Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this movie has some thoughtful and meaningful views on life and death that some viewers may find comforting, and others may find sad or disturbing. The ghosts that Cole sees are of people who died violently and they are gruesome, even shocking, in appearance; you'll see a shooting, a suicide, a poisoning, people hanging, and more. Some of the dead are children, one killed by her own mother.
Families can talk about ghost stories. What makes this one particularly gripping? How does the director scare you without going for the over-the-top violence?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Nell Minow
This is one of the rarest of movie treats, a thinking person's thriller that is genuinely haunting. You're lucky if you see a movie that you are still thinking about by it hours later. Its ultimate conclusion is stunning but, in retrospect, inevitable.
Parents should not be misled by the PG-13 rating. This movie is in some ways far scarier than the R-rated The Blair Witch Project. Parents should be cautious about allowing children under high school age to attend, and should be prepared to talk to kids about the movie, because even teens may find it upsetting.
Bruce Willis plays Dr. Malcolm Crowe, a gifted therapist who specializes in children. The night he receives an award for his work, a former patient breaks into his house and shoots Dr. Crowe and then himself. Months later, Dr. Crowe is still very shaken. He feels that he can't communicate with his wife. He is treating just one patient, a boy named Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), who reminds him of the patient he believes he failed. Malcolm gradually wins Cole's trust, and Cole confides that he sees "dead people." At first, Malcolm thinks this is a symptom of deep psychological disturbance, but then he comes to believe that Cole really does see the spirits of people who have died and he must find a way to make that experience less terrifying for him.
Osment is truly sensational, one of the finest performances ever given by a child. Willis complements him perfectly, and the interaction between the two of them is deeply touching. This movie has some thoughtful and meaningful views on life and death that some viewers may find comforting, and others may find sad or disturbing.
Teens who like this movie may also like other movies by the M. Night Shyamalan, including The Village and Signs. For more Haley Joel Osment, try Secondhand Lions.
Rate It!
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ViolenceSeveral scary surprises, some quite grisly. Child is stalked by the dead who want something from him; he looks terrified most of the time. A child is poisoned. Image of three people hanging in a school. A shooting and a suicide. |
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Language"S--t" and a few lesser swear words. |
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Social Behavior |
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Commercialism |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoSome tipsiness. |
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