 | 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. |
The Queen
- Review Date: April 22, 2007
- PG-13
- Genre: Drama
- 2006
Common Sense Media says
Well-acted drama isn't likely to appeal to kids.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this movie probably won't show up on kids' radar. It's really for the adult royal watcher. But if you decide to watch with your kids, know that the movie includes brief allusions to Princess Diana's car crash, preceded by the assembled press throng. There's a lot of discussion of the funeral, as well as archival TV imagery of the public mourning sites (flowers and artifacts left at estate and palace gates). Diana's sons and some on-the-street interviewees appear in tears. The movie features hunting scenes in which the royals "stalk" stags and shoot at them; one dead stag (killed off screen) appears hanging headless and draining blood, with its severed head on a table waiting for treatment. One use of "f--k" near beginning of film.
What's the story?
THE QUEEN is fictionalized account of the months following Princess Diana's fatal 1997 car crash. Directed by Stephen Frears and scripted by Last King of Scotland writer Peter Morgan, the movie specifically explores the conflict between Queen Elizabeth II's (Helen Mirren) expectations of "her people" and their expectations of her. While the family -- especially Prince Philip (James Cromwell) and the Queen Mother (Sylvia Syms) -- stubbornly dismisses the public outpouring of grief (the queen insists her subjects will "come to heir senses"), Prime Minister Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) sees the mourning and increasing outrage as an expression of collective frustration with the royals being "out of touch."
Is it any good?
For its first hour or so, The Queen is carried along by a witty irreverence, equally targeting the queen and Blair as both manage their self-image. But then, instead of trusting Mirren to convey the queen's emotional transition -- which she does, brilliantly -- the film comes up with a heavy-handed metaphor for the loss of tradition. During one countryside excursion, the queen spots a magnificent stag and tries to save it from being shot, appreciating its beauty, vulnerability, wildness, and purity.
If this isn't enough, the film later delivers the Queen's "lesson" in an oddly passionate speech by Blair to his staff, which instructs them (and viewers, as if they haven't been watching the queen pondering her dilemma for the past 90 minutes) on the queen's efforts to make sense of her new age. In this moment, the film shows a lack of faith in its own audience.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the tensions between traditional royal propriety and "modern" media representations. How does the film argue that this crisis -- the frenzy over Diana's death -- caused a shift in that relationship, since the royal family had to accommodate public sentiment rather than have subjects to follow their lead? How is the conflict between old and new explored in the relationship between the queen and Tony Blair (in this version of events, he embodies "modernization")? How accurate do you think this version of events really is?
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AGE
A very good film, deserved all the Oscar nominations it got.
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AGE
Learned so much
I have lived in London and remember vividly when Diana died, but I still learned so much from this movie. It is very well acted.
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AGE
Well done film!
I liked Helen Mirren. Very good acting.
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AGE
Wonderful Movie
I enjoyed this movie. I remember exactly where I was the moment the news of Princess Diana's accident was reported on the radio. It was interesting to see the event from the Royal's point of view. I don't recommend this movie for young children, not only because they won't understand the story, but because there is a disturbing scene showing a deer hanging upside down with its head cut off -- important to the movie, but may be scary to younger children.
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AGE
Helen Mirren is the Queen
The Queen won't be everyone's cup of tea, because it is a deep, complex, intelligent film; a character study rarely seen today, and thus many will find it boring. But Helen Mirren puts on an acting clinic. Her perfect, emotionless posture displayed earlier in the film allows for the slightest wrinkle of an eyebrow to mean so much emotionally. Peter Morgan's script excellently explores themes of change, loyalty and tradition. The score brilliantly honors its subject without being flashy. Michael Sheen gives a strong and unfortunately overlooked performance as Tony Blair. If you are a fan of "artsy" films, you will have a jolly good time, but if you gave Spideman 3 a 5 star rating, you aren't worthy of The Queen.
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AGE
A fantastic and moving portrayal of a monarch!
This movie carries the a great story and fabulous acting, all without a lot of sex, violence, and langauge. The main thing parents might be concerned about is the mention of Diana and Charles' various affairs.
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AGE
A Riveting and Intellectual Film...Watch it!
THE QUEEN is, of course, the Queen of England. The story: The Queen of England (Helen Mirren is a revelation)has to deal with new 'radical' Prime Minister Tony Blair (brilliantly played by Michael Sheen). Later she must react to Diana's death and overcome her dislike of her daughter-in-law to maintain her public image and the respect of her people.
Lanaguage is the only thing bad in this film, except for some thematic elements. It's rated PG-13 for "brief strong language" as any film that drops the F-bomb has to be. Blair's wife whispers a quick "f*ck off", and that's really the only thing bad in the movie. Your kids won't probably want to see it because of its lack of action and deliberate slow pace. But if you bring it home for family movie night, they just might walk away fufilled.
Highly reccommended.
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| Studio: | Miramax |
| Director: | Stephen Frears |
| Cast: | Helen Mirren, James Cromwell, Michael Sheen |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Run time: | 103 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | September 30, 2006 |
| DVD release date: | April 24, 2007 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | brief strong language. |
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