this movie is horrible, the story line is way too confusing, questions are unanswered. This is the dumbest movie i've ever seen!
The Box
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Creepy thriller too confusing for kids, awful for adults.
Themes in this movie include: family relationships, honesty, loss, revenge
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 13–15
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of The Box was written by Sandie Angulo Chen
Parents need to know that this Cameron Diaz thriller from the director of Donnie Darko is based on a macabre premise: that human beings would rather win money than protect a stranger's life. It's too confusing and intense for tweens and young teens, and, in addition to the cloud of violence hovering over the entire movie, there are several disturbing images, including an upsetting disfigurement; two women being killed at close range; people who have eerie, unexpected nosebleeds; a fatal car accident; and gun violence. The swearing is fairly mild (one use of "s--t" is as strong as it gets), the sexuality is limited to the main couple kissing passionately and embracing, and the drinking is mostly social and done by adults. Still, most kids won't want to bother figuring out the movie's dark themes and puzzling plot.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about what the movie's experiment says about human nature. Is money more important than a stranger's life?
- What would have you done given the same choice? Was what happened after the characters "hit the button" predictable?
- Do movies have to be believable or relatable to be entertaining?
Have you seen it? Review It!
More on The Box
What’s the Story?
Set in 1976, THE BOX follows Norma and Arthur Lewis (Cameron Diaz and James Marsden), a happily married couple raising a sweetly precocious son (Sam Oz Stone) in the Richmond, Virginia, suburbs. One day, the Lewises' doorbell rings at 5:45 a.m. -- but when they open the door, all that's there is package. Inside, the couple finds a mysterious wooden box with a glass dome covering a red button. That afternoon, a disfigured man named Arlington Steward (Frank Langella) informs them that they've been selected for a unique offer: They have 24 hours to decide whether to push the button and win $1 million -- and, in doing so, sentence a stranger to death -- or to do nothing and keep a $100 consolation prize. Strapped for cash, Norma eventually pushes the button ... but then immediately regrets it. The Lewises are caught up in an enigmatic cat-and-mouse game with Steward as they attempt to figure out who he's working for and how to stop the murders, since it's clear the next "stranger" to be killed could be one of them.
Is It Any Good?
Enigmatic thrillers with high-concept premises can lead to cinematic highs like The Usual Suspects, and those with sci-fi overtones can be cerebral like the under-appreciated Minority Report, but Richard Kelly's The Box is just plain dull and uninteresting. Diaz and Marsden (who looks either stiff or smoldering in every scene) can't believably pull off the Southern married parents routine, Diaz's horrible attempt at a Southern accent alternately draws groans and guffaws, and the '70s accouterments -- like the awful wallpaper and Marsden's ghastly mutton chops -- don't help. At least there are glimpses of Alice and What's Happening! on the telly.
The movie's premise starts off like a Twilight Zone episode, but it soon devolves into a ridiculously schlocky conspiracy to treat humans as sociological test subjects. Even Langella, one of those dignified older actors who could ask for a bus pass and make it look interesting, is too over the top as the Grim Reaper-esque agent of doom. By the time a zombie-like crowd starts following Diaz and Marsden around a public library, it's difficult to suppress the "it's so bad, it's funny" laughter.
Movie Details
Studio: Warner Bros., Director: Richard Kelly
Run time: 115 minutes
Theatrical release: 11/6/2009
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for thematic elements, some violence and disturbing images
Run time: 115 minutes
Theatrical release: 11/6/2009
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for thematic elements, some violence and disturbing images
Our Members Say
See all 13 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 11 and give it
Save Your Time and Your Money
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I rate this title iffy for age 7 and give it
: (
JUST PLAIN BAD !!! not bad 4 kids its just a poorly made movie
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I rate this title on for age 15 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive consumerism
mature subject matter
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I rate this title off for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
this movie was beyond terrible. csm was sooo right. the plot was stupid. it was very creepy. my friends and i were were very disapointed.it was confusing and also very disturbing. the best part was the previews. seriously, dont waste your money!
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I rate this title on for age 12 and give it
eerie confusing thriller is brilliant
forget the conept of the box because you don'y ned it all you neeed to know is the investigate the button and begin to unravel the ultimate conspiracy theory sure it's confusing but a good vide and a brilliant mind can figure the film out but still have question which is why the requires you to like the people working with the box don't ask questions
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I rate this title on for age 14 and give it
Great movie
Wow....I really disagree with CSM on this one. I thought it was a great movie with themes that can be discussed with teens about morals and what's important in life. Very much like "The Day the Earth Stood Still," this flick centers on the idea that we, as humans, make some very poor choices -- and if we want the race to continue, we'd better all clean up our lives! My 14 year old really enjoyed it, too. I thought it was a great movie.
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I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Excessive consumerism
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
The Movie Man on THE BOX
Cameron Diaz stars in the action thriller "THE BOX". According to the trailer this movie might look fine for ages eleven and up but its not. This movie is scary. There is a loud gun shot that will make people jump and there are people popping out randomly. There is also some blood and some disturbing scenes like a foot with one toe and a man mssing a side of his face. Even the background music is a little scary. Besides that there are a lot of slow parts which can make the movie a little boring. There is a whole lot of action also. There is a car crash a gun to the head and is threatened to get in the car. Also a younged boy is snatched and kidnapped and made blind and deaf. A couple is losing money and has to make a choice to get a million dollars by pushing a button which will kill someone they don't know. There is some drinking in the movie. This movie might be good to skip but if you must see this action movie make sure you are 13 and up.
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I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Excessive consumerism
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
The Movie Man on THE BOX
Cameron Diaz stars in the action thriller "THE BOX". According to the trailer this movie might look fine for ages eleven and up but its not. This movie is scary. There is a loud gun shot that will make people jump and there are people popping out randomly. There is also some blood and some disturbing scenes like a foot with one toe and a man mssing a side of his face. Even the background music is a little scary. Besides that there are a lot of slow parts which can make the movie a little boring. There is a whole lot of action also. There is a car crash a gun to the head and is threatened to get in the car. Also a younged boy is snatched and kidnapped and made blind and deaf. A couple is losing money and has to make a choice to get a million dollars by pushing a button which will kill someone they don't know. There is some drinking in the movie. This movie might be good to skip but if you must see this action movie make sure you are 13 and up.
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I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
another Darko-esque movie with plot twists and a much deeper core than a typical movie. If you have never seen Donnie Darko or S. Darko, than you may not get the complexities of this film. I feel the deep internal struggle would be a little too much for Younger children to understand.
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I rate this title iffy for age 17 and give it
iffy
We both though the move was convoluted at best. Boring and certainly would not recommend it.
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I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
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I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Negative role models
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
very confusing, and has alot to do with the god, NOT a slasher flick.
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I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
A Huge contender for best actress Cameron Diaz Along with Thw two main roles for the movie precious one for Mo'nique and one for The young girl
this is going to be sooooooooooooo awasome with cameron Diaz my prediction Best actress Cameron Diaz!
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