The Tourist

  • Review Date: December 7, 2010
  • PG-13
  • Genre: Thriller
  • 2010
 Review

Common Sense Media says

Romantic thriller has some mature twists.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this romantic thriller starring Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie is the kind of twisty suspense drama that will appeal to savvy teens who like the two stars. The premise is simple but mature, and as the movie progresses, certain plot twists make The Tourist more appropriate for older teens and adults. There's some persistent violence in the form of a frightening older gangster who has no problem killing his own henchman and is responsible for the film's (relatively small) body count. Language includes a couple of uses of "f--k," as well as "s--t" and "a--hole." Although sexual content isn't too graphic -- Jolie and Depp's characters kiss passionately a couple of times, and, in one scene, Jolie strips down to her undergarments to change into a nightgown -- there's still a strong feeling of sexuality throughout the movie, as Jolie's mere presence creates an aura of sex appeal.

  • The movie's strongest message is that everyone is both good and bad, light and dark, and those who love you accept you completely as both. 
  • Shaw puts his love of money and possessions above all else. Alexander might have stolen from an awful man, but he's still a thief, and Elise is a rogue character who makes questionable professional and personal decisions.
  • A kingpin and his gangster henchmen try to kill Frank and Elise several times, chasing them on speed boats and through the streets/rooftops of Venice. A man is throttled to death, and four or five men are killed by police snipers. 
  • Elise is pretty much sex appeal personified. She's presented as being so stunning that men and women stop in their tracks to stare at her as she walks by. One of the uses of "f--k" in the film is inspired by the sight of her in an evening gown. There are a couple of passionate kisses, as well as one scene of Elise changing into a lacy nightgown (viewers see her in her bra, stockings, and underwear).
  • Occasional strong language includes a couple of uses of "f--k" plus "a--hole," "s--t," "hell," "bastard," and "oh my God."
  • The Eurostar train system is featured pretty heavily, and the logo is shown a few times. Venice's ultra-luxurious Hotel Danieli is one of the movie's main locations.
  • Several people smoke cigarettes, and Frank smokes nicotine-releasing electric cigarettes. People are shown drinking socially at dinners and a party.

What's the story?

Elise Clifton Ward (Angelina Jolie) is an Englishwoman who lives in Paris and is being surveilled by both French and English authorities for her past relationship with a mysterious billionaire thief named Alexander Pierce. One morning, she receives instructions to board a train bound for Venice, find a man with Alexander's height and build, and make "them" believe it's him. She targets Frank Tupelo (Johnny Depp), a Wisconsin math teacher on a solo vacation. Smitten with Elise, Frank agrees to go to Elise's hotel, where she kisses him and then explains that she's meeting a secretive man she once loved. Meanwhile, Elise and Frank are being watched not only by a Scotland Yard agent (Paul Bettany) and his Italian collaborators but also by notorious gangster Reginald Shaw (Steven Berkoff), who wants the billions Alexander stole from him. Since Alexander has reportedly spent millions to change his appearance, everyone on the case believes Frank really is Alexander, so the race is on to save him before he's arrested or killed.


Is it any good?

 

THE TOURIST's look and feel are refreshing tributes to Alfred Hitchcock's classic thrillers, in which mysterious, beautiful women on a train usually spelled trouble. Jolie is perfectly cast; she's the kind of actress you can believe would have every single man (and woman) in a train car staring at her. But Depp is a bit miscast as the wide-eyed Frank, who looks cool (because he's Johnny Depp) but is actually awkward and unaccustomed to the sensual sophistication that Elise exudes with every swish of her hips. Their flirtatious conversations are sweet and funny, but there's not the kind of electrifying chemistry you'd expect (for perfection, see Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint in North by Northwest).

Still, for travel and fashion junkies, this film is a decadent treat (every single thing Elise dons is gorgeous). Even with all of the movie's eye candy -- from Jolie to Depp to Bettany to Rufus Sewell (as a silent character who may or may not be the real Alexander) -- chances are you'll probably be busier ogling Jolie's ensembles and her hotel suite at the luxurious Hotel Danieli. The romance? It's all right. But the costumes and scenery -- absolutely swoon worthy.


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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about how the movie fits into the suspense genreEarly on, Elise and Frank joke about the stereotypes of suspense novels. How does the movie play by the very same rules they discuss?

     

  • Elise explains that she was raised to believe that to truly love someone you have to accept their "two sides" -- good and bad. How do the various characters in the movie show their "two-faced" nature?

  • What's the movie's message about relationships? Do you think Elise made the right choice? What did Reginald mean when he told Elise that life isn't kind to an ugly woman?

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This review was written by Sandie Angulo Chen
Adult
March 22, 2011
 
The Tourist is a good thriller movie stars with johnny deep and Angelina Jolie and with that being said your older teens will definitely want to see this movie but parents you need to know that the tourist has some mild violence some strong language used and some smoking and drinking involve there is a strong message in this movie however it's about that everyone is both good and bad, light and dark, and those who love you accept you completely as both and the role models are Shaw puts his love of money and possessions above all else Alexander might have stolen from an awful man, but he's still a thief, and Elise is a rogue character who makes questionable professional and personal decisions.

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Adult
January 27, 2011
 
One of my favourite movies
The movie was spectacular! Some critics say that there is not chemestry between Elise (Angelina Jolie) and Frank or AP (Johnny Depp), but I think that there is. You can tell that they fall in love. They are my male favourite actor, and my female favourite actress, so what can I tell about the movie, I loved it!

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Teen, 15 years old
March 30, 2011
 
Johnny Depp is a great actor, but he unfortunately has a really boring character in it. Good mind-twisting end.

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Kid, 12 years old
April 3, 2011
 
sure
Decent movie. I saw it on a plane and it kept me entertained. The storyline is ok. Mildly interesting.

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Teen, 16 years old
March 29, 2011
 
Good, but could have been better. Without the 2 F words, the movie would have been PG
Suggested MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some strong language, and brief violence. 2 F words.

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Teen, 16 years old
March 6, 2011
 
good because it has johnny depp and angelina jolie!

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Adult
December 18, 2010
 
a slow moving and very dull movie.
Johnny Depp stars as an American tourist whose playful dalliance with a stranger leads to a web of intrigue, romance and danger in "The Tourist." During an impromptu trip to Europe to mend a broken heart, Frank (Depp) unexpectedly finds himself in a flirtatious encounter with Elise (Angelina Jolie), an extraordinary woman who deliberately crosses his path. Against the breathtaking backdrop of Paris and Venice, their whirlwind romance quickly evolves as they find themselves unwittingly thrust into a deadly game of cat and mouse. well this movie wasn't for sure on my Most Anticipated movie list but i wanted to see it just for the lead actors. this movie turned out exactly the way i thought it would be. extremely dull and crap. i don't like to use strong words or heavy sentences for a movie, specially the one with big well known names behind them, but in this case i have to. i don't know who the original movie was, i heard it is a remake of some European Movie, i have no idea how that one was but what i think is it must be good, because this movie had so much potential that you can even feel while watching of being a good, memorable movie, but it just fails. for the starting 20 to 30 minutes, it felt really good and charming but after that it totally fails to do anything else rather than doing nothing. One of the most dull screenplays of this year, it has absolutely nothing, completely empty, hollow and without any soul or words. very badly written screenplay. Direction of this movie was very bad. Editing was below average. story seemed kind of interesting. plot was dull. this movie definitely was very slow moving but the plus point was i was never bored while watching this movie even with a dull and awful written screenplay. i don't know why? probably because of the Lead actors i think. The cinematography i would say was very good, really nice locations. Art direction was above average and so was the other technical things. Talking about the actors so, Johnny Depp was above average in his character. he looked promising but he could have been better. it seemed that he is feeling forced to do this movie while you watch him. expressions were not good however dialogue delivery was good. his role was kind of comic. but the whole movie and Angie's character is not comic at all. i mean how the hell it got nominated for Golden Globes in the Musical or Comedy categories. i mean there were many more movies that deserved it. hell. Angelina Jolie sure looked good but she didn't do justice to her character. she looked liked a wax statue. bad performance, a let down. she deserves a Razzie nomination not Golden Globe. her costumes are wonderful, very Chic and elegant. looked like a hot sex bomb beauty in elegant Channel outfits. acting wise a terrible movie. well see the Rotten Tomatoes rating, i mean 21%? critics hated this movie and the performances and yes they were so right. a first time on screen mismatched A list Hollywood couple with almost zero chemistry and no connection to the movie. not just big celebrities can save a movie. it is a spy thriller which rarely thrills along with a Romantic comedy which completely fails. it is definitely one of the bad good looking movie of this year. NOT RECOMMENDED.

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Teen, 14 years old
June 11, 2011
 
AWESOME......
It was very good and old fashioned. There was 1 F-word and one S-word. That was all.There was one scene when Elise undresses(no nudity).And the violence was very light. And Johnny Depp + Angelina Jolie =AWESOMENESS.

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Kid, 13 years old
February 6, 2011
 
This was a great movie butthere was a lot of gun usage. It had a great mystery element. Very entreiging. I think that a family with some tweens would love it. You would expect that with Jolie and Depp, there would be a steamy love scene but there is only one kiss in the whole movie.

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Adult
December 26, 2010
 
Tourist
Violence in my only concern, otherwise fine for ON for 10 to 11 and up.

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This review was written by Sandie Angulo Chen
Studio:Columbia Pictures
Director:Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Cast:Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, Paul Bettany
Genre:Thriller
Run time:104 minutes
Theatrical release date:December 10, 2010
DVD release date:March 22, 2011
MPAA rating:PG-13
MPAA explanation:violence and brief strong language

This review was written by Sandie Angulo Chen
 

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ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
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