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Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this movie is a tear-jerker and contains some intense scenes involving poverty and peril. In one scene, Joe is forced to tell Lassie that he doesn't love or want her anymore (a potential weepy moment for the youngest set). Also, Lassie gets whipped, and in another scene, a brave little dog dies at a human's hands. There's also slapstick farce at the expense of some dog wardens. In school, Joe suffers humiliation and physical abuse from a teacher. A dwarf puppeteer is beat up by two big guys using clubs. They make snide remarks about his size and try to rob him.
Families can talk about the movie's messages about loyalty, honesty, perseverance, poverty, and respecting animals. What does it mean to be poor? Why are there some places in the world where kids have nothing? How would you feel about having to sell your pet to make ends meet? Why do some people abuse animals? Why is it important to respect other living creatures?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Jane Boursaw
It's the eve of World War II, and Sam Carraclough (John Lynch) learns that his mine is closing. He and his devoted wife, Sarah (Samantha Morton), realize that they'll have to take drastic measures to keep food on the table, but their only possession of any value is their dog, Lassie. So they make the painful decision to sell her to the Duke of Rudling (Peter O'Toole), after his granddaughter, Priscilla (Hester Odgers), notices the dog during a fox hunt.
Meanwhile, the Carracloughs' young son, Joe (Jonathan Mason), is having trouble in school and getting whacked with a ruler by the teacher. The thought of seeing his beloved Lassie at the end of the day is the only thing that keeps him going, so he's heartbroken when he gets home and she's not there -- especially since his mother had assured him that they wouldn't sell the family pet.
Lassie manages to escape from the duke's kennel several times, so he has her shipped off to his remote castle in northern Scotland. But she's determined to return home, and, with Priscilla's help, Lassie manages to get through the gate, setting off on a cross-country adventure that has her seeing the Loch Ness monster, escaping from a dog pound, and falling in with a traveling puppeteer (Peter Dinklage).
With some iffy language, rough-talking coal miners, and scenes of death and peril, it's clear that this LASSIE is no scrubbed-up Disney flick. But by showing the harshness of life in 1930s Yorkshire, the movie brings a reality to the classic story that was never found in the TV series, or even in the early Lassie movies.
Lassie is a nostalgic story about a beloved character, and the dog's adventures are by turns amusing, thrilling, and gut-wrenching. That said, the movie is also a bit schmaltzy, with one too many scenes of Lassie running in slo-mo across the Yorkshire landscape, saving various souls along the way, and being brave in the face of adversity. Then again, it's Lassie -- and you can't mess with a classic.
Families who enjoy this movie may also like Shiloh, Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, Benji, and Because of Winn-Dixie.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentMild innuendo between characters. |
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ViolenceLassie gets whipped (off-screen). Another dog dies at the hands of a person. The puppeteer is beaten up. Slapstick farce. Joe gets his hand whacked with a ruler at school. |
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Language"Hell," "bugger," "bloody," and "bullocks," and other similar British epithets. |
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Social BehaviorLassie faces adversity bravely and helps many people during her adventures. On the other hand, dogs are beaten (and, in one scene, so is a person, who is simultaneously mocked), Joe's parents go back on their promise to him, and Joe is forced to turn against his beloved dog. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoSome smoking and drinking among adult characters. |
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