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On Her Majesty's Secret Service

  • 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?

    3.0

  • Common Sense says

    007 in ski country -- and marriage territory?

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 13–14

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Bond is -- as always -- the suave, arch British hero who indulges in recreational sex and gambling. Here he forms an alliance with a gangster. Heroine Tracy shows some fighting skills and strength of her own, though she needs rescuing by James more often than not. As throughout the series, physical attractiveness is equated with goodness, especially in females; the only unpretty woman is the villain's nasty, German-accented second-in-command.

  • Violence:

    Lots of fistfights, gunfire, and car crashes. One character is shot at close range. A man on skis falls into a bladed snowplowing machine, which then spews blood-tinged snow. Other characters are engulfed in an avalanche. One man is skewered on a bed of spikes; another is blasted with a flamethrower.

  • Sex:

    As with many 007 movies of this vintage, the opening-credit sequence is an artsy montage featuring multicolored silhouettes of nude women. Though we don't see anything explicit, Bond beds a number of girls. At least this time he proposes marriage to one and insists they wait for their wedding night to consumate -- but then he changes his mind instantly. Bond also allows some characters to think he's homosexual.

  • Language:

    Not an issue.

  • Consumerism:

    No problem, unless the parade of luxury '60s automobiles seems heavy-handed.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Recreational drinking and smoking (mostly by the villain).
 

What Parents Need to Know

About On Her Majesty's Secret Service

Parents need to know that while James Bond is his usual ladies' man type here, he also masquerades as homosexual -- or, as the euphemistic dialogue puts it, he "doesn't like girls." Despite the comedic moments inherent in this premise, Bond still beds several women (and actually marries one!). Then the movie whipsaws around, ending on a particularly shocking note with the assassination of a sympathetic character. The violence includes a particularly don't-try-this-at-home-or-anywhere-else fight on back of a speeding bobsled. The heroine tries to commit suicide in photogenic fashion by drowning.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the peculiar notion of James Bond getting married and settling down. This movie's cruel conclusion at least provides a clue to why 007 (or Indiana Jones, or Batman, or Lara Croft, or any action hero or heroine) never stays permanently with a love interest in the end. Parents might talk about the way moviemakers, novelists, and other pop storytellers ensure that their action idols stay single. Is there an unfair little message in there, that life's worthwhile adventures come to an end with monogamy, marriage, and child responsibilities? You might try to cite movies (most done only in recent years) that dare to suggest otherwise.
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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    Joker15
    Lives in Florida
    I rate this title iffy for age 12 and give it 3.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use

    Flag as inappropriate
  2. Adult Reviewer
    trojan51
    Lives in Washington
    I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give it 3.0

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate

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