True Lies (R, 1994)

common sense media says

Exciting mix of thrills, comedy; older teens and up.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this entertaining thriller combines an action blockbuster (that means lots of big explosions) and a screwball comedy about a married couple who are both hiding big secrets. The wife is contemplating an affair and ends up being pressured to pretend she’s a secret agent, while the husband is the real deal, a suave superspy who has convinced his family that he’s actually a boring computer salesman. Not only does it deliver plenty of excitement, it also has some astute things to say about honesty and ennui in marriage. The wife performs a risqué striptease in her underwear, and there’s a good deal of swearing. Also expect plenty of violence, including gunfights, car chases, some graphic hand-to-hand combat, and even a nuclear explosion.

Positive messages: Honesty is the best policy in this film about a married couple that is hiding big secrets from each other. Their relationship is much improved once they both end their charades and tell each other the truth.
Positive role models: The main characters are a husband and wife who both have much to hide from each other; she is involved in a flirtatious near-affair and ends up pretending to be a secret agent, while he actually is a real spy who has convinced his family that he’s a dull computer salesman.
Violence: Lots of action, including explosions, car chases, shootouts, fistfights and even a nuclear explosion. Though there’s little blood or gore, the hand-to-hand sequences can be intense -- the muscular hero dispatches several villains by snapping their necks.
Sex: A bored housewife, pretending to be a secret agent who is pretending to be a hooker, performs a sexy striptease in her underwear. Some characters discuss gender relations in highly sexist terms.
Language: Lots of swearing. Everything from “f--k,” “s--t” and “a--hole” to “d--k,” “bitch” and “p---y.”
Consumerism: A few references to well-known musicians. Car logos are often visible, including a classic Corvette that plays an important role in the plot.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Some social drinking and smoking. A pack of cigarettes plays a key role in the story. One character is captured by terrorists and given a truth serum.

More on True Lies

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Families can talk about honesty. The main characters lie to each other throughout most of the film. How does their relationship change once they start telling the truth? Do you think it’s plausible for a secret agent to hide his dangerous activities from his family?
  • How does the film portray terrorists? Made in 1994, after the first Gulf War, but before Sept. 11, the villains are Arab extremists, though it doesn’t identify where they come from or touch on religion. Do you think the media’s views about Middle Eastern militants have changed since then?
  • Is it acceptable today to demonize people from the Middle East? World War II-era films often made Nazis the go-to bad-guys -- can you think of other groups that have served that role?

What's the story?

What's the story?
Harry Tasker (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a dull-as-dishwater computer salesman, or so he wants his wife to believe. In truth, he’s a superspy for the ultra-clandestine Omega Sector, grappling with terrorists by day and then trying to get home in time for family dinner. Problem is, his wife Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis) is so bored with their marriage that she’s contemplating an affair. When Harry finds out, he turns his spy skills to tracking down Helen’s would-be suitor (Bill Paxton, hilarious as a slimy lothario), inadvertently dragging her into his world of covert meetings and international conspiracies.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
TRUE LIES effectively combines a thriller with a domestic comedy, and that’s a tough feat to pull off. The conspiracy plot, about Arab extremists and stolen nuclear warheads, is not especially complex, but it provides a jumping-off point for several exciting chase scenes, shootouts, and major explosions. The more interesting story follows the Taskers, as Harry and Helen learn to share their secrets with each other. Tom Arnold is also entertaining as Harry’s partner, a bitter divorcee with a profane mouth. Schwarzenegger is best-known for his action chops, and rightly so, but he’s underappreciated for his comic skills, and this film lets him show off both skills. And Curtis more than holds her own as a mousy clerk who learns to roar -- and wield automatic weapons. Director James Cameron creates a thrilling story about love, marriage, and honesty, wrapped inside a thrill-a-minute action film. That said, parents may appreciate the messages more than their teens.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox
Director: James Cameron
Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bill Paxton, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold
Genre: Action/Adventure
Run time: 141 minutes
Theatrical release: July 15, 1994
DVD release: May 25, 1999
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: a lot of action/violence and some language

This review was written by Will Wade
 
 

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Most useful reviews by all members

HALO13
teen, 14 years old
 
Your Fired
True Lies is a good movie one verry viloent scene a man has a knife thrown in his eye during the truth scene and the other man's neck

PYEsinc
teen, 14 years old
 
FUNNY!

ghostfacekillah
parent of 6 , 15 , and 16 year old
 
perfect for matcher 10 year nolds
i want my kid to see it

ch2113
kid, 12 years old
 
great movie very violent and has some sexuel stuff i would say 14 +

lizzie3276
teen, 17 years old
 
GREAT MOVIE!! It gets a little violent and some sex. A lot of language

4Spice
adult
 
classic movie
watch this movie its worth it lots of action 13 and over for violence and sex

hagrid21
kid, 13 years old
 
Modern James Bond!
This movie is one of my favorites. It has everything from action, comedy, drama, and romance. Parents need to review this movie before your kids watch it, though. The action is very intense, with occasional bloody scenes. The language is a bit rough, too. In one scene, a woman posing as a prostitute for a man dances sensually for him. Also, her husbands organization, Omega Sector, finds her with another man. The role models aren't the best because the whole movie is basically Harry (Schwarzenegger) trying to hide his true identity from his family. Though his wife has some secrets, too. Great movie, but it needs a parent preview first.

davyborn
teen, 17 years old
 
90's action comedy is very funny funny and exciting, but very violent and crude
True Lies is another very, very overlooked movie by James Cameron, even though if did very well at the box office, with $146 million, off of a budget of a estimated $120 million. But just because it performed well enough at the box office, doesn't mean that the critics reviews were all that good, considering that a large majority of them claimed that the movie was highly forgettable and that Cameron should not have gone and blown so much money on a action-comedy. Well, honestly, I really don't think he should have spent so much money on int, but you know what? I love this movie. I always will. It's hilarious, it has likable characters, great action scenes and easily one of the best and funniest performances by Arnold Schwarzenegger, in any movie that he has ever done. But, that is not to say that this movie is for everyone, because it's not. It's Rated R, which is a deserved rating, because of several thing: Lot's of violence, which gets particularly bloody and brutal near the end, plenty of profanity with several uses of F-ck and sh-t, and finally, the entire middle half of the movie is full of crude sexual dialog, partial nudity, and one very long and particularly hilarious, but rather graphic, strip-tease by Jamie Lee Curtis. Older teens who are fans of the movies many talented cast and crew members, will undoubtedly enjoy this action romp.

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