Flyboys

 Review

Common Sense Media says

WWI pilots make like heroes in bland adventure.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this action drama is set during World War I, so the combat on the ground is awkward and somewhat brutal (though only briefly seen), while the newfangled "flying machine" combat is romanticized. Battles tend to include slow motion sequences and grand music, characters are shot in their cockpits and slump over, bleeding, and a couple of planes crash. One character is shot down by airplanes after he has crash-landed. Another suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, drinking too much and behaving erratically, worrying his fellow flyers. A central character is shot (not fatally) while escaping the Germans. A brief scene following a pilot's crash shows him in a French bordello, where the prostitutes appear in their underwear and he undresses to his own underwear in order to have his injury dressed (he's embarrassed by this). Characters drink liquor, smoke cigarettes and cigars, and use occasional mild profanity.

  • Brave young men learn to work as a team (in the air and on the ground).
  • Action includes a brief boxing scene, several dog-fighting scenes (shooting at and from planes, mildly bloody injuries, a couple of deaths, crashes); some tense scenes involve shooting at planes from the ground (and narrow escapes), as well as shooting in trench warfare; a main character is shot in the shoulder (minor blood visible).
  • When Blaine crashes, he's tended to in a brothel, where he sees women in lacy underwear; Blaine appears undressed as Lucienne dresses his leg wound; later, they kiss.
  • Infrequent mild language ("hell," "damn," "goddamn"); white flyers make racist remarks to the black pilot when he enters a bar.
  • Not applicable.
  • Cigarette smoking and some drinking (at bars and in tribute to military missions).

What's the story?

Set in 1916, before the United States entered World War I, Tony Bill's movie focuses on young American men who go to France to join the Lafayette Escadrille. Texas rancher Blaine Rawlings (James Franco), frustrated at the loss of his parents' land to the bank, heads to Europe so he can put his flair for cowboying and earnest energy to use piloting one of the brand new "flying machines." Blaine's fellow trainees include Briggs (Tyler Labine), who enlists in order to prove his worth to his wealthy snob of a father; William (Philip Winchester), a cavalry officer's son who wants to continue his family's military tradition; and Eugene (Abdul Salis), a black expatriate boxer who wants to defend France, where the people actually treat him like an equal. All are instructed by the very patient Capt. Georges Thenault (Jean Reno).


Is it any good?

 

A romantic paean to World War I -- the so-called "Last Gentleman's War" -- FLYBOYS features plenty of midair action in small, open-cockpit biplanes.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about the history of World War I, which introduced planes as weapons and vehicles of warfare. How do the American flyers help the French cause before the United States enters the war? Why did the United States finally decide to get involved in the war? How has warfare changed since WWI? What is the movie's ultimate message about war?


This review was written by Cynthia Fuchs
Teen, 18 years old
July 30, 2009
 
Pretty good...
This is a great movie. There is minimal language, although there is one sexual scene. you see women in the langerie of that period(which is not much worse than what women will go out in today) and a little bit of innuendo. The violence may be a little much for sensitive people.

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Teen, 17 years old
April 9, 2008
 
Great movie!
Pretty violent, but otherwise it was a really great movie. Awesome special effects!

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Teen, 17 years old
April 9, 2008
 
sucks
it was good ben

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Teen, 16 years old
April 9, 2008
 
Woah...

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
An excellent movie!
I thought this was an excellent movie, with great patriotic themes. The romance is poignant without being tawdry or sleazy. A rare treat.

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Teen, 16 years old
April 9, 2008
 
one of my favorie movies
It is exactly what I expected but a good movie.

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Teen, 14 years old
April 9, 2008
 
Great Movie!!!!
Even though the storyline is not so original, the movie was great. The special effects were unbelieveable. You couldn't tell wich airplanes were real and wich were digital. I went to see it with a few of my friends on the day that it opened and we are still talking about the graet movie!! Although the storyline was so original they changed it a little and it turned out to be one of my favorite movies

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Teen, 16 years old
April 9, 2008
 
Fun stuff
This was a fun movie and it was really actiony. By the way the scene in the brothel wasn't that bad at all.

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Kid, 13 years old
April 9, 2008
 
I could not keep my eyes off the screen
Flyboys is a good movie. Its Okay for anyone 10+. But there is alot Voilint parts. But you should go see it.

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This review was written by Cynthia Fuchs
Studio:MGM/UA
Director:Tony Bill
Cast:James Franco, Jean Reno, Martin Henderson
Genre:Action/Adventure
Run time:139 minutes
Theatrical release date:September 22, 2006
DVD release date:January 30, 2007
MPAA rating:PG-13
MPAA explanation:for war action violence and some sexual content.

This review was written by Cynthia Fuchs
 

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About our rating system
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.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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