The best part of this movie is to teach young girls what NOT to do... walking alone, going off alone with a man (stranger or not!), being afraid to say no when you sense danger, for fear of being rude, The villain was frightening in his unrelenting tenacity. He seems cartoonish by today's standards, but this was the 70's before people talked about ugly things that could happen to kids. And he was NOT a stranger, as some reviews imply... he was a neighbor, portrayed as odd but in no way dangerous. All his victims gathering in limbo struck me as very creepy, and I think far too much time was spent in afterlife fantasy. The sense of loss from "what might have been" was very sad. I most felt sorry for the little brother, who kind of disappeared!

Very good movie! The acting is amazing and the story has a powerful meaning! Yes of course you probably shouldn't play this movie at a preschool but it is actually a good movie for kids to see. It teaches them not to trust people who are lets say.....strange. Nice movie! Very good. Thought it was really well done. I would recommend it to anyone!

the Lovely bones is a good movie good for older audiences it was kinda sad too however the Lovely bones does have some heavy themes that maybe too much for younger kids the movie does have violence, a little bit of language and the grandmother drinks and smokes in front of her grandchildren they also show children's dead bodies floating in the water which is very disturbing some parts of the movie was confusing at first but it was a good movie.

Little kids woulnt get this movie. You need to put the pieces together to understand it. But overall very touching movie!

I took my 12 year daughter to see it & we both enjoyed it. It had some fantasy moments which really kept her attention & the girl was around her age so she could somewhat relate in that way. I thought it was good that it exposed her to bad people that want to hurt kids & I feel it makes her more aware that not all grown-ups are to be trusted.

I saw it three times! This movie is exceptional. Very heartwarming but intense, also seems very realistic even though it's labeled "fantasy". I think that a lot of points about death in this film is right on, you learn not be afraid and that there's life afterwords! We need more films like this. It's gripping & chilling at times, you get to see how serial killers live their lives and what may come back at them. It's very sad yet touching with great messages, I definitely enjoyed this and will purchase it when it goes out on DVD! My only complaint is that it's a tad slow in some areas. Highly recommended for families with kids 14++, older teenagers and all adults should appreciate this one.

I went to a screening of this film in Hollywood, with Q&A afterward with the cast and the director. This film is for mature audiences, including mature young adults. I took my 15 1/2 year old daughter with me, but she is mature in her thinking for her age -- more like a 19-21 year old. She is also an artist and studies film and animation. This film is INTENSE but absolutely gorgeous. It is a heart-stopping thriller in Hitchcock style. I never read the book, so I can't say how the two match up. But, the movie is incredibly visual. The acting is also superb. The film is more of an art piece -- have patience -- because there is so much symbolism to tell the story. Stanley Tucci, who plays the bad guy, is going to get an Oscar nomination for his amazing performance, mark my words. The lovely bones, according to the director during the Q&A, are to mean the love that people had for each other -- in spite of such a tragedy -- and how they ended up finding love again; watch for how this plays out at the end of the movie and the choices people make. The messages and emotions are deep. Lots to think about after the film in terms of dealing with tragedy and how important family is. Susan Sarandon steels the film with her "grandma" performance!