 | 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 Straight Story
- Review Date: May 8, 2003
- G
- Genre: Drama
- 1999
Common Sense Media says
Great, but young kids may be bored and restless.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this movie has no four-letter words or nudity, and there is nothing in the movie that is likely to cause offense or trauma. Still, it is not for most younger kids, who will be bored and restless.
What's the story?
In this seemingly simple story, 73 year old Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth), sets off to visit his estranged brother, after hearing that he has had a stroke. Alvin uses two canes and can't see well enough to drive. So he hitches a trailer to his riding mower and sets off on a 300-mile journey from Iowa to Wisconsin, encountering along the six-week drive a range of people, landscapes, and adventures. On his journey, Alvin meets an engaging assortment of people, including a teen- age runaway, a team of bicyclists, twin repairmen, and a man who spent his career working for John Deere, and is unfailingly treated with kindness and dignity.
Is it any good?
Don't let the G-rating and the Disney label mislead you - this is an adult movie in the old-fashioned sense of the word, meaning that its story and themes will most appeal to adults and some teens. It gets a G rating because it does not have any of the usual triggers for a PG or PG- 13 rating. Thoughtful middle- and high schoolers and adults will find a lot to appreciate and talk about.
Children who watch a lot of television and movies often develop what psychologists call the "mean world" syndrome. Based on what they learn about the adult world from the media, their estimates of the incidence of murder and corruption are distorted way out of proportion to reality. And our cautions about not talking to strangers contribute further to their sense that the world is a dangerous place. This movie is a nice antidote to that. Also, Richard speaks feelingly to people he meets about the importance of the bond between siblings. This is a point that is always worth raising to kids who think that there may never be a day when they will have more to talk to their brothers and sisters about than whose turn it is to empty the dishwasher.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the essential decency of all of the characters in this movie, and the film's strong themes of the importance of family.
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
Language not appropriate for godly families
Hell used 4 times in the first 5 minutes. I thought G rated films were to be clean.
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Kid, 12 years old
March 9, 2010
AGE
is it G for 13+, heck no!!!!
it's not rated PG-13.
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AGE
is it G for 13+, heck no!!!!
it's not rated PG-13.
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Kid, 11 years old
March 9, 2010
AGE
is it G for 13+, heck no!!!!
it's not rated PG-13.
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Kid, 12 years old
May 5, 2010
AGE
Wrong,
Movie:
G is for all ages, PG is how to depend age you are, PG-13 IS FOR 13 AND UP but under 13 with adult (parent/guardigan) with some stuffs, R is not for kids, NC-17 is for 17 and up, and X is not for kids just like R is not.
TV:
TV-Y-FV - TV-Y7-FV is for children, TV-G is for all ages, TV-PG, depends how age you are, TV-14 is for 14 and up, adults (parents/guaridgans) with kids may watch some, TV-MA is for mature and TV-AO is not for kids
GAME:
E is for 6 and up, eC is for 3 and up, E10+ is for 10 and up,T is for 13 and up, M is for 17 and up, and Ao is for 18 and up
MUSIC:
Parental Advisory/Edited Version: means it dosen't have kid unedited stuff
WEBSITE:
age appropriate sites only
this is the same as (DISCUSSION)
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AGE
The most un-Lynch film David Lynch ever made, but perhaps that is what's best about this.
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Kid, 12 years old
July 5, 2010
AGE
OH MAN
what????? wt# why G is for 13+?????? g is supposed to be for all ages.
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AGE
AMAZING movie.
But you have to be old enough to understand and enjoy it. It moves slowly... on purpose. Kids, and even most high school students and some adults, may be bored.
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| Topics: | adventures |
| Studio: | Walt Disney Pictures |
| Director: | David Lynch |
| Cast: | Jane Galloway Heitz, Richard Farnsworth, Sissy Spacek |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Run time: | 112 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | October 15, 1999 |
| DVD release date: | November 7, 2000 |
| MPAA rating: | G |
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