 | 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 Green Mile
- Review Date: May 6, 2003
- R
- Genre: Drama
- 1999
Common Sense Media says
Thoughtful, intelligent movie for older teens.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this movie has a horrifyingly graphic execution scene. Talk to teens who see the movie about Coffey's wish to be put out of his misery, which could be seen by sensitive kids as an argument in favor of suicide.
What's the story?
In THE GREEN MILE, Paul Edgecombe (Tom Hanks) is a Depression-era Louisiana prison guard. His responsibility is the prisoners on Death Row, called "The Green Mile" because of the color of the floor between the cells and the electric chair. New prisoner John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan) is a huge black man convicted of raping and murdering two little girls. He is a gentle man with a mysterious power to heal. Edgecombe treats the prisoners with kindness, partly because it is the best way to maintain order, but also because he is a fair and compassionate man. In sharp contrast, another guard is petty and cruel, and a far more evil man than any of the prisoners.
Is it any good?
It's pretty easy to make a movie where the hero saves the Earth from asteroids or blasts the bad guys into smithereens, because those kinds of battles give us lots of very cool stuff to look at. It's a lot harder to make a movie like this one, holding our attention with heroism in small moments and unlikely places. Teens, who often feel that the problems of the world are too overwhelming to address, can learn from this movie that a small courtesy can have an enormous impact.
This is a thoughtful, intelligent movie with outstanding direction. The plot veers into melodrama at times, with at least one coincidence that is overly convenient, but the humanity of the guards keeps the movie on track most of the time. Hanks is the American ideal, just, kind, capable, decent. Bonnie Hunt's performance as Edgecombe's loyal, wise, patient, and very loving wife is a pleasure to watch. Doug Hutchison is terrific as Percy, the nephew of the governor's wife who is assigned to work for Edgecombe, and whose combined arrogance and insecurity lead to disaster. And Michael Clarke Duncan is deeply moving, showing us both Coffey's innocence and his dignity.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about the idea that a person might have an extraordinary talent to heal, where that power might come from, and what the responsibilities and burdens might be. Must that ability be accompanied, as it is in John Coffey, with the agonizing experience of "feeling the pain of the world?" Can a person be a healer without experiencing the pain he relieves in others? Must a person whose entire existence is about healing be willing to destroy? What can be healed, and what can not? And why set this story on Death Row? The characters tell us that "What happens on the Mile stays on the Mile. Always has." What rules are different in these direst of circumstances, and why?
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Kid, 11 years old
July 14, 2009
AGE
Not recommended for under 11, or for sensitive people.
Apparently, this movie got a reputation for being better than the book. I can not say that, considering I have not read the book. But I can say that this is the best movie I have ever seen! It is my top favourite! Tom Hanks, David Morse, and Michael Clarke Duncan in their finest roles! However, there is some mild suggestive sexual content including parents finding there daughters raped and bloody in the arms of John Coffey. But that and the execution are the only really bad scenes. Not recommended for sensitive people (I cried at the end). This movie is surely a masterpiece, and I will kill the people who didn't give any awards! You hear that? NO AWARDS!
What other families should know:
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Teen, 16 years old
January 2, 2010
AGE
If you can handle the fiery, prolonged execution of one character, you're fine.
A wonderful movie, moving, brilliant and subtle. It is violent and Percy's a horrible character-- honestly one of the worst I've ever seen-- but overall it's a very positive and surprisingly uplifting tearjerker that makes the viewer take a second look at their own lives.
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Teen, 16 years old
August 17, 2009
AGE
Emotional roller-coaster, a must-see for those mature enough.
This is a very, very good movie. It's definitely an emotional roller-coaster, but will leave you with a very warm feeling at the end. I can't really say anymore without giving away the story... Definitely not for kids 13 or under, as it is very sad and graphic at parts. The cruelty displayed in some scenes is nearly unbearable, especially for children. The plot would be very hard for a child to wrap his head around, and the execution scene, and the flashbacks of the rape/murder of two little girls would perhaps give him/her nightmares. There is one comical sex scene, however only the sounds are heard from outside of the window. This movies shows the best and worst in humanity, and should definitely be seen by everyone at some point in their life.
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Kid, 12 years old
October 1, 2010
AGE
Uh, I've Read The Books....
I haven't exactly seen the movies, but I'm in the middle of book 5 of the series (Percy's kind of in the middle of being forced into a straightjacket). I love the books, though! I love Tom Hanks, too, but I don't think my mother'll let me see the actual thing...which almost doesn't make sense, considering the bad language and violence is in the books, too. Whatever. I'll just resort to Shrek and Harry Potter for now.
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Teen, 14 years old
August 22, 2009
AGE
Great moie but not for younger teens
This is one of my favorite movies. Thier is one scene in the movie which is very graphic and disturbing. The is also quite a bit of language.
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Teen, 13 years old
August 17, 2009
AGE
Magical
I loved the character of John Coffey. My parents pretty much forced me to watch this movie last year, and I actually really liked it. I thought I was gonna be bored for three hours but that was far from the case.
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Teen, 17 years old
July 8, 2009
AGE
It's an excellent film. Also fairly tame for an R-rated movie. Though there is some swearing and violence as well as talk of a rape/murder that occured.
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Teen, 13 years old
August 26, 2009
AGE
Incredibly moving, powerful film
I can not say I saw Coffey's execution in full detail, as I got the edited version. The language was coarse at times, and the violence (or what I got of it) was strong and brutal. It is deeply moving, and makes you think what has currently become of humanity, and also has some sci-fi in there for the Trekkies. I believe everybody should see this movie before they visit their "mile."
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| Studio: | Warner Bros. |
| Director: | Frank Darabont |
| Cast: | Bonnie Hunt, Michael Clarke Duncan, Tom Hanks |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Run time: | 188 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | December 10, 1999 |
| DVD release date: | June 13, 2000 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | violence, language and some sex-related material |
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