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Dragnet (1987)

(1987, Rated PG-13, Comedy, Starring Dan Aykroyd, Dabney Coleman, Tom Hanks)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 13, age appropriate for kids over 15; suggested age 13.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0

  • Common Sense says

    Lots of naughty behavior, laughs in TV cop spoof.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 13–15

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Joe Friday is supposed to be the paragon of the law-abiding, perfectly groomed straight-arrow American cop, and some of this rubs off on the rebellious young Pep Streebek. Still, the arc of Friday's character has him learning to loosen up and bend/break his own rules, with reckless driving, dating, sex, etc. The life of a porno publisher looks rather glamorous and filled with attractive sex-bomb girls, imagine that.

  • Violence:

    Much shooting in the finale, plus explosions and arson fires. Cars blown up by bombs and crashed in high-speed police chases. Street punks threaten Joe Friday with knives and martial-arts weapons. Hand-to-hand combat, crotch kicks, and characters wrestling a large snake.

  • Sex:

    A pole dancer in a thong and pasties on her nipples is about as naked as one could get without being fully nude. A suplot involves a softcore-magazine publisher (with vaguely Hugh Hefner attributes). A character is referred to as "the virgin" repeatedly.

  • Language:

    Swearing for comedic effect, mainly from a foulmouthed landlady ("s--t," "asswipe" ) old enough to be a grandmother. Plus "Goddamn" and "balls."

  • Consumerism:

    Nods to other movies (including the Nightmare on Elm Street series), salutes to Los Angeles landmarks and attractions, such as the Brown Derby restaurant.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Social drinking, including Streebek guzzling wine by the bottle. Both the hero (Friday) and the villain smoke, even though other characters mildly disapprove. Drug humor in the presence of a variety of illicit pills (to which Streebek takes quite a fancy).
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Dragnet (1987)

Parents need to know that there are sexual shenanigans here, given a subplot about a millionaire porn merchant and a heroine stated to be a confirmed virgin. Pretty much nude is an exotic dancer wearing only nipple pasties and a thong. A storm of swear words issue from one female character old enough to be a grandmother (that's apparently the joke). Violent acts include bloodless gun violence, car crashes/police chases, and a modified tank as battering ram. A powerful priest with Jerry Falwell/Pat Robertson attributes turns out to be a lascivious, devil-worshipping master villain. His outdoor Satanist ritual looks like a big party (with Nazi rally overtones). There is a winking attitude towards drugs, drinking, and smoking. An older Dragnet exists on video -- also co-starring Harry Morgan -- but it's the original straight version, not this popular comedy.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the appeal of cop movies, TV shows, and other media, from the Dick Tracy comic strip all the way to CSI. Do they make kids want to be police officers? Ask some real-life officers if Joe Friday or other fictional characters inspired them to go into law enforcement. Or do they relate to any of these outlandish, outsized Hollywood versions at all? So kids get a full appreciation of Dan Aykroyd's Friday impersonation, check out some of the vintage TV show on DVD or streaming online.
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