The Journey of Natty Gann

Review

Common Sense Media says

Compelling adventure too violent for some kids.
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

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Kids say

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this movie is set in the Depression and depicts the bleakness of extreme poverty. Natty's mother is dead and her father leaves her because he found work across the country, so Natty must fend for herself. While there's considerable violence -- from a bloody dog fight to a man who tries to assault Natty when he offers to give her a ride -- the scarier moments aren't portrayed as graphically as they could be. Even when a train derails, Natty walks away with only a few scrapes.

  • Positive messages0
    Natty does some things because of her poverty: She breaks into a movie theater to watch a movie, steals food, and helps some kids steal a cow and car. Men gamble on a dog fight.
  • Violence3
    A man who picks up Natty hitchhiking attempts to sexually assault her. A train derails and sends Natty flying. Some punching, rock-throwing, slapping, explosions, and a serious fall from a tree. Dogs are shown fighting with bloodied mouths and Wolf attacks two men. Natty skins a bunny and cooks it. Vigilantes torch a shanty town and beat the homeless people there.
  • Sex0
    Natty and Harry kiss once.
  • Language3
    A few uses of "hell," "son of a bitch," "d--m," and "s--t."
  • Consumerism0
    Not applicable.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking3
    Connie smokes cigarettes and drinks liquor. Natty and her friends share a cigarette. Harry smokes cigarettes. The lumberjack foreman smokes a cigar.
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What's the story?

Despite having lost a mother as a child, Natty Gann (Meredith Salenger) lives happily with her union-thumping dad in a hotel. The family is content but poor. But when Natty's dad Sol (Ray Wise) gets the chance at a job across the country, he reluctantly takes it, promising to send for Natty as soon as he gets money. Left alone with only the mean landlady (Lainie Kazan) who plans to turn her in to social services, Natty decides to find her dad on her own. Natty doesn't know where in Washington state he is or have a dime in her pocket, but she joins the bands of tramps and orphaned kids trying to make it on their own in one of the roughest times in American history.

Is it any good?

 

In an odd way, THE JOURNEY OF NATTY GANN has more in common with Lassie Come Home and Homeward Bound than teenage coming-of-age movies. It's not about an inner journey, really. It's about a cross-country adventure and the strength and fun that Natty finds along the way.

There are definitely some tense, scary moments on her journey. Natty's saving grace is that she finds parent figures along the way, from a wolf who offers her his kill to Harry (John Cusack) who teaches her how to ride the rails and offers her his meager can of beans when she's hungry. Because of Harry's fatherly kindness to Natty, it's a little off-putting when a romance blooms between the two.

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What families can talk about

Families can talk about how the Great Depression affected their grandparents and great-grandparents. How realistic were some of the scarier things in the film, like kids orphaned by parents who left to get work?

This review was written by Heather Boerner
Parent
February 22, 2012
AGE
7
 
Message about love and committment.
I am 45 and this was my first time watching and hearing about the movie. I enjoyed it. I have two sons, 9 and 15, and I want them to see it.
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This review was written by Heather Boerner
Topics:adventures, great girl role models, history
Studio:Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Director:Jeremy Kagan
Cast:John Cusack, Lainie Kazan, Meredith Salenger, Scatman Crothers
Genre:Action/Adventure
Run time:101 minutes
Theatrical release date:September 27, 1985
DVD release date:May 21, 2002
MPAA rating:PG
This review was written by Heather Boerner
 

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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.
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BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
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NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
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