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Fay Grim

(2007, Rated R, Drama, Starring Jeff Goldblum, Parker Posey, James Urbaniak)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 16, age appropriate for kids over 99; suggested age 16.
  • Is it any good?

    4.0
  • Common Sense says

    Parker Posey spy satire won't interest kids.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 16–18

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Spies lie and cheat to get information; affiliations and loyalties change according to convenience; Fay's love for her son and Henry is true.
  • Violence:

    Lots of talk about espionage, nuclear missiles, torture, and war zones (mostly abstract); some fights and shoot-outs (which tend to be stylized, in slow- and stop-motion and close-up); bomb threat; spy threatens to shoot a 14-year-old boy; French cops assault a building like a SWAT team.
  • Sex:

    Ned receives a pornographic device in which he can view an orgy (it's never visible, but multiple viewers describe it, mentioning three participants and a goat); Fay says she read the "dirty parts" of Henry's confessions (no details); Ned is suspended for reportedly getting a blow job from two schoolgirls (again, no details); Fay appears in her tub while talking to her son (viewers see her from the neck up).
  • Language:

    Several uses of "f--k," plus other occasional language, like "s--t," "a--hole," "half-assed," and "hell."
  • Consumerism:

    Mention of Häagen-Dazs.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Characters (Fay, Henry, and Andre especially) smoke cigarettes and drink wine and liquor. Fay appears giddily drunk after drinking (off-screen) during a flight to Europe.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Fay Grim

Parents need to know that this dryly funny spy movie satire probably won't interest younger viewers (unless they're into conversations about aesthetics, morality, and recent global and economic history ...). A running joke touches on pornography, and a 14-year-old supposedly gets a blow job at school (nothing is shown). Violence is pretty minor (shooting and some fighting, a couple of bloody wounds and falls) and shot in a highly stylized manner with exaggerated handheld camerawork. Lots of smoking and some swearing (mostly "f--k").

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Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about what this movie is satirizing. Are there certain spy movie conventions that it's spoofing? What are they? What makes something a satire? Are satires always funny? Families can also discuss how the movie's spies and terrorists behave similarly -- and how they're different.

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 16
    Lives in Washington
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 4.0

    Great movie

    I love Parker Posey she is a great actress and this movie is fantastic really good spy movie with some funny parts if you like a good spy film that keeps you hooked until the end watch it.

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