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Kinky Boots

(2005, Rated PG-13, Comedy, Starring Joel Edgerton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sarah-Jane Potts)

  • 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 14.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0

  • Common Sense says

    Brit comedy is more warm and quirky than kinky.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 14 and Up

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Despite their obvious differences, Lola and Charlie strike up a warm and close friendship. Lola puts up with a lot of discriminatory and threatening behavior because of her gender presentation, and it makes her depressed. Nicola cheats on Charlie. Charlie kisses Lauren, even though he's engaged to Nicola.

  • Violence:

    Men harass and seem to be threatening Lola. Lola, trying to protect herself from the toughs, accidentally hits Charlie in the face with her shoe. Don menaces Lola and writes anti-gay epithets in the factory.

  • Sex:

    Lots of talk about boots being "irresistible, tubular sex." Some light kissing between Charlie and Lauren and Charlie and Nicola. Lola, a transvestite and drag queen, flirts with Don. Don yells come-ons to Lola before he knows she's a man. Brief and innocent sexy dancing.

  • Language:

    Very little cursing, aside from British slang, like "bugger," "bloddy," and "sod off." Lola says the company may go "tits up." One use of "s--t."

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Considerable drinking, mostly of vodka by Lola. There's also drinking of beer in pubs and drinking of champagne.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Kinky Boots

Parents need to know that a main character in this movie, Lola, is threatened with violence and discriminated against because she's a transvestite and drag queen. Though this film stays light and quirky, it still raises very real questions about how far tolerance and acceptance goes, especially of boys who don't act in a masculine way. Both Charlie and his fiancé Nicola cheat on each other -- though neither has sex. Also, when Lola says she's a transvestite and drag queen, some teens are bound to ask what the difference is.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about gender presentation and discrimination. How are people in your life treated for acting against gender type? Do you make fun of boys for acting feminine or mock girls for being stereotypically masculine? How does Lola deal with it, and how would you deal with it if people ostracized you in a similar way? What examples have you seen in the media of this kind of discrimination?
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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Kid Reviewer Age 8
    MickyMouse
    Lives in New Jersey
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 2.0

    It was so boring

    I

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
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