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Duck Soup

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 0, age appropriate for kids over 7; suggested age 7.

  • Is it any good?

    5.0

  • Common Sense says

    Nonstop classic Marx Bros. mayhem kids will love.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 7 and Up

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    The Marx Brothers mercilessly torment the movie's villains to the point that you actually feel sorry for them. And, technically, Groucho's a dictator.

  • Violence & scariness:

    Explosions, gunfire, and mortar shells in a comical war. Slapstick roughhousing on the street by Chico and Harpo.

  • Sexy stuff:

    Some mild innuendo from Groucho. Various young women, one in lingerie, are chased around by Harpo.

  • Language:

    Not an issue.

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Lots of cigars -- not just Groucho's.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Duck Soup

Parents need to know that the Marx Brothers in this movie are the epitome of anarchy. They're rude, insulting, pranksterish, and loyal to nobody. Later, tamer features would usually cast them in some good-guy role, their destructive mayhem having a secret agenda to help out a pretty girl in distress or the like, but not in this movie. Parents who think the Three Stooges are a bad influence may feel the same applies here. Also, the opening-credit image of live ducks floating in a pot with a fire under it is a little disturbing.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about how a movie this hilarious could have failed at the box office when it opened in the '30s. Other, more popular Marx Brothers movies had boring musical numbers and straight-faced romantic subplots to interrupt the comedy. Should that have been done here? What kinds of comedies that you see today are like Duck Soup, or is this brand of comedy unique?
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