Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this is not a movie for children. There are very intense and graphic scenes involving suicide, murder, scalpings, nudity and sexual situations, gangrened legs being amputated, wanton killing, and more.
Families can talk about the plight of the Native Americans and how their situation compares with other situations in the world right now. Was it okay to colonize land that the Native Americans had taken care of so carefully for so long? Was there a compromise that would have worked? What would the US be like now if settlers and Natives had lived and learned from each other instead of one eradicating the other?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Maria Llull
Lt. John Dunbar (Kevin Costner) is a soldier in the American Civil War whose suicide attempt ends up bringing about a battle victory for his side. Given his choice of posts as a reward, he picks the frontier where an insane Major sends him miles away to an abandoned, run-down fort.
Months go by with no contact from the Army. Dunbar's solitude, curiosity, and sense of duty lead him to make friends with some Sioux Indians who come to him seeking answers about the intentions of the white men in their country.
Dunbar eventually gives up waiting for the U.S. Army to send supplies and more men. Through more than three hours of movie, he falls in love, befriends a wolf, and the Sioux come to trust him and treat him as one of their own, eventually fully integrating him with the tribe.
This very emotional and intense epic has many light-hearted moments but it's not kid-friendly. It is fraught with violence, and there are heavy themes such as suicide (three characters attempt to take their own lives; one succeeds). However, the characters in DANCES WITH WOLVES will stay with you, as will the decisions they make and the love (and hatred) they show.
Families who like this movie might also enjoy The Last of the Mohicans and Forrest Gump.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentSex under blankets; several nude moments. |
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ViolenceSuicide; grisly murder; battle scenes; gangrene leg amputations; hateful killing; scalping. |
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LanguageSwearing limited to a few characters in a few scenes. |
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Social BehaviorSoldiers display cruelty based on ethnicity. |
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Commercialism |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoPeace pipe smoking; Some alcohol consumption. |
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