Not for younger children. The opening violence made even Mom cringe, but it did give a good sense of what these kids are up against. It was predictable which I liked as a mother. I knew pretty much what to expect before I took my kids. My 15 yr old daughter and 12 yr old son loved it. I was cheering/crying/laughing, as well. Applause from the audience at the end. During the credits, some of the real "characters" who were portrayed in the movie stopped us, the audience, in our tracks. These are real kids who were changed by this real coach. His lesson of taking a loser to a winner is one I'm glad my kids saw. I loved the line, and I'm paraphrasing, "You're not a loser anymore, you just haven't figured out how to be a winner". My kids were shocked with the reality of "life" in a gang environment (and I'm sure it wasn't as realistic as it could have been, to get the PG-13 rating), but I believe it gave them a strong compassion for kids who commit these crimes at such an early age and how some creativity and dedication can, sometimes, turn it around. I definitely recommend it for the appropriate age group. The language is less offensive than they hear in Middle & High Schools. Worth the price of admission (and I think I've said that about two movies in the past year, and this is one of them). I've never posted a review before, but I think this one was worth it.