 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
A Few Good Men
- Review Date: November 10, 2005
- R
- Genre: Drama
- 1992
Common Sense Media says
Complex military whodunit. For mature teens+.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this film's lack of gory violence or explicit sex makes it a relatively good choice for those who like political thrillers. However, the plot might be too complex and slow-paced for all but the most mature teenagers. There is some strong language and a graphic oral sex reference.
What's the story?
When an unpopular Marine winds up dead after being hazed by two of his unit mates in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Navy lawyer Lt. J. G. Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) is assigned to defend the presumed murderers at their court martial, in a presumably open-and-shut case. But as Kaffee probes further under the urging of Internal Affairs' Lt. Cmdr. JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore), he finds there's more to the case than meets the eye.
Is it any good?
A FEW GOOD MEN was adapted from a Broadway play and it shows; most of the film is filled with set pieces in which the actors sit at restaurants and in court rooms and offices, endlessly debating the case and the issues around it. Did the dead Marine bring on his fate by breaking the Marine's code of honor, as the base's commanding officer, Col. Nathan Jessup (Jack Nicolson), suggests? If so, does that make the dead soldier a victim or a perpetrator himself?
For adults or very mature teens, A Few Good Men brings up complex and interesting issues surround the military and the duties of soldiers in uniform: the nature of conformity, persecution of the weak, the price of unquestioning obedience to superiors. Younger teens will probably be bored by the film's lack of action, but for families looking for talking points on the military, or those who just like a courtroom drama, A Few Good Men is a solid choice.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the duties of a citizen to their family and their country. Was the death of the marine justified in favor of national security? Does Col. Jessup's military record automatically make him qualified to hold his position? How does the trial cause Lt. Kaffee to question his own values?
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- Teens & kids
AGE
Good movie.
I enjoyed this movie very much but other teens my age might find it boring or to slow paced.The movie is approprite for teens 14 and up depending on what is considered acceptible in their household.
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AGE
It's Fine
For me, this is not a great movie. It’s just fine, good characters, good actors… The movie talks about a trial and a murder. I think the positive point it’s the end and the way the guilty guys are punished. Worth your time.
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AGE
Very good
I really did enjoy this movie it was well made and well acted. However, I did watch it when it was edited for TV so I couldn't comment personally for the appropriateness of the content in the original version.
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AGE
Ignore the paranoia
Do the right thing.
That's the message in this movie. No matter how high an official may rank, they aren't immune to the law; there are consequences. However, there's an equally interesting, and I believe persuasive, point that maybe we, as civilians, don't want to know the truth of what measures our military takes. This movie is appropriate for mature middle-school children.
It's laughable that an oral sex reference was voted "inappropriate" for 16 year olds on this site. When I was in middle school, oral sex was completely out of the question. However, the children even two years after me considered it to be nothing. I graduated high school in 2003. Regardless of your opinion about the promiscuity and sexuality of middle and high school students, it's only fueling the flames of rebellion to pretend the situation is something other than what it is.
And what a tragedy it would be for these young adults to miss such a powerful film. It's the kind of movie that makes you want to be a lawyer.
Like I am.
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AGE
Only violent in the very beginning, so skip that part. I watched this with my whole family (one baby bro,mum, and sis my dad didn`t want to watch) also with a bunch of cousins my age.They say way to many bad words, and children 10 and under will not understand anything they would be saying. I watched this at the age of 12, it was easy for me to comprehend it. There was a part in a bar where Tom Cruise and his `friend`are drinking. And he gets way too drunk while he is coming home. Criminals charged of being criminals so that could scare little children. The most of it is good, but they jazz it up with a bad word. Like the a-word, b-word and of course f-word. But I still love it.
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AGE
Good film.
This movie was great! Thev plot was good as well as the music.So I recomend it!
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| Studio: | Columbia Tristar |
| Director: | Rob Reiner |
| Cast: | Demi Moore, Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Run time: | 138 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | December 9, 1992 |
| DVD release date: | May 29, 2001 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | language |
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