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Out of Africa

(1986, Rated PG, Drama, Starring Robert Redford, Meryl Streep)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 11, age appropriate for kids over 13; suggested age 13.
  • Is it any good?

    5.0
  • Common Sense says

    An authentic look at 20th-century Colonial Africa.

updated 07.04.08

Why We Rated This on for Ages 13 and Up

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    This is Colonial Africa at its height. White landowners exploit the continent for economic advantage, using black people as laborers and house servants. Karen challenges limiting gender stereotypes.
  • Violence :

    Hunting and shooting animals.
  • Sex :

    The central romance is quite physical but little is shown.
  • Language:

    Not an issue.
  • Consumerism:

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

    Not an issue.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Out of Africa

Parents need to know that mature themes and the film's slow pace make it unsuitable for younger kids. It features a torrid love affair (though not much is shown), the hunting and killing of animals, and white landowners using native black people as laborers and house servants. One of the main characters contracts a sexually transmitted disease, and another dies in a plane crash.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about why older male leads are almost always paired in romantic films with much younger female leads. Does that impact what kinds of stories get told on film? Does the practice affect or reflect societal expectations of men and women?
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Most Recent Reviews

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

    The grandest and most wonderful romance film I've ever seen. Redford and Streeps are excellent.

  2. Teen Reviewer
    Age 16
    Lives in Pennsylvania
    I rate this title on for age 13 and give it 5.0

    A grand, sweeping epic

    The acting is perfect, the picture looks perfect, and the story is perfect.

  3. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Florida
    I rate this title on for age 8 and give it 4.0

    A very magical movie!

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