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Get Rich or Die Tryin' (R, 2005)

common sense media says

Mythic tale based on 50 Cent's life; not for kids.

parents & educators say
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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that younger teens are going to want to see this movie. It includes frequent violence (shooting, stabbing, fist fights) and its consequences (loss of friends and family, funerals, desires for revenge and discussions of alternatives). The hero appears in the hospital, in emergency surgery, and near death, as the film flashes back to his birth in a diner. A woman is burned to death in her home (her killer claims to have raped her first, though we don't see this). The hero starts his drug dealing career as a child, shoots rivals, and is shot himself, in a brutal scene shown twice. Prisoners fight in a shower, showing naked bodies and bloody effects of stabbing and beating. One sex scene includes close-ups of body parts. Dialogue and lyrics include frequent cursing (including "f--k" and the "N" word).

Positive messages: Again, the hero is a drug dealer, though he learns to "express himself" in music rather than violence.
Violence: Shooting opens the film (brutal assault on hero, who then tells his story in flashback); multiple shootings, stabbings, fist fights, and one death by machete.
Sex: Sexual language and slang for genitals; two sex scenes (one implied, the second shot in softlit body-part close-ups); naked male prisoners fight in a shower (long shot on this scene holds for a couple of minutes, to show bodies in desperate struggle).
Language: Frequent cursing (including f-word) and use of n-word, in dialogue and lyrics.
Consumerism: Young characters yearn for new sneakers; discussion of wanting money to buy shoes and other gear.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Hero is a drug dealer who goes straight; film includes smoking, drinking, and drug use and making.
Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

More on Get Rich or Die Tryin'

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about Marcus' choices: to be a drug dealer (to "get paid") or to try another route to "get out of the ghetto." How does the movie make Marcus sympathetic despite the fact that we see him shoot another dealer? How does this story add to the myth that 50 Cent has created about his life? Does the movie glamorize a violent lifestyle? Do your kids think this movie is true?

What's the story?

What's the story?
GET RICH OR DIE TRYIN' centers on Marcus (50 Cent), whose mother is killed when he's only eight years old. Luckily, he's surrounded by friends, family, and would-be killers who repeatedly declare their love for him. The film opens with Marcus' shooting -- based on 50 Cent's famous "nine times," then segues into flashback of his youth. His search for the father he never knew, which leads to relationships with outsized men, including brutal Majestic (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) and cellmate Bama (Terrence Howard), who becomes his rap music manager. The partners' release from prison leads to a collision with Majestic, who feels possessive toward Marcus as his "hardest working" dealer. Before it ends, the movie returns to Marcus' shooting as Marcus lies on an ER surgery table. On finding that Marcus is still alive, Majestic demonstrates the film's most hysterical love. After he assaults one non-Marcus associate with a machete, Majestic arrives for Marcus' big opening at a local club. Unable to convince his onetime protégé to step back, Majestic goads him into a fight. Barely conscious after he's been throttled and beaten, Majestic gurgles, "I love you, man." Everybody does.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
In this mythic, formulaic, and utterly earnest movie, everybody loves Marcus. He appears repeatedly in the sort of elegant, evocative filtered-light frames favored by director Jim Sheridan and DP Declan Quinn. This visual softening underlines Marcus' fundamental decency and devotion to his mother.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Director: Jim Sheridan
Cast: 50 Cent, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Terrence Howard
Genre: Drama
Run time: 134 minutes
Theatrical release: November 9, 2005
DVD release: March 28, 2006
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: strong violence, pervasive language, drug content, sexuality and nudity
This review was written by Cynthia Fuchs
 
 

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What parents & educators say

17

Most useful reviews by all members

Awthentic
adult
 
must see film for anyone over 18
great movie based on true events..not for kids.
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Mr. Strong
adult
 
Awesome but not for kids!
An awesome movie, but keep it away from kids!
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4Spice
adult
16
 
I Loved It
i love 50 cent and this movie is awesome lots of action killing plenty of violence and nudity parents don't let your kids see this if you like gangster movies watch this one don't expect a love movie
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lolfaceman
teen, 16 years old
14
 
good movie but says the n word way to much
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volleyball7010
adult
 
greatt movie
i love this movie ♥ its great i also love 50 ♥
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Liz Perle
parent of 17 and 19 year old
 
let your kids go but talk to them
kids are exposed to the kind of mythmaking spin this movie exudes every day. they have to learn how to separate the wheat from the chaff. Let them go see this glorification of violence and greed. They're going to go anyway. But it's so morally bankrupt that you have to point that out otherwise they might buy it all hook line and sinker
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Jill Murphy
parent of 2 year old
 
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mike_crawley2006
adult
 
My opinoin
i think this is good movie cause it shows kids how, and what could happen if you sold drugs and it shows parents the reflect on kids when you neglect them
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Philip Merrill
adult
 
Surprise...it's an "art movie"
Having expected this to glamorize rap, money and violence in a toxic, intoxicating head-trip, I was shocked to find it was a sensitive art movie...primarily...with many levels of meaning and a lack of sensationalism. A friend said, "No wonder, look who the director was." (My Left Foot, In The Name Of The Father, The Boxer, In America) Having followed Common Sense Media since it launched, I was sooo proud to find that your review did justice to this picture. I was expecting a big STOP sign. What I love about this movie is that it shows a life nobody would want to lead filled with people who are appealing and real even when they are awful and worth avoiding. Any movie in which Bill Duke puts in one of the more predictable and superficial performances has got to be a movie with REALLY great character acting, because Duke is always good+. I'm not sure I "enjoyed" this movie, but it will not surprise me if I think about it for the rest of my life. Especially Grandma! Thank God for Grandma's. PHIL :)
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Good Thing
parent
17
 
Message
I love the overall message of Marcus trying to find himself and his choice to follow his dream. I love the fact that he portrayed himself as a friend to Charlene and then allowed that to blossom into relationship.
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feelinthepain235
adult
 
Actually a Good Story
The message is what brings this up to 'Pause.' It shows that anyone can come up off the streets and make a life for themselves. A good message to depressed people who think they have the worst life ever it shows that there may be worse things out there.
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geo51288
adult
 
I Would not Watch it at all.
I take it as bad as a 2 min. sex sence.
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ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
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