• Is it age appropriate?

  About our ratings

  (Flash is loading. If this text does not disappear you need to install the latest flash version)

  Not age appropriate for kids under 9, age appropriate for kids over 11; suggested age 11.

• Is it any good?

  3.0

• Common Sense says

  Uplifting jock drama is predictable but OK for older tweens.

Why We Rated This for Ages 11 and Up

The good stuff

• Messages:

  While the main character starts out as a hard-drinking, self-centered hotshot on and off the field (and in jail), he evolves to embrace higher principles of  "honor," forgiveness, sobriety, and sportsmanship/spirituality. With no denomination specifically mentioned but references to the "Father in Heaven," the Highland team are a prayerful group; pre-game ceremonies even invoke blessings and respect for opposing teams, and they participate in community charities and good-Samaritanship. Multiculturalism prevails on the ethnically mixed team, with particular attention to Pacific islanders and Maori of New Zealand.

What to watch out for

• Violence:

  Rugby action and tackles sometimes result in bloody noses and wounds. Off-field scuffling. Brief, non-explicit shot of drunken car accidents, one fatal.

• Sex:

  Brief scenes of affectionate teens in bikinis and swimsuits around the pool. Mild sex innuendo ("Rugby's not the only thing I'm good at").

• Language:

  No verbal profanity, but characters make middle-finger gestures.

• Consumerism:

  Mostly product labels of rugby-gear manufacturers.

• Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

  Teens raucously drink and party, including the bad-boy hero; when he sobers up, his former friends turn against him. Consequences shown in more than one drunk-driving tragedy. Athlete Rick takes narcotics. A laundry-list of jailhouse drugs is recited.

What Parents Need to Know

About Forever Strong

Families Can Talk About