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Dunston Checks In

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 4, age appropriate for kids over 6; suggested age 6.
  • Is it any good?

    2.0
  • Common Sense says

    Silly orangutan brightens lackluster family flick.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 6 and Up

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Everett's jewel thief is a classic bad guy and Dunaway's boss-lady is predictably rich and bitchy, yelling and firing people to let off steam and concerned more with success than happiness. The young boys are pranksters who exhibit some thoroughly naughty behavior but they do end of saving the day. The biggest take home message concerns the preoccupied single father's relationship with his sons. He is work obsessed but in the end learns to prioritize his family.
  • Violence & scariness:

    Slapstick and rough-and-tumble pummeling, including ear-biting, silly karate, and kitchen pots to the head. A kitchen knife is wielded. A large tranquilizer rifle is shot at Dunston but lodges in large man, causing sleepiness.
  • Sexy stuff:

    Mild sexual suggestiveness as a lusty matron enjoys her massage. Teen boy is girl crazy and on the make.
  • Language:

    A few mild swears, the worst of which are "hell" and "holy s--t."
  • Consumerism:

    A boy wears Spider-man T-shirt and has a Spider-man stuffed toy.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    A woman drinks from a hip flask. Dustin smokes a cigar.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Dunston Checks In

Parents need to know that there is little to offend or scare in this fluffy film that harks back to the low-concept, unadorned, and mild children's comedies of the '60s and '70s. There's a lot of cartoonish violence and the firing of a rifle-type tranquilizer dart. Sensitive kids might be concerned that Dunston, the orangutan, will be killed but the gun-wielding animal control specialist, but he's not a very threatening figure. The words "hell" and "holy s--t" are each used once and stand out as unnecessary swearing. There are a few depictions of hot-to-trot older women that are executed with the utmost silliness -- mistaking the ape for her handsome masseuse, a woman is turned on by some tushy-slapping -- the randy behavior will go over the heads of young kids.

Read our full review by Erika Milvy

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Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about animal rights or simply the idea of training animals to do our bidding or entertain. Parents with younger children may simply want to discuss the similarities between humans and apes and the emotions that Dunston displays -- missing his brother, bonding with the young boy, and turning against his jewel thief owner.

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