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Dutch

(1991, Rated PG-13, Comedy, Starring Christopher McDonald, Ed O'Neill, JoBeth Williams)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 13, age appropriate for kids over 14; suggested age 13.

  • Is it any good?

    2.0

  • Common Sense says

    Coarse tale of family and Thanksgiving for teens.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 13–14

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Dutch is borderline abusive to Doyle, though Doyle grows to love him anyway. There's a lot of lying and thievery involved in this film. The female characters are weak, including the mother.

  • Violence:

    Doyle and Dutch take turns beating each other up, including kicking, punching, throwing books, and shooting each other with a pellet gun. Doyle steals a car and flips it, endangering his life.

  • Sex:

    Dutch buys playing cards with naked ladies on them, and Doyle furtively looks at them. Dutch and Doyle get robbed by two prostitutes (and Doyle stares at one of the girls' cleavage). Reed Standish is shown in bed with a woman, though no sex is seen.

  • Language:

    A little salty language, including "bastard," "f--k," and "son of a bitch."

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Dutch smokes cigars, and a woman in a diner smokes a cigarette.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Dutch

Parents need to know that this movie depicts an acrimonious divorce. Doyle is angry and is verbally abusive to his mother, which may give some kids bad ideas about how to treat their mom. Reed is a lying, philandering jerk who neglects his son, which may be difficult for some children of divorce to see. Generally, Doyle is treated poorly by both Reed and Dutch, but he comes to love Dutch because, presumably, Dutch keeps showing up, even if he's borderline abusive.

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Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the appropriate way for parents to treat children. Is Dutch's approach better than Reed's? How about how Natalie acts? Does the movie reflect a realistic situation? Especially for children of divorce, this movie can be a springboard to talk about how they feel their parents treat them now.
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