 | 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. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Phone Booth
- Review Date: July 7, 2003
- R
- Genre: Thriller
- 2003
Common Sense Media says
This movie doesn't make sense on any level.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this movie has extreme and intense peril and violence. Characters are killed without provocation, and there are references to other murders. Characters smoke and use very strong language, and there are references to adultery (or the wish to commit adultery).
What's the story?
PHONE BOOTH begins as publicist Stu (Colin Farrell) walks down the street, his intern trotting beside him, handing him pre-dialed cell phones so he can keep up a continuous loop of shmoozing, lying, and manipulating his various connections -- including a pretty would-be actress named Pam (Katie Holmes), a tasty prospect for both business and pleasure. But Stu doesn't want to call Pam from the cell phone because his wife sees the bills. So he stops in the last phone booth in Manhattan, which turns out to be a very big mistake. The phone rings, and Stu answers. The man on the other end (Kiefer Sutherland) tells him that he has a rifle pointed at Stu, and that he will shoot him if he hangs up or tells anyone about it. He seems to know all about Stu, his wife Kelly (Rhada Mitchell), and Pam. When a pimp comes after Stu because his girls want to use the phone, the sniper shoots him, and the police, led by Captain Ramey (Forrest Whitaker), think Stu did it. Stu is surrounded by police with guns pointed at him, both Pam and Kelly are there, and the sniper will not let him get off the phone.
Is it any good?
Even the most paranoid fantasies have to make sense at some level, and this one just doesn't. This film is based on a short student film and was shot in just 12 days. It's a Hollywood film that is trying for the vibe -- and the indie cred -- of a smaller film. Phone Booth tries to have Stu's confinement in the phone booth shape both the story and its impact.
The premise is all right and while it does create a lot of tension and Farrell and Whitaker are always great to watch, the movie feels manipulative and padded. The "Who do you think you are?" sign behind Stu and the "I'll never lie again and will show the proper respect" climax are heavy-handed and pretentious and the attempted twist at the end is heavy-handed and predictable. Farrell, usually impeccable with American accents, completely misses in his attempt to sound like an upwardly mobile guy from the Bronx.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about what the characters are likely to do next. How will Stu change?
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AGE
A very interesting movie.
I thought this was a great movie! It does make sense, don't listen to common sense. I'm a bit worried about the smex and language. There's also a bit o violence.
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AGE
Great movie
I've watched it twice in the past three days, and I can't get over how utterly fantastic the acting is. Because of the violence, language, sexuality, etc., this is NOT for kids.
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AGE
An overall okay movie
Stu Shepherp a publicist is man who thinks he is on top although he doesn't who watching and finding his terrible secrets that he is hiding. He steps into a phone booth not make a call back home, but to call a Pamela McFadden a woman that he is having an affair. The phone rings right after he hangs up he is expecting it to be Pam but it is a madman physco who has stalking Stu for quite some. He tells Stu if he hangs up he will kill him. A angry pimp comes to booth to make Stu get off the phone so that his hookers can you use it. When Stu refuses he brings out a baseball bat breaks the window an almost drags out Stu. The rest of movie is overall good thriller filled with a lot of suspense. There is some violence- when the pimp is shot we see a little bit of blood on his back. Not much sexual content although references to it. There is a lot of dirty language. About 100 F words or more and other bad words such S--t and other words. I saw this movie when I was 13 but parents, before taking your kid to see this I suggest you watch it first, becuase there is a lot of cursing. But in the end it has a good message- honesty is the key to any relationship.
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AGE
Adult suspense
I was only disappointed with the excessive language in this movie. The plot was inventive and the moral choices presented were issues Hollywood tries to gloss over for the most part. Faithfulness to your mate is the real issue in this one and for that I commend the effort.
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AGE
An ugly movie about ugly minds and what they're capable of
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AGE
Good Stunt
Joel Schumacher makes a good yarn out of this one set piece. The way he uses split screen techniques really pumps up the suspense. And Colin Farrel is gripping as a not so perfect man. In this day and age of box office obsession, its good to see some experimental stuff at the megaplex.
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AGE
this is a good movie but phone booth isn't for young kids at all because of the violence and the strong language and they also use the f-word as a sexual talk.
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AGE
Good Suspence thriller
As a suspence fan this movie is awsome. This movie is so cool with alot of action too. No bad moments
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AGE
16 and up.
phone booth is a great thriller movie but parents you need to know that phone booth has intense peril violence, characters used a lot of strong language and colin farrell smokes in some scenes although there are no sex scenes in the movie but colin farrell used the f-word about him having in affair with a other women.
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| Studio: | Twentieth Century Fox |
| Director: | Joel Schumacher |
| Cast: | Colin Farrell, Forest Whitaker, Kiefer Sutherland |
| Genre: | Thriller |
| Run time: | 80 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | April 4, 2003 |
| DVD release date: | July 8, 2003 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | pervasive language and some violence |
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