nt enjoyed this movie. Dont waste your money on trash I'm serious. I think the director will get a nobel prize for the most stupid movie of all the times. Im on a pissed mood. So now you know.

  7. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in California
    I rate this title off for age 2 and give it 3.0

    Not that great... VERY graphic

    This film was a dissapointment. I went in thinking it would be a good, scary, fun movie, but it had some major plot holes, and the writing wasn't that great. The movie is VERY violent. Probably the hardest to watch scenes are when the guy pulls his tooth out, and when he stabs this doctor to death. Theres also a sex scene, and they swear a lot. Younger kids CANNOT see this, but older teens maybe.

  8. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in California
    I rate this title off for age 17 and give it 1.0

    do not see this movie

    just a tip to anyone who may be interested in seeing the movie "bug", DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY OR TIME, this was with out a doubt one of the worst movies i have ever seen. horrible cinematography, slow, terrible plot.....if there was one. and it seemed as if it would never end. DO NOT SEE THIS MOVIE

  9. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in California
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 3.0

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

    dont watch this movie!!!

  11. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    Lives in Florida
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 3.0

    Ehhh

    This movie was very wierd and kinda graphic i would not recomend it for little kids because there is one Bad sex scene

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