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Life as a House

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 15, age appropriate for kids over 16; suggested age 15.
  • Is it any good?

    3.0
  • Common Sense says

    Uneven but moving story of reconcilliation.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 15–16

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    All-white middle class setting
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Sad death of character, some tense and scary moments
  • Sex:

    Brief nudity, sexual situations including teens and gay prostitution
  • Language:

    Very strong language
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Drug abuse an issue in the movie
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Life as a House

Parents need to know that this movie has drug use, very strong language, sexual situations and references, including teen prostitution, nudity, masturbation involving attempted suffocation, and adult-teen sexual encounters. Teenagers take very foolish risks with little consequence beyond their own misery. There is a very sad death.

Read our full review by Nell Minow

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about why it was so hard for Sam to feel good about himself, and why the things he tried to make himself feel better did not work. What did he mean when he said that it felt better to feel things? Why was physical touch so important to many of the characters? Families will also want to talk about the behavior of Colleen and Alyssa and their decisions about their sexual relationships.

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Our Members Say

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 17
    Lives in California
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 5.0

    Inspiring!

    I found this movie to be one of the most inspiring films I have ever watched. I think that, even though it deals with some sketchy subjects, every teenager in America should be exposed to this film. It took me out of my egocentric teenage world for a while and made me feel a whole new level of apreciation for my parents and loved ones. The film was incredible.

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