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White Fang

(1991, Rated PG, Family and kids, Starring Ethan Hawke)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 8, age appropriate for kids over 10; suggested age 10.
  • Is it any good?

    4.0
  • Common Sense says

    Exciting tale set in gold-rush Alaska.

updated 07.04.08

Why We Rated This on for Ages 10 and Up

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Reference to social exclusion of Native Americans. Characters are self-reliant and trustworthy, bad guys steal from newcomers and cheat.
  • Violence :

    Violence includes dog fights, gun fight, house set on fire, implied death of a character, bear attack, wolf cub's mother is shot.
  • Sex :

    Very subtle reference to prostitution, a (unmarried) couple kiss.
  • Language:

    Brief profanity, name calling.
  • Consumerism:

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

    Barroom drinking, tobacco smoking, bad guys drink to excess.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About White Fang

Parents need to know that this movie has mature themes, such as the mistreatment of the Native American tribes by the miners, betting on dog fights, and the harshness of life in the mountains. There's a scene where wolves surround a camp and a character (off-screen) is killed while trying to protect his dog pack. A wolf is shot and crawls back to die in front of her young pup. A corpse is ejected from its coffin, characters treat an animal cruelly to make it fight, a bear chases a man but is scared away by a wolf, a character refers to the death of his parents. There's a shoot-out with no deaths but plenty of menace and a mining cave-in that threatens a character.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the frontier life-style and how Jack finds a sense of place in a location that many would find inhospitable. The characters represent a wide spectrum of approaches from the men who steal to those who look out for one another. Families may want to talk about the character of Alex and why he does not seem friendly but how his commitment to keeping promises distinguishes him as someone Jack can rely upon. How are White Fang's and Jack's lives touched by other people and what impact does this have on how they act?
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