The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (PG-13)

Car crashes, drinking, guns. You can do better.

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About Our Ratings
Common Sense rates it
3
Seen the movie? Review it
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Movie details
  • Studio: Universal Pictures, Universal Pictures
  • Directed By: Justin Lin
  • Cast: Lucas Black, Bow Wow
  • Running Time: 90 minutes
  • Release Date: 06/16/2006
  • Video/DVD Release Date: 09/26/2006
  • Genre: Action/adventure
  • MPAA Rating: PG-13
  • MPAA Explanation: reckless and illegal behavior involving teens, violence, language and sexual content.

Parents need to know

Parents need to know that movie includes frequent car racing and crashing, including a car that flips over and explodes, killing the driver (with a disclaimer advising viewers not to try such tricks at home). High school-aged boys fight (a beatdown in the schoolyard), a Yakuza gangster threatens violence; gangsters show guns (inspiring the kids at risk to jump in their cars and drive fast again). High school-aged girls show much skin and dance provocatively in brief party scenes. High school kids smoke cigarettes and drink liquor; the adult villain smokes a cigar. Some language (s-word and suggestive soundtrack lyrics).

Families can talk about the relationship between Sean and his father. How does Sean's rebelliousness mirror his dad's stubbornness? How does the movie point out differences and similarities between U.S. and Japanese kids' interests? Does the movie paint a realistic view of high school life?

Message

Social Behavior:

High school kids race cars, smoke, and drink, Yakuza villains deal illegal merchandise and beat up rivals.

Consumerism:

Cars galore (including Volkswagen, Mustang, Toyota, VeilSide autos and Toyo tires), Tabasco sauce, neon billboards in Tokyo (Sanyo, KFC, McDonald's, Citibank, Il Primo); iPod, Snickers.

Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco:

Villains smoke cigarettes repeatedly (and a cigar); background smoking in clubs and at races; high school students drink in clubs and parties.

Violence

Cars crash repeatedly, sometimes flipping over horribly, and in one instance, exploding and killing the driver; boys beat each other up, leading to bruised faces, crumpled bodies, bloody mouths.

Sex

Girl takes off and waves her bra to start a race; high school age girls wear short skirts (schoolgirl outfits) and show cleavage; boys and men adorn their arms with pretty girls; two girls appear very briefly, kissing passionately (elicting comment by passing boy); sinuous dancing with focus on girls' bottoms.

Language

Tough guys talk hard: several uses of s-word, occasional "damnit," Bow Wow boasts he's such a good salesman he "could sell a rubber to a monk."

Common Sense says

What's the story?

Reviewed by Cynthia Fuchs

Young Sean (Lucas Black) is in fast trouble, racing a bully in order to "win" a girl, which leads immediately to Sean's punishment: he's sent to live with his grumpy father (Brian Goodman, who played the grumpy father in director Justin Lin's last movie, Annapolis). When dad, a Navy lifer, lays down strict rules, Sean disobeys immediately: he finds the jaunty car scene and a new form of driving called drift (a photogenic form of racing where the car slides along the pavement sideways, the driver shifting, braking, and steering like a madman, typically undertaken on parking garage ramps). He also makes two new friends, an "Army brat" and charming super-salesman named Twinkie (Bow Wow), and a philosophical crook and playboy, Han (Sung Kang, who also appeared in Lin's Better Luck Tomorrow as a guy named Han). Encouraged to think through his choices (why does he race? Why does he rebel?), Sean becomes a better racer and smarter rebel. He also falls in love with a girl, Neela (Nathalie Kelley), who happens to be attached to the villain, D.K. (Brian Tee).

Is it any good?

3

Slick and shiny, THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT is part coming-of-age tale, part auto show, and part parade of girls in high school uniforms. The eye candy is generic, but the race scenes are terrific, inventive and witty (even as they occasionally end in crashes).

Because D.K. is the nephew of a Yakuza (Sonny Chiba, looking dapper in white suit and fedora), he has money and a sense of privilege, which means he's determined to take down Sean. They race repeatedly, make mean faces at each other, and compete for Neela's loyalty. While the movie pays some attention to Sean's "outsider" status as a Gajin in Japan, for the most part, he's another triumphant American in a strange land. Upfront about its generic stereotypes (villain is grim, hero earnest, girl pretty), the film glories in its gorgeous action sequences: plot becomes irrelevant.

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Parents and kids say

All Reviews

There are 12 reviews.

Age 17+
5


Posted on 06/22/08 by pimp juice 3355 Adult contributor

awesome movie

movie is all right for kids. just 1 part they need to look away. but its fine my bro watched it at age 4
4


Posted on 12/26/07 by james brown Kid contributor, age 13

so asome sweet cars

I love cars. Cool Cars+drifting = Me happy. no sirously great movie best Fast and Furious yet Your kid has probubly seen worse in the sex area no matter how "Sheltered" they are, bisides you can just fast forward over the bad parts.
1


Posted on 04/20/07 by bubbo Kid contributor, age 14

5

Posted on 02/21/07 by Anonymous Kid contributor, age 13

I LOVED IT!

I loved this movie, its my favorite! It probaly wouldnt be the best for kids 12 and under. The girls wore like no clothes...probaly the only thing.
Age 11+
5

Posted on 01/03/07 by Anonymous Adult contributor

0


Posted on 12/03/06 by racerhd12 Kid contributor, age 17

Failure

This movie is terrible. I would not recommend it to any age. It promotes the terrible ideas of ricers (or "imports" as they want to be called), drifting, and "NAWS". A uneducated child may get the idea that replacing a Mustang's engine with a Nissan's is smart. Just keep this movie away from anyone who has little common sense. This applies to the rest of the series as well. It hurts to just think about all the people who were ruined by this.
5


Posted on 10/14/06 by colon Kid contributor, age 10

This movie was hot

All the action and stuff, it was so cool. Your eyeballs are on the screen like they were attached to it by superglue. Buy it or rent it, because there is no such thing as having no fun with this street racing moving.
Age 13+
4


Posted on 09/29/06 by Dpain_91@yahoo.com Adult contributor

1


Posted on 08/02/06 by areustupid35041 Kid contributor, age 11

how could they!

this movie destroyed the fast and furious and the whole image of drifting!first of all all the crashes didnt make sence!one car crashed into the rx-7 and the rx-7 lows up while the other car had pretty much no damage while the bad guys 350z plunges off a mountain and gets out!! and the real driftking(old fisherman watching at docks)i feel bad for that he had 2 put up with this movie.and last but not least at the end where lucas black races vin deasil didnt make sence.if vin deasil tried 2 drift up and out of that parking lot his car would be in half.horrible movie!!!
Age 11+
2


Posted on 06/20/06 by movie addict Adult contributor

No real value. Watched it to get to the second show at the drive in

It was steriotypical of todays misled youth trying to be cool and find them selves. It is Not as bad as some of the PG-13 shows I have seen but I see worse on the TV shows kids watch and I do not have cable. The bra sceen was not even worth mentioning and look who's talking had the same style scenes with clevege but it was on older women and not teens. the kids amiddle schools were worse and are alowed to stay in school. My youngest is soon to be 9 and there were a couple of questions that were typical of that age either due to some movie or something they see along the streets in town.

See all 12 reviews >

Adult Reviews

There are 4 reviews.

Age 17+
5


Posted on 06/22/08 by pimp juice 3355 Adult contributor

awesome movie

movie is all right for kids. just 1 part they need to look away. but its fine my bro watched it at age 4
Age 11+
5

Posted on 01/03/07 by Anonymous Adult contributor

Age 13+
4


Posted on 09/29/06 by Dpain_91@yahoo.com Adult contributor

Age 11+
2


Posted on 06/20/06 by movie addict Adult contributor

No real value. Watched it to get to the second show at the drive in

It was steriotypical of todays misled youth trying to be cool and find them selves. It is Not as bad as some of the PG-13 shows I have seen but I see worse on the TV shows kids watch and I do not have cable. The bra sceen was not even worth mentioning and look who's talking had the same style scenes with clevege but it was on older women and not teens. the kids amiddle schools were worse and are alowed to stay in school. My youngest is soon to be 9 and there were a couple of questions that were typical of that age either due to some movie or something they see along the streets in town.

Kids Reviews

There are 8 reviews.

4


Posted on 12/26/07 by james brown Kid contributor, age 13

so asome sweet cars

I love cars. Cool Cars+drifting = Me happy. no sirously great movie best Fast and Furious yet Your kid has probubly seen worse in the sex area no matter how "Sheltered" they are, bisides you can just fast forward over the bad parts.
1


Posted on 04/20/07 by bubbo Kid contributor, age 14

5

Posted on 02/21/07 by Anonymous Kid contributor, age 13

I LOVED IT!

I loved this movie, its my favorite! It probaly wouldnt be the best for kids 12 and under. The girls wore like no clothes...probaly the only thing.
0


Posted on 12/03/06 by racerhd12 Kid contributor, age 17

Failure

This movie is terrible. I would not recommend it to any age. It promotes the terrible ideas of ricers (or "imports" as they want to be called), drifting, and "NAWS". A uneducated child may get the idea that replacing a Mustang's engine with a Nissan's is smart. Just keep this movie away from anyone who has little common sense. This applies to the rest of the series as well. It hurts to just think about all the people who were ruined by this.
5


Posted on 10/14/06 by colon Kid contributor, age 10

This movie was hot

All the action and stuff, it was so cool. Your eyeballs are on the screen like they were attached to it by superglue. Buy it or rent it, because there is no such thing as having no fun with this street racing moving.
1


Posted on 08/02/06 by areustupid35041 Kid contributor, age 11

how could they!

this movie destroyed the fast and furious and the whole image of drifting!first of all all the crashes didnt make sence!one car crashed into the rx-7 and the rx-7 lows up while the other car had pretty much no damage while the bad guys 350z plunges off a mountain and gets out!! and the real driftking(old fisherman watching at docks)i feel bad for that he had 2 put up with this movie.and last but not least at the end where lucas black races vin deasil didnt make sence.if vin deasil tried 2 drift up and out of that parking lot his car would be in half.horrible movie!!!
5

Posted on 06/18/06 by Anonymous Kid contributor, age 12

It is a thrilling movie with action and adventure!

Fast and the Furious was a great movie.It was really good at the end when VanDezzel was in the car.Lil Bow Wow and Lucuas Black was a great actor.Lucas is so cute.
2


Posted on 06/16/06 by Media45 Kid contributor, age 14

See all 8 kids reviews >
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