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Miracle at St. Anna

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 16, age appropriate for kids over 18; suggested age 16.
  • Is it any good?

    3.0
  • Common Sense says

    Brutal WWII battlefield fable isn't for kids.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 16–18

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Some white American soldiers' blatantly cruel racism is tempered by the decency of other soldiers and officers; African-American soldiers are shown as courageous, heroic, and smart; a slow-witted soldier is depicted as brave, sensitive, and humane; the brutality of war is unsentimental and undisguised; a vengeful murder is seen as justifiable and satisfying.
  • Violence:

    Explicit wartime brutality includes use of grenades and rifles, bloody deaths, severed limbs, and point-blank shooting. A savage massacre of an entire village in front of a church includes a close-up of a priest as he's shot in the head and graphic murders of children, women, and the elderly. A young boy is in jeopardy in many scenes throughout the movie. Also stabbings, a throat slashing, and several ambushes resulting in mass murder of unsuspecting villagers.
  • Sex:

    A provocatively dressed young woman engages in seductive behavior to get her boyfriend's attention; a soldier views the bare breasts of woman preparing to do laundry; a brief scene of passionate sexual foreplay includes kissing, embracing, and undressing, with bare breasts visible.
  • Language:

    Pervasive swearing throughout includes countless use of all forms of "f--k," as well as "s--t," "bastard," "p---y," "sons of bitches," "whore," "goddamn," and more. Frequent use of the "N" word both as a racial taunt by white bigots and between African-American soldiers as "buddy speak."
  • Consumerism:

    Camel cigarettes.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Smoking throughout, as was common during the period.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Miracle at St. Anna

Parents need to know that, from start to finish, this is a violent war movie and not meant for kids. Though the filmmakers try to humanize the characters (including portraying a sympathetic Nazi), acts of cruelty, barbaric murder, wounding, and killing are graphically depicted throughout the film. Images include gunshots to the head, severed limbs, the massacre of innocent victims (including many children and babies), and blood gushing from heads and bodies and pooling around lifeless soldiers in the water. A young child is in danger throughout the film. Vicious racism is a continuing theme, and language is frequently crass and explicit (including many uses of both "f--k" and the "N" word). Two scenes show a bare-breasted woman; another includes passionate sexual foreplay.

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Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about what this movie is saying about American history. What was the country fighting for in World War II? Why were the military troops segregated during that war -- and throughout U.S. history? How has America's racial conscience changed since then? Also, what does Captain Nokes represent? Did he learn anything over the course of the film? How did you feel about him?

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content

  2. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    Lives in Utah
    I rate this title off for age 13 and give it 4.0

    Miracle at St. Anna and at home.

    Miracle at st. anna is one of the best films by Writer/director Spike Lee and delivers a great war film.

  3. Kid Reviewer Age 12
    Lives in Virginia
    I rate this title iffy for age 16 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence

    best world war 2 film since saving private ryan

    this worls war 2 film is very well done a masterpiece . very rairly do war film excell beyond the oh soliders are captured recue them no this one has a stroy line about battalion you have probaly never heard of. the film is brilliant, but nt for kids the film containes constant extreme violence. but stilla great film

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