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Hoot

(2006, Rated PG, Family and kids, Starring Luke Wilson, Logan Lerman, Brie Larson)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 5, age appropriate for kids over 8; suggested age 8.
  • Is it any good?

    3.0
  • Common Sense says

    Sweet, clumsy family film about saving owls.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 8 and Up

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    The kids who are trying to stop the building engage in illegal activities.
  • Violence & scariness:

    Bully picks on boy repeatedly; face mashed into a window; dog bite leaves bloody wound; villain sprays owl holes with fire extinguisher in an effort to kill them; villain tied and gagged in a closet.
  • Sexy stuff:

    Very minor: cleavage shots as teenaged Beatrice wears bikini tops; bully appears in underwear.
  • Language:

    Mildly obnoxious language ("screwing up," "psycho bully," "darn," "dork," "sucks," "jerk," "dang," "nitwit," "idiot").
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Hoot

Parents need to know the film concerns a corporation's illegal effort to build a restaurant on protected land. To stop a saboteur, the local corporate employee sets mousetraps and sends out trained attack dogs. The kids who are trying to stop the building also engage in illegal activities, such as setting loose alligators and cottonmouth snakes, deflating tires, spray-painting a police cruiser, organizing a town meeting under false pretenses, and tying up the villain in a closet. The company boss lies, cheats, and treats his girlfriend callously. Kids and adults use mildly obnoxious language ("dork," "sucks"). A chaste flirtation develops between the boy and girl protagonists.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about what tactics might effectively stop corporate cheating. How does the film parallel the middle school bully with the corporate bully? How do Roy's lies to his parents lead to their distress and what lesson does he learn from the experience? They could also compare the movie to the book upon which it's based.

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Our Members Say

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  • What did you think about Hoot?
  •  I think this movie is

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See all 35 member reviews

Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    I rate this title on for age 14 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational
    • Positive messages
    • Good role models

    the movie is great! i love it.

  2. Kid Reviewer Age 11
    Lives in Wisconsin
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages

    Loved it

    I love the movie. my sisters fell in love with it.

  3. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    Lives in Pennsylvania
    I rate this title off for age 12 and give it 1.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate language
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • Negative message

    President Obama

    Sick awesome movie! the best movie in the world

  4. Parent Reviewer
    Lives in Minnesota
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 1.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language

    Oh, here we go again...

    This was quite an odd film, I do say. A whole entire movie about saving owls?! Give me a break. Even I, a 78 year old woman cannot handle that. Also, it is quite innapropriate an bloddy, and the sexual content is horrid! Ugh, my 12 year old wanted to see this, but I made him watch "March of the Penguins" instead. I believe that was more enjoyable. Please stay away from this movie. You will cry.

  5. Parent Reviewer
    Lives in Minnesota
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 1.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language

    This was quite an odd film, I do say. A whole entire movie about saving owls?! Give me a break. Even I, a 78 year old woman cannot handle that. Also, it is quite innapropriate an bloddy, and the sexual content is horrid! Ugh, my 12 year old wanted to see this, but I made him watch "March of the Penguins" instead. I believe that was more enjoyable. Please stay away from this movie. You will cry.

  6. Kid Reviewer Age 6
    Lives in New York
    I rate this title on for age 5 and give it 4.0

    beatrice the bear

    it was cool! it's about the new kid in town when he finds out that millions of owl's habitats are getting destroyed. He teams up with 2 friends to save the owl's habitat. It's not really scary but I think that it should be for kids and adults.

  7. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    Lives in Texas
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 4.0

    great movie!

    i like movie reminds of how we should protect animals i hate the bully who beats up i forgot and i can;t believe the pancake company owner he is so mean and dosen't care about the owls thats all you have to worry about

  8. Kid Reviewer Age 7
    Lives in Ohio
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 5.0

    I laughed

    I thought this movie was great.Especially for a family movie night.Id give it two thumbs up.I really enjoyed sitting down and watching this hilarious moie about owl's.Before you watch this movie i think you should read the book!!!!!

  9. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in South Carolina
    I rate this title on for age 8 and give it 3.0

    Sweet family film is fine for kids 9+

    Sexual Content (Not an Issue): A commercial starts out with "Are you a big boy with a big appetite?" said sultrily. Mullet Fingers is seen shirtless and Dana is shown in his underwear only. Beatrice runs away to Roy's house, where he lets her spend the night (but they don't do anything sexual). Violence (Pause): Roy is hit in the head with a golf ball two times. Dana bullies Roy by shoving his face into a bus window and gagging him (with Roy punching him for doing so, and we later see a large welt on Dana). Mullet Fingers is attacked by a dog, and we briefly see his bloody wound. Mullet Fingers has a construction worker tied up and gagged after he tries to kill the owls. Language (Not an Issue): None other than a few uses of "Oh my God". However, we do see Mullet Finger's mouth say "damn", but the audio says "dang" instead. Social Behavior (Pause): Characters lie, steal, pick on and bully others, and engage in illegal activities. Commercialism (Not an Issue): None. Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco (Not an Issue): Some adults have drinks that may or may not be alcoholic.

  10. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in Oregon
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 5.0

    WOW

    Sometimes when you read a book and they turn it into a movie its completly differnet than the book or what you were expecting. But this, WOW. It sticks to the book like glue and its really, really, really, really funny!! (Espescially the bloopers) This is a movie noone should miss!

  11. Teen Reviewer Age 17
    Lives in Nebraska
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 5.0

  12. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    Lives in Wisconsin
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 4.0

    the movie was so-so

    the movie HOOT WAS GREAT!Because it was good and becausethe main menue was about owls.

  13. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in Wisconsin
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 3.0

    The movie was okay,I think that they should show the the part where Beatrice bited Roy's tire,Mullet Fingers put his torn green shirt on top of Officer Delinko's satelite.

  14. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in Wisconsin
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 4.0

    I think it was good

    I think the movie was good cause it shows that animals are really important to people too and that you should not kill animals. The movie shows alot of bully and mean things. The movie show alot of caring too. I will give this an A for the grade cause the movie cut of some part of the movie.

  15. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    Lives in Wisconsin
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 5.0

    I laughed

    My oppinion is the book was cool. I liked this movie because it showed how people cared about alot of stuff. This movie wasn't that much from the book becuse it showed stuff that they didn't say in the book. I give this book five stars.

  16. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in Wisconsin
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 4.0

    What can I d without this book?

    Roy lived in Montana then his dad's job was in Florida so they had to move to Florida.He went to go on the bus to go to school and when he got on it Dana shoved him onto the glass window. Then he saw Mullet Fingers (Running Boy)running without shoes.Then he saw him again then he ran into Beatrice. The movie was ok. I would give it 5 stars and would give it a B

  17. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    Lives in Wisconsin
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 4.0

    It was an awsome movie

    i liked this movie because it was about trust and freindship between roy,beatrice,and Mullet Fingers. This movie had some parts that wasn't that intresing like in the book though everything kinda just fit in the movie.

  18. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    Lives in Wisconsin
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 3.0

  19. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in Wisconsin
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 3.0

  20. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    Lives in Wisconsin
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 3.0

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