Orphan

  • Review Date: July 23, 2009
  • R
  • Genre: Horror
  • 2009
 Review

Common Sense Media says

Bad Seed-style horror movie is gory and ludicrous.
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

Kids say

What parents need to know

 

Parents need to know that this is a review of the movie shown in theaters and not the unrated version with an alternate ending available on DVD. Parents also need to know that this gory horror movie centers on extremely violent, sexual acts carried out by a 9-year-old girl. While the film's ultimate twist negates some of the queasy, sleazy feeling that comes from watching this kind of material, the bulk of the movie revolves around the shock value of seeing a child doing horrible things. Plus, there's lots of swearing (including "f--k" and "s--t"), as well as smoking, drinking, and sexual scenes between adults.

  • The film's serious take on themes of adoption and loss are wholly undermined by the "killer child" plot; the film gives itself an out (in a twist too ludicrous to reveal), but much of it trades on a creepy, "taboo" images and concepts involving the 9-year-old at center of the action.
  • While the main characters' desire to adopt in the wake of a miscarriage at first presents a model of compassion and love, the film's gory, horrific violence soon wipes it away with a red tide of blood. Esther, the child they adopt, is pure evil, with no redeeming characteristics.
  • Extreme violence, much of it involving children. A young girl hurls a peer out of a play set, smothers another child to death, and points a loaded gun point blank at a third. She also kills adults via hammer beating, stabbing, and shooting. Perils include fire, vehicular endangerment, crashing through a frozen pond, fistfights, and more. A character is kicked in the head, hard, and the shot lingers on his/her breaking neck. Discussions of beatings and murders. Extensive blood, including violent surgical imagery. A character breaks his/her own arm to feign abuse.
  • A young child dresses and acts in a deliberately sexual, provocative manner, although her advances are rebuffed. A married couple engages in sexual acts in bed and in the kitchen; adults are seen stripped down to their underwear. A group of pre-teen boys looks at a pornographic magazine (nudity is shown). Sex is discussed with a younger child.
  • Extensive strong language, including "f--k," "s--t," "bitch," "prick," "crap," "a--hole," "oh my God," and more. "Retard" is frequently used as an epithet, and "Jesus freak" is used once.
  • Characters play the video game Guitar Hero; other brands shown on screen include Perfect Ten magazine and Lexus.
  • Extensive discussion of how one main character has had a problematic relationship with alcohol in the past, plus depictions of her being tempted to drink again. Another main character smokes cigarettes and gets drunk drinking an entire bottle of wine; viewers see some events from his woozy, boozy perspective.

What's the story?

After a miscarriage, parents John and Kate Coleman (Peter Sarsgaard and Vera Farmiga) decide to adopt a third child into their family. Polite, reserved, and formal, Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman) seems like the perfect addition ... but she soon reveals a manipulative, malevolent side. Is Esther simply trying to fit in and gain a little social advantage in the family, or does she have a darker agenda in mind?


Is it any good?

 

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, ORPHAN is clearly trying to follow in the footsteps of other bad-kid horror/thriller efforts like The Bad Seed and The Good Son. But even with the presence of the always-watchable Farmiga and Sarsgaard, Orphan buckles and breaks under the sheer weight of its own excess, piling ludicrous plot hole upon ludicrous plot hole and excuse upon excuse in the pursuit of thrills, chills, and rough, tough action.

 If Orphan were more exuberant -- a bit more diabolically crazy, a bit more swiftly-paced -- it might be fun; as it is, the film bogs down over its two-plus hours. Farmiga and Sarsgaaard are both good -- even if they're forced, by circumstance, to play people far stupider than they are -- but they can't break out of the script's narrow confines. Fuhrman lends a certain chill to Esther's crazier moments, but, at the same time, she's hampered by the story's contortions and weaknesses. Watching Orphan, you can't help but think that what was really needed wasn't an artist's hand on the camera but, rather, an editor's hand applied to the screenplay.


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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about the movie's violence. Is it more or less realistic than what you've seen in other thrillers/horror movies? How does that affect its impact?

  • How do you feel about the fact that a child is the one committing the movie's most horrible acts? 

  • Does the movie's twist let the filmmakers off the hook for some of the more extreme moments?


This review was written by James Rocchi
Kid, 11 years old
February 17, 2011
 
What!?
This is horrible!!!!!!! Kids in my 4 grade class said they watched this and told my about it!!!!!!!!!

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Kid, 13 years old
June 5, 2011
 
Okay for age nine!!!
I think the age nine or ten is a good age to watch this movie. There is some cussing like f**k and s**t but it isn't bad at all for a nine year old in fact my eight year old sister watched it with me and wasn't even scared but I still think nine is a good age.

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Teen, 17 years old
February 2, 2011
 
It was really good but not for kids!
I watched this movie and I like it but my concerns were too much violence, and sex i dont recommend this to kids 13 and under.

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Teen, 16 years old
January 14, 2011
 
i watched this with my parents and two 15 year old friends and we all loved it. it was a really good and interesting movie.scary for younger viewers.

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Teen, 14 years old
April 6, 2011
 
GRETA MOVIE.... very scary
GReat movie for anyone who is in for a scare

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Adult
June 30, 2011
 
Good Movie, Bad Message and stuff for young teens. Need to be an adult 17+ and if you are 16 some parts may be nasty and some may be fine. Other wise a good horror for adults and old teens.
A husband and his wife flirt, they kiss, he lifts her onto a counter, she removes her tank top and he removes his shirt (we see her in a bra and he's bare-chested), he leans her forward over a counter and thrusts from behind (we hear moaning); they are interrupted when they realize a child is watching them. ► A wife crawls under the covers into bed with her husband and we see movement under the covers and it is implied that she is performing oral sex; they kiss and moan and are interrupted. A husband (he's bare-chested), hugs his wife, they kiss briefly then lie in bed together. ► A few boys (about 11 years old) look at a pornographic magazine: we see a nude woman, revealing bare breasts and with thong panties in a suggestive pose. We see paintings of a nude man and a woman caressing and kissing each other (bare breasts are visible, genitals are covered, and the man's hand is shown touching the woman's genitals in one painting). A woman wears a sheer T-shirt that reveals the outline of her breasts and nipples. A woman wears a low-cut top that reveals cleavage. A woman wears a short nightgown. A woman climbs out of bed wearing lace panties. A woman lifts her top to reveal a scar on her abdomen. ► A girl wearing an evening gown and made up tries to seduce a man, she kisses him on the cheek and tells him, "Let me take care of you"; he rejects her. A woman talks to a married man at a park and invites him to help her move some furniture (it is implied that they have had a sexual relationship). A wife asks her husband if he was hitting on a woman at the park (it is implied that they had an extra-marital affair in the past. VIOLENCE/GORE 9 - A woman is beaten repeatedly in the head by a girl with a hammer: we see blood splatter on snow around her and on the girl's face and dress and we hear crunching and squishing with each blow; we see the woman lying dead on the ground later with a blood-soaked face. A woman is struck in the head by a girl with a hammer: she falls to the ground and we see blood on her forehead and pooling under her. ► We hear a thud and a man falls to the floor with a knife in his side (we see blood on his shirt); he is then stabbed repeatedly in the chest (we hear crunching and see blood spurting and flowing onto the floor around him). ► A woman has a nightmare about being in labor, she moans and grimaces while entering a hospital, she is taken to an operating room while we see blood pour from underneath the wheelchair where she is seated and her hand is bloody, hospital personnel begin a procedure after telling her that her baby is dead, and we see bloody instruments, we hear crunching and squishing, and the woman screams as she is handed a blood drenched baby. ► A girl with a knife runs toward a woman, she is stabbed, they fight and wrestle, they fall on a frozen lake, the ice breaks, they fall in the water, they continue fighting and one is stabbed in the abdomen; one climbs out of the water and kicks the other in the head, breaking her neck, and she sinks back into the water motionless. ► A woman falls through a greenhouse window and lands on a girl (the girl lies motionless). A girl puts her own arm in a vice, and she tightens it until her arm breaks (she screams and we see the bone press against the skin). ► A girl squirts lighter fluid on items and around a tree house, then lights it and locks a boy inside; he climbs out, slips down the roof, clings to a support beam, and then falls to the ground where he lies unconscious and we later see him in the hospital with a neck injury and internal bleeding. A girl climbs on top of an unconscious boy and smothers him with a pillow (we see him blue-tinged and motionless). ► A woman is shot in the shoulder, and she falls to the ground and moans and we see her hand covered with blood. A boy shoots paintballs at plastic toys, then at a live bird, striking it and wounding it (we see the bird twitching on the ground); a girl then thrusts a large rock down on top of the bird killing it (blood spurts out onto snow around it and we hear a crunch). ► A woman punches a girl in the face (we see blood on her mouth), and the woman is pulled away and sedated. A girl is shoved off a piece of playground equipment, we hear a crunch when her leg hits a slide and she cries while lying on the ground (we hear later that she broke her ankle). A girl is shoved into a street in front of an oncoming car; the car swerves, spins around and stops without striking the girl. A girl holds a large rock over a boy's head preparing to kill him and she is stopped. A woman yells at a girl and grabs her arm, and the girl screams and runs away. ► A 9-year-old girl finds a loaded gun in a safe; she unloads all but one bullet, and holds the gun to a younger girl's head and asks her to play. A girl holds an open utility knife to the throat of a boy, pulls his hair and questions him, and then she holds the knife to his genitals and threatens him, causing him to urinate (we see a stain appear on his pajama pants). A girl tells a younger girl that she will shoot her mother if she tells on her. ► A woman with a child in the car drives into an intersection and is nearly struck by a speeding truck. A woman drives recklessly on snow-covered roads, swerving to avoid oncoming cars and a snowplow. ► We hear that a girl's family died in a house fire. We hear that a girl fell into a lake and nearly drowned. A boy says, "I'm killing Trevor" while playing a video game. A woman signs to her hearing impaired daughter a bedtime story about the death of a sister. A man makes a joke about a snowman outside an orphanage calling it a snow orphan or a "snorphan." ► A girl paints a picture of tortured people (one person hanging, one person with a knife in her head, one person severed at the waist, other people with tortured looks on their faces and a building engulfed in flames) and we see these images a couple of times. ► A boy bumps into a girl in a school hallway causing her to drop her books, she gathers her things together and screams when another girl teases her and touches a ribbon adorning her neck. Grade school aged children tease a girl for the way she dresses and for bringing a Bible to school. A girl violently kicks and punches a bathroom stall and screams in a couple of scenes. A girl violently throws things around a room. Two young girls are frightened by thunder and lightning. ► A woman lifts her top to reveal a scar on her abdomen. We see scars on a girl's throat and wrists. PROFANITY 6 - About 10 F-words (one said by a 9-year-old girl, and one by an 11-year-old boy), two references are made to a girl dropping the "F-bomb," 3 scatological terms, 3 anatomical terms, 4 mild obscenities, name-calling (Little Bo Peep, Jesus Freak, freak, retard, dumb), 9 religious exclamations. [profanity glossary] SUBSTANCE USE - A woman takes prescription pills in a few scenes. A man drinks an entire bottle of wine and smokes cigarettes, a woman pours a glass of wine (she does not drink), a man drinks a beer with dinner, and a woman talks about having an urge to stop at a wine store (there is the implication that she has a drinking problem). A man smokes cigarettes in a few scenes (once at a children's playground), and a woman puts a cigarette in her mouth (she does not light it). DISCUSSION TOPICS - Adoption, adoption of older children, background information about orphans, miscarriages, still birth, coercion, hormone disorders, hearing impairment, jealousy, alcoholism, infidelity, mental illness, trust, suspicion. MESSAGE - It pays to look into the past of someone you are adopting.

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Teen, 15 years old
April 2, 2011
 
I don't even like scary movies, yet here I am.
I actually watched this with my mom, she zoomed through the sexual incounters (we both felt embarressed- but knew it was coming) It was pretty good, honestly. Made my stumach turn, but it made you keep wondering what's going to happen next. It was creative and thought out. I'm never a fan of murder or scary movies, but this was good. Great acting, too. Well, of course CSM would give it only one star, they normally do that to ALL scary movies.

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Teen, 15 years old
April 11, 2011
 
Well, I personally think that since this is a horror film, there is going to be a LOT of violence and not the greatest lessons to learn. But, if you're like me, and LOVE a good scary movie, than this one is for you!

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Teen, 14 years old
April 3, 2011
 
Too Scary!!!
The Last I Watched It It Scared Me But Im Never Watching It Ever Again!!!!

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Teen, 15 years old
June 25, 2011
 
Squeamish Children: Warning!
I was scared out of my brains. I am a 14 year old girl who likes a good scary movie, but this was way over the top. From scene one, this movie was gory and loaded with content that was simply unnecessary to the movie's plot. The movie's sexual content was on the edge, but not over the top. However, If you are squeamish like me, I would not recommend this movie.

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This review was written by James Rocchi
Studio:Warner Bros.
Director:Jaume Collet-Serra
Cast:Isabelle Fuhrman, Peter Sarsgaard, Vera Farmiga
Genre:Horror
Run time:123 minutes
Theatrical release date:July 24, 2009
DVD release date:October 27, 2009
MPAA rating:R
MPAA explanation:disturbing violent content, some sexuality and language

This review was written by James Rocchi
 

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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.
Learning ratings
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GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
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