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TAPS

(1981, Rated PG, Drama, Starring Tom Cruise, Timothy Hutton, Sean Penn)

  • 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

    A complex, violent movie for older teens only.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 14 and Up

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Brian follows his conscience, but his actions lead to his friends' deaths.

  • Violence:

    Some blood, a few fist fights, and several firefights.

  • Sex:

    Some brief hand-holding at a dance, but that's it.

  • Language:

    Lots of swearing (including "s--t" and "ass"), as well as gay-baiting slurs.

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    General Bache shares a drink with his underage proteges and talks about smoking cigars despite his doctor's warnings.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About TAPS

Parents need to know that several of the main characters are killed in this film, mostly by shooting. One character catches on fire. The students of Bunker Hill Academy get into a fistfight with local kids who gay-bait them, calling them "queers," "fag," and "faggot." The film's graphic violence may be too much for sensitive or younger viewers. Brian's father hits him. Brian leads his peers into a siege and battle with adults, doing what he thinks is right, but with fatal consequences.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about what this movie is really saying about war. What does Brian, who's only 17 himself, think war is, and how does that compare to its reality? For families with children in the service or a history of military service, this film is a great opportunity to talk about how accurate it is. What's the battle here? Is it worth dying for? What cause would you die for?
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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    <flyboy>
    Lives in Florida
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 5.0

    The Realities of a Military Life

    I thought this movie conveyed a lot of the pride that soldiers feel, how monumental the military's effect is, and how a person with the wrong mix of passion can be destructive (i.e. the Tom Cruise charachter). The ending may prove depressing to you, but it is the harsh reality of the sacrifice of attending a military school and it's effects on one's charachter.

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate

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