This movie celebrates inquiry -being curious about our world,, and following one's dream/beliefs/vision in spite of strongly opposing views and opinions to them. There is a casual sex scene (flash of breast) between the "man of faith" and the "scientist", which is inconsistent with messages I'd like my tween to have about sex. Unfortunately, info is revealled during the bed scene which is important to the plot later on....so skipping it would compromise understanding. Plenty of foul language. Also, Christians are portrayed as being on the "right" or extreme, which is a biased and atypical representation of Christians.
Contact
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Thoughtful adaptation of the Carl Sagan novel.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 10 and Up
The good stuff
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Contact was written by Nell Minow
Parents need to know that there is one episode of sabotage that results in violence, in addition to the one-night-stand (Ellie and Palmer shown in bed together), and some strong language.
Families Can Talk About
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- Families can talk about whether the reactions of the people in the movie to evidence of extra-terrestrial intelligence are what they would expect. Why do some people object so strongly to communicating with creatures outside our world? What do scientists think about God and what do theologians think of science? What is the role of government? What do they think of the way the extraterrestrials shaped their communications to reassure Ellie?
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More on Contact
What’s the Story?
Devastated by the loss of her parents at the tender age of eight, Ellie (Jodie Foster) yearns for contact with extraterrestrials, but shies away from contact with anyone on earth. Having been hurt by feeling, she relies entirely on science, on what can be proven. After a one-night-stand with Palmer Joss (Matthew McConaughey), a charismatic divinity school drop-out, she leaves, to continue to listen for whispers from the universe, despite short-sighted bureaucrats who cut her funding. When she finally hears something, the government steps in. The message is to build a machine, apparently to be used to go to the source of the message. Joss turns up as an advisor to the President who is assigned to the panel that will select the person who will make the trip. He does not believe that Earth should be represented by an atheist. And he does not want to lose Ellie again. Ultimately, she does make the trip, and finds that she is profoundly changed by it. She finds herself asking others to believe what she says without evidence, on the basis of faith.
Is It Any Good?
Based on the late Carl Sagan's novel about a young scientist's efforts to make contact with intelligent life beyond our world, CONTACT is a thoughtful movie, and it provides a good opportunity to discuss how we know what we know, whether on the basis of faith or on what we can prove.
Sagan, a scientist who consulted on the space program and hosted public television programs about the universe, raised important questions about the connection (and sometimes obstacles) between science, business, politics, and notions of God. If he does a better job of asking them than answering them, that is at least consistent with the scientists creed that the only sin is to be afraid to ask the right questions -- and to be open-minded about the answers.
Movie Details
Studio: Warner Bros., Director: Robert Zemeckis
Run time: 0 minutes
Theatrical release: 3/1/1998
MPAA Rating: PG for mild sexual references, language, and characters in peril, one killed
Run time: 0 minutes
Theatrical release: 3/1/1998
MPAA Rating: PG for mild sexual references, language, and characters in peril, one killed
Our Members Say
See 4 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 15 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
Not appropriate for tweens and young teens
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I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it
Bad SciFi
I love SciFi and this one is worth missing. 90% build up to a 10% blaa
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I rate this title on and give it
Excellent film
Although things seem to go wrong most of the time for the main character, it is all redeemed with the ending, which was fantastic. There really isn't any objectionable content in the movie either, except for a tame lying-in-the-same-bed-naked scene; but like I said, it's non-explicit.
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I rate this title on and give it
This was a good movie, but you would have to have an understanding of science and science fiction to fully get it, as many refrences are made. The main character, Ellie Arroway, is the leading scientist on a team trying to discover other civilzations in the universe. Throught the movie, I had to pause it and ask my dad "Wait, what just happened?" or "Wait, what was the signifigance of that part?" because I do not have a strong understanding of science fiction. Overall, it was a good movie!
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Ratings at a Glance
| 50% | of parents say it gives kids positive messages |
| 50% | of parents say it has language their kids can't use |
| 50% | of parents say the sexual behavior isn't age appropriate |
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