This is another one of those films from Common Sense which they lower the age range simply because it has very positive messages about the goodness of the human heart. Don't be fooled. This is a terrific and realistic portrayal of what happened to a large group of Jews during Nazi Germany. On that note, the violence is stark and hits very hard. It is often brutal, and the only color in the whole film other than the very beginning and end is blood. In some of the scenes, women and men are naked, being publicly humiliated because of their creed. The drinking and smoking is at an okay range, which is fine for a rated R audience. The bad guys are obviously bad, and the good good, so no problems there. It is obvious who the bad role models are, therefore there arn't any problems in that area. I'd recommend this film to anyone interested in great cinema, but children should definitely not watch this movie, along with no one under age 17.
Tools for this page
Schindler's List
-
Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings(Flash is loading. If this text does not disappear you need to install the latest flash version)
Not age appropriate for kids under 15, age appropriate for kids over 16; suggested age 15. -
Is it any good?
-
Common Sense says
Accurate, heartbreaking masterpiece about the Holocaust.
Themes in this movie include: physical abuse
updated 10.09.09
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 15–16
The good stuff
-
Role models:
What to watch out for
-
Violence:
-
Sex:
-
Language:
-
Consumerism:
-
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
About Schindler's List
Parents need to know that this brutal, emotionally devastating three-hour drama won several Oscars and has a powerful message about the human spirit -- but it pulls absolutely no punches when depicting the Holocaust. There are arbitrary murders and mass killings, Nazi commanders compare Jews to rats, children are killed, and there are scenes of shocking, grisly violence. There's also plenty of anti-Semitic language, smoking and drinking, and several scenes of nakedness. In two of them, a woman is naked from the waist up in bed and in sexual situations. But in the rest, nakedness is used to humiliate and harass Jewish residents of concentration camps.
Read our full review by Heather Boerner
Families Can Talk About
- Families can talk about their reaction to the film's emotionally difficult material.
- Do you believe the atrocities depicted here can happen again? Why or why not?
- Discuss other ways in which individuals make a difference.
- Families may want to watch additional DVDs produced by the Survivors of the Shoah Foundation designed to help kids understand and confront bias.
Our Members Say
See all 24 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
- I rate this title off for age 16 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
A Postitive Message Shrouded in Brutality
- I rate this title iffy for age 15 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Positive message excuses negative elements
This movie did have a bit of sexualized nudity..but the powerful messages the movie conveyed about what was right and true in the world outweigh the sexual moments. There is full frontal nudity of both males and females however it is not sexual in nature in anyway. This movie does have a great amount of violence, but it was the Holocaust. You can't sugarcoat that. The language was also very strong, but it was part of characterization, not just thrown in to make the movie funnier or more crude. Schindler's List is a movie where it really makes you think about what is right in the world and what lengths doing the right thing is worth going to. It's powerful message outweighs its negatives. In conclusion, you know your kid and what they can handle and what their maturity level is.
- I rate this title on for age 15 and give it
e.g. Perfect for older kids, but not for tweens
It's too morally simplistic and a little too mainstream to really be a masterpiece, but it is very, very good.
- I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
There is another film coming out that relates to WWII called Iron Cross. It is actually Roy Scheider's final film. His character runs into the Nazi that killed his entire family, and together with his son, they set out to exact justice. It's going to be so good!! I downloaded the trailer and I can't wait for it to come out!!
- I rate this title off for age 17 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
This would be good movie if it did not have all the sex scenes or naked females. If I wanted to look at a naked female I would like at myself. I do not need it on my TV screen and in front of my children. It could've been just as gripping and powerful without the sex scenes. It stops the scenes from continuing and follow properly of the storyline and the educational purposes. I would not now or ever let my child see this movie unless the sex scenes are omitted from it. Some people think it was "cool" to see the naked scenes but that is or shouldn't be what you remember about this kind of movie. Poor judgment on all involved in making this movie about what happened in history. Poor movie to teach kids upon! This not age appropriate 17 and under should be 18 and older to view.
- I rate this title off for age 13 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
dang
I only saw part of this movie in my german class and i already thought it was very sad and depressing. facing the horrible reality of what really went down during wwII is a hard thing to do. If your interested in wwII then i would suggest playing call of duty:world at war if you are 17 or older. it can also be very upsetting. However i didnt see enough of the movie to give it an accurate rating, ive heard from numerous people that its excellent.
- I rate this title on for age 14 and give it
Great movie... But also very depressing
i recently saw this movie and have to say it is an excellent movie but for anyone under the age of 14 it is not for them. there is constant incredibly realistic violence. children are slaughtered and there are many disturbing scenes. there is also 2 scenes with full frontal nudity of male and females with exposed genitals, there is about 6 or 7 f words and there are a few sex scenes all with bare breasts. even so pick up this great award winner
- I rate this title on for age 14 and give it
Great movie... But also very depressing
i recently saw this movie and have to say it is an excellent movie but for anyone under the age of 14 it is not for them. there is constant incredibly realistic violence. children are slaughtered and there are many disturbing scenes. there is also 2 scenes with full frontal nudity of male and females with exposed genitals, there is about 6 or 7 f words and there are a few sex scenes all with bare breasts. even so pick up this great award winner
- I rate this title iffy for age 12 and give it
desterbing great gritty
this is a outstanding movie that everyone should see at some point, it will change you. We see jews being tortured shot at point blank range and it doesn't hold back it shows the harshest and worst of humans and you ask yourself how can anyone do such a thing. We see fantastic character development through Oskar Schindler and ull see also the kindness of humans. What age can handle it completely depends after i myself saw it doent want to have anything to do with WWII again in my life others might inspire them to learn more it just depends.
- I rate this title iffy for age 8 and give it
It has a very good message
Schindler's List gives a lot of detail about the Holocaust and how much the Jews struggled. Although the language content is adult sometimes, it tells you alot of how cruely the Jews were treated. I thought it was a very great movie! Age to see it depends on how well you can handle it and it may be different for everybody.
- I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it
one of the best movies ever made
This movie was simply amazing. I think that everyone should watch it at some point in their life but people under 13 or who are easily depressed should be warned that it is a very depressing movie. There are some iffy scenes but I think that most people can deal with them.
- I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it
Bring a tissue box...
I bawled endlessly during this movie. Being the kind of person who cries at the end of Black Beauty, I knew there was no way I was coming away from this one unscathed. The violence is generally brief, but brutal, and there's quite a bit of nudity. That being said, everyone should see this movie at some point in their life. I've noticed a disturbing rise in "fashionable" anti-Semitism, and so this film is just as important as ever. In the words of Holocaust survivor Mike Jacobs (the anglicized version of his birth name) "This is what one human being can do to another. Always remember, never forget, because, God Forbid, it could happen again."
- I rate this title off for age 2 and give it
The sexual content in this movie is big there r about 5 sex scenes were u c womens breasts in all of them.The nudity was a huge matter in this movie there where the sex scenes.Then there is a inspection 2 c if u r healthy at the camp. In this inspection THERE IS COMPLETE FRONTAL NUDITY OF WOMEN AND MEN WHEN I SAY U C EVERYTHING I MEAN U LITTERALLY C EVERYTHING. Theres about 15 scenes of that. The violence was big to but not as big as the nudity.Peoples heads get blown off for simple mistakes,they also get shot just for the Natzi's fun.The language wasnt that very bad there were about nine uses of f**k. Overall it was a masterpiece but, it also shows how cruel the world can b sometimes. Iwould recommend this movie for 17 an older but i think i really mature 14 year old could watch it. This movie tells the tale of one of the darkest times in our history.
- I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it
Great film
the reason I say it is ok for kids to see is because I mean jewish kids
- I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it
- I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
one of the best movies ever made
absolutely spectacular, shows the true face of humanity's darkest hour. The Holocaust is truly one of worst things in history and this shows it and how it really was not sugar coated. Anyone who cares about the Holocaust should see this film if not this may be to powerful for you. P.S. Beware parents this movie was made for older audiences.
- I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- I rate this title off for age 2 and give it
WORST MOVIE EVER
Do not ever let anyone under the age of 17 see this movie. My parents made a HUGE mistake in making me see it - we stopped it half way through. It is highly disturbing. I wanted to walk away at times. Dont watch. Not recomended viewing at all.
- I rate this title on for age 17 and give it
Amazing!
A wonderful portrayal of the bravery of one man- and how he saved many Jews from certain death!!! A MUST SEE!!!!
Give Recommendations, Get Them, Too!
Become a member and get recommendations from other parents based on your child's age.Tell us your child's age:
Already a member? Log inOur Members Rate It
Ratings at a Glance
| 67% | of parents say it's too violent |
| 67% | of parents say the sexual behavior isn't age appropriate |
| 33% | of parents say there are good role models |
| 33% | of parents say it gives kids positive messages |
| 33% | of parents say it has language their kids can't use |
Have you seen it? 
For Your Family
Get age-based recommendations for your kids:
Customize based on your child's age
Lists for kids who love history
Best Historical Fiction for Middle Grade Readers
- The Invention of Hugo Cabret
- Morning Girl
- Small Beauties: The Journey of Darcy Heart O'Hara
- See all 10 titles we recommend
