R.I.P.D.

Movie review by Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media
R.I.P.D. Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 13+

Lifeless, violent dud recycles many better sci-fi comedies.

PG-13 2013 96 minutes
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Parents say

age 13+

Based on 6 reviews

Kids say

age 11+

Based on 20 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that R.I.P.D. is a sci-fi comedy that's likely to remind many viewers of Men in Black. It revolves around characters who die and come back as "ghost cops," whose job is to catch dead people who are still walking the earth. Violence is frequent but generally bloodless and cartoonish, with plenty of fake-looking computer-generated effects/creatures (some of whom may still be pretty scary for little kids) and lots of flipping cars and smashed buildings. There are also some shooting scenes. Things get a bit more serious when the main character deals with saying goodbye to his beloved wife. Language includes a few uses of "s--t," as well as one or two uses of "bitch" and "ass," and there's some kissing/suggestion of sex, as well as jokes at the expense of groups like women and Chinese people.

Community Reviews

tjohnson44
tjohnson44 Adult
March 23, 2020
age 11+

Best movie ever

This movie is definitely on my top ten list. They don’t swear to much there is a- - - - -e and s - - t and son of a b- - - h and slangs. In two different parts people/ monsters give people the finger. The violence isn’t that bad mostly just fantasy violence like when people and monsters get shot by the laser guns they disintegrate. There is one scene though where there is a big gun fight where lots of people get shot by actual guns but everything is bloodless. The sex isn’t that bad there are just some kissing and that’s all. But over all it’s a great movie wear you just can’t stop laughing.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing
fastraxsg
fastraxsg Adult
September 1, 2013
age 13+

the plot was boring and pointless

dissapointing. the plot was boring and unrealistic and the whole movie was a total letdown. the only thing i enjoyed was the love of the 2 married couples because it was very heartfelt. there was a make-out scene and some bad words. there was also some attempted humor that wasn't funny.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Boston police detective Nick Walker (Ryan Reynolds) would like to give his wife, Julia (Stephanie Szostak), a better life. A stash of gold found at a crime scene might be his ticket, but he's having second thoughts. When his crooked partner, Hayes (Kevin Bacon), hears this, he shoots and kills Nick. In the afterlife, Nick unwittingly becomes a member of the Rest in Peace Department. Now paired with a new undead partner, Roy (Jeff Bridges), Nick goes back to Earth to help send "deadoes" to the afterlife where they belong. Unfortunately, there seems to be a weird connection with Hayes, the gold, and a terrifying plot to bring the apocalypse down to earth. Can Nick and Roy solve the case and stop the evil plan in time?

Is It Any Good?

This movie is a waste of time; you've already seen it done before, and much better. With lots of similarities to the Men in Black movies, Ghost, Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice, Heaven Can Wait (and its remake Down to Earth), as well as many other movies, R.I.P.D. comes across as almost totally lifeless, as if it were on autopilot or generated by a computer that had been fed certain data and asked to spit out a movie. Even a great actor like Bridges merely reprises his Oscar-nominated cowboy performance from True Grit ... without all the clever dialogue or character depth. (At least he gets a few laughs.)

Director Robert Schwentke settles for sub-par special effects -- the monsters look rubbery and fake -- and haphazard plotting: Knowing what he knows, why would Hayes shoot and kill Nick? The comedy falls flat, the action is unexciting, and, even worse, the romantic angle is hopeless given that the hero is dead and his wife is still alive; it's too heavy an idea for such a "light" movie.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about R.I.P.D.'s cartoonish violence. Was it scary or exciting? Does any of it seem real?

  • Is the movie scary? How does it see the monsters in this movie? Are they funny, or sad?

  • Did you notice any stereotypes in the movie? How do you feel about the movie's portrayal of women, Chinese men, etc.?

  • Does the idea of a dead main character make the movie seem depressing? How does such a light movie handle such a dark idea?

Movie Details

Our Editors Recommend

  • Men in Black Poster Image

    Men in Black

    Lots of fun, but too scary for some kids.

    age 12+
  • Ghostbusters Poster Image

    Ghostbusters

    Paranormal '80s classic has some scares, innuendo.

    age 11+
  • Hellboy (2004) Poster Image

    Hellboy (2004)

    Entertaining but scary superhero tale is violent.

    age 14+

For kids who love action and comedy

Themes & Topics

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