Australia (PG-13, 2008)

common sense media says

Messy but engrossing epic about race, love, and war.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this historical melodrama stars popular Aussies Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, but even with that level of celebrity wattage, it's unlikely to attract tweens and younger teens. But older teens, especially mature girls, may be drawn to the romance that's played up in the advertising. The film deals with mature themes like racism, greed, war, class consciousness, and sexual politics. The violence is realistic and occasionally bloody -- characters are speared, shot, burned, drowned, and beaten. The characters' sexual chemistry and tension turns into several passionate kisses and a love-making scene in which bare shoulders, a man's chest, and a woman's underwear, back, and legs are all visible. The Northern Territory is portrayed as full of hard-drinking, aboriginal-hating men and demure, high-society couples. Mature teens who see the film are likely to learn about about Australia's role in World War II and how the country historically treated its indigenous people.

Positive messages: The movie's historically accurate storyline -- in which half-aboriginal, half-white children are taken away from their homes and taught how to be domestic servants in white society -- is meant to teach an historical lesson about racism toward native cultures. Other messages include love triumphing against the odds and people finding family in unexpected places.
Positive role models: A woman is underestimated as not being brave or bold enough to run her
own cattle farm in a dangerous territory, but she shows the men around
her that she can hold her own. A couple from different social classes falls in love and further goes against the norms of the time by socializing with aboriginal people. Some characters are outright villains with no redeeming qualities.
Violence: Several scenes of disturbing violence, including two men being speared to death, one man getting thrown into crocodile-infested waters, a woman drowning, a man being trampled to death by a stampede of cows, a young boy being struck by an adult, World War II bombings/explosions, burned characters, and the death of a well-liked character. A few instances of violence are episodes of men sacrificing themselves to save other characters. A kangaroo is hunted, but the scene is played for laughs.
Sex: The film's stars have an electric chemistry that's accompanied by a lot of sexual tension. Jackman's character in particular is depicted as incredibly sexually attractive; there are several scenes of him shirtless. A scene in which a white man knocks on an aboriginal woman's door for sex (he's later shown buckling his belt, etc.) is somewhat disturbing. A couple passionately kisses several times and makes love on a bed, but there's no nudity. A woman takes a bath in front of a man (no camera shots below the shoulders). A boy is aware of sexual behavior and calls it "wrong-headed business."
Language: Lots of "crikey"; other language includes infrequent uses of words like "damn," "bloody," and "bastard." One use of "f--king." Several characters use disparaging terms to refer to aboriginal and half-aboriginal people, including "creamy."
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Australians are portrayed as hard drinking. Various adults drink hard liquor in and out of a pub. One man is known as a drunk and sneaks alcohol on most occasions.

More on Australia

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Families can talk about the film's big issues. What do your kids think about the way the film addresses race, and how do they think things have changed since the film's era?
  • How were World War II-era racial tensions in Australia similar to and different from those in America?
  • How accurate do you think the movie is in portraying Australia's history? What did you learn about the country that you didn't know before seeing the movie?

What's the story?

What's the story?
Set in Australia's Northern Territory before World War II, AUSTRALIA follows Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman), an English aristocrat who travels Down Under to convince her husband to sell their unprofitable cattle farm. From the moment she arrives, she's completely out of her element, and then a mysterious tragedy leaves her a widow with a property she doesn't know how to manage -- and a greedy, villainous competitor to outsmart. Enter grizzled drifter Drover (Hugh Jackman), the only person Sarah can trust to help save her cattle farm. As the two battle harsh elements and unforgiving odds, they (predictably) fall in love and take guardianship of Nullah (Brandon Walters), an orphaned biracial aboriginal boy they must protect from the authorities who seek to strip him of his culture and teach him to become a servant in white society.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

Director Baz Luhrmann isn't a subtle filmmaker, so it's no surprise that Australia -- the most expensive movie ever made Down Under -- has been criticized as a self-indulgent, grandiose, and bumpy ride. It is all of those things, not to mention overlong and campy. But despite its flaws (multiple endings, an uneven tone, and overall hamminess), it's also an utterly riveting, lushly photographed epic with all the high-stakes melodrama of the 1939 films it's an homage to: The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind (Jackman, like George Clooney, is one of a handful of modern leading men who can channel the dashing Clark Gable).

The film's pre-World War II acts work best, when Sarah and Drover -- along with the adorable Nullah and their other aboriginal associates -- band together to drove their cattle across barren no man's land to challenge the Australian beef industry's oligarch King Carney and his henchman Neil Fletcher (David Wenham) for a lucrative Army contract. The perilous adventure culminates in a boring society ball where Jackman makes a grand entrance and sweeps Sarah away in the rain. Kisses in the rain are as formulaic as film scenes come, but it doesn't matter when the leading couple is so appealing. So, as choppy and manipulative as the two-and-a-half-hour tale can get, the Man Behind the Curtain's gift for theatricality makes Australia hard to resist.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Cast: David Wenham, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman
Genre: Drama
Run time: 165 minutes
Theatrical release: November 26, 2008
DVD release: March 3, 2009
MPAA Rating: PG-13
MPAA explanation: some violence, a scene of sensuality, and brief strong language
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This review was written by Sandie Angulo Chen
 
 

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What parents & educators say

12

Most useful reviews by all members

 
Really beautiful in scenery and story.
Due to some disturbing images/content this movie is for the 17+ crowd but I ABSOLUTELY loved it! Beautifully shot and smartly written, a wonderful surprise of a journey.

xotitanicox
teen, 16 years old
 
Rent it now!
The best movie ever! I love this movie, it has everything: action, drama, romance, comedy. I just can't stress enough: if you have not seen this movie, RENT IT! Stick with it, it may be boring at the beggining, but it is very rewarding.

mollyrookwood
teen, 15 years old
 
fabulous movie, but not for younger kids
I loved australia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it was one of the best movies i've seen in a long time. there is a sex scene, but you don't actually see anything too graphic. this movie had me crying and laughing and holding my breath... i loved it!

thejokerspencil
parent of and 3 , 11 , 12 , 17 year old
 
Visually Entertaining
It was fantastic and was a big snub at the oscars.

HenryRedJeanz
teen, 14 years old
 
Very disappointing, especially after so many great Baz films
I couldn't stand this movie, Nicole Kidman can NOT do comedy and she is just terrible in this movie, the storyline is accurate and stuff, but the whole thing is really cheesy and it was just really .. UGH! Baz Luhrmann was being a tryhard, trying to make a really good trillion dollar epic about Australia, but it fell flat on its face, I think he should stick to things like Moulin Rouge and Romeo and Juliet and Strictly Ballroom, those were great, but this was really poor. Some racial themes, swearing (1 f word) and a brief sexual scene, bad role models and good role models, some war violence and other violence like a man gets trampled by a stampede of cattle and his face is like leaking with blood and black stuff and its all bruised and BLECH! gross do not see this movie see Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge, great great movies, iffy for 10+

9hemmatip
teen, 14 years old
 
Perfect for 12+
Great Movie. One use of f*** and one love scene but oda than that, nuthing!

rachelbabe
teen, 16 years old
 
Truly spectacle
LOVE THIS MOVIE!!! To paraphrase my thoughts...one sex scene which is a bit steamy, you see legs and a male's chest that's all doesn't show all that much and is very short. There's kissing but that shouldn't bother teens. The language is a bit more than moderate the f word is used once. Violence really didn't bother me but it did bother my friend, people get speared but it is not bloody except at the beginning and it wasn't all that bad. The most graphic scene is when the man gets run over which did the first time I saw it bother me a bit.

Tom Sutherland
parent of 18 and 20 year old
 
Adopt Nullah!
My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. We enjoy traveling to distant places and we enjoy Westerns. This movie offers both. We were both caught up in the story and were both moved emotionally at several points during the film. This film needs to be viewed in the theater!

blondiebeachbabe97
teen, 14 years old
 
I cried and laughed! Great movie!
I would see this movie again. Although it is directed more towards mature audiences, I liked it. Though there were some swear words, I would let an eleven-year-old watch this, though there are some innuendos and one mildly sexual scene. One scene was a little gory, where a person is trampled to death by cattle. You may get teary-eyed at some of the heartfelt scenes. I thought this film was great, just like the acting and actors.

Crazytazy
teen, 14 years old
 
Under 12s may find this film very disturbing!
I was 11 years when I first saw this movie. It has a couple of scenes like at the beginning a man got speared and another man got run over by cattle that I found quite disturbing. There was also a sad bit where a kangaroo was shot but that was quite funny. Me and my friend were either cying, laughing or just generally enjoying this movie. Just one negative, I thought it made Australia look like a bad country.

 
Historic fiction worth seeing
I thought there were too many story lines taking place in the movie though I guess you could say they did all finally come together in the end. Just when you thought the movie was over and everyone lives happily ever after something else happens... Even so, I enjoyed the movie and especially Hugh Jackman who I thought was very credible in his role. I thought the movie did a good job depicting the outback of WWII era Australia and did not tread lightly around the race issues. In regards to violence in the movie, it wasn't over the top and fit the storyline. The couples scenes are less than what you would see on t.v. at 9 pm. I would take a mature 12 year old to see this movie if they showed an interest.

♥UndeadRainbows♥™
kid, 13 years old
 
13+
I was 11 years when I first saw this movie. It has a couple of scenes like at the beginning a man got speared and another man got run over by cattle that I found quite disturbing. There was also a sad bit where a kangaroo was shot but that was quite funny. Me and my friend were either cying, laughing or just generally enjoying this movie. Just one negative, I thought it made Australia look like a bad country. I only saw the first half and found it rather disturbing, but a great movie, otherwise!

milly93
teen, 18 years old
 
long, campy, but very enjoyable
Yes, it was too long. Yes, some of the lines were laughable. But I found that I could pay attention the whole time because it was so interesting, although I found some of the lines funny when they weren't supposed to be. Anyways, the cinematography was amazing and the movie overall was very emotional (I cried a lot). Nullah is absolutely adorable and I think it would be great if the kid who played him got an award. Despite its faults, the movie consistently stays interesting and, though I kept expecting it to end, when it actually did end I wanted to see it again.

moviedude
teen, 15 years old
 
DON'T see this movie!
The movie drags on and on and on. it gets boring and I didn't think the movie made any sense.

Parker H.
teen, 16 years old
 
It ended twice
This movie is great and creative but very long and it feels like it ends multiple times. You do see very briefly while the camera moves past an open door, a man and woman having sex

The Joker
teen, 15 years old
 
Great film, not for under 10s
Look, I watched this film when I was 9. I was slightly disturbed, though it is a great film. Things to look out for are probably the woman drowning and when the man gets hit by the cattle

MississippiQueen
parent of and 2 , 2 , 5 , 7 year old
 

 
Take a trip to Australia!
What a great family movie! It is not nearly as serious as it is billed to be. And there's a perfectly enchanting child at it's center. Yes, it is very long, but it is never boring. There's adventure, magic, romance, and music at every turn. Yes, there's a little gore (but much less than the Lord of the Rings films), a little skin (just fast forward when Sarah and Drover enter the Hotel), deaths (as with any tear-jerker) and fighting and drinking (no more than your average spaghetti western). Racism is a central issue in the film, yet it is never preachy. Besides, how could anyone possibly be prejudice towards the oh-so-adorable Nulla? Brave heros, remorseless villians, beautiful ladies, reformed drunks, a magic man, a trampling stampede, a fancy dress ball and The Wizard of Oz! Pop a huge bowl of popcorn and watch this one as a family (when you have 3 hours to spare).

Floridahi12
teen, 17 years old
 
I laughed!
I went to see this movie with my friend and her parents it was long but i found it enjoyable. There were some parts that went completely over our heads we laughed at some parts and there is some gore, bombing and a sexual scene. I would let a 12 year old see it.

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