Tuck Everlasting
Parents say
Based on 8 reviews
Kids say
Based on 34 reviews
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Tuck Everlasting
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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 Tuck Everlasting, a Disney film about a teen girl who meets a family who is immortal after drinking from a fountain of youth on their property, raises profound questions about life and death, the cycle of life, and aging. Besides the heady subject matter, there are some violent altercations of characters being shot at or hit in the head with rifles. Overall, the film should raise interesting discussions about immortality, life, and how to live.
Community Reviews
Great movie!
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Watch Tuck Everlasting With Your Kids
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What's the Story?
In TUCK EVERLASTING, Angus Tuck (William Hurt) tells rich, overprotected Winnie Foster (Alexis Bledel) that he feels like a rock by the side of a stream, life rushing past him. She feels that way, too. Her proud and proper mother (Amy Irving) restrains all forms of independence in her daughter. When Winnie learns that her mother is planning to send her to a strict finishing school, she leaves home and runs into the untamed woods, not knowing if she's running away from something or to something. Lost, she comes upon a boy named Jesse (Jonathan Jackson), who, with help from his brother, kidnaps her and takes her to his family's hidden cabin. They treat her with an odd mixture of hospitality and intimidation, making it clear that she's not free to go. Meek Winnie can only acquiesce to the new situation. She finds herself drawn to Jesse and eventually comes to love her life with the Tucks and their sense of timelessness.
Is It Any Good?
Disney has made a lovely film version of the book Tuck Everlasting, which is a perennial middle-school favorite. It deals thoughtfully with themes of time, identity, and humanity. In the Tuck home, there is no time. Or, rather, there's too much time, which turns out to be pretty much the same thing. As the Tucks realize how very different they are from other people, unsettling truths become clear. They present such a challenge to the most fundamental assumptions that people are either terrified or overcome with greed. So the family must do anything necessary to make sure no one knows their secret.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what they would do if they had the choice presented to Winnie.
Families can also talk about how the movie compares with the book. Why make Winnie a teen in the movie when she is only 10 in the book? How does that change the story?
How does this treatment of immortality differ from vampire stories?
Movie Details
- In theaters: October 11, 2002
- On DVD or streaming: February 25, 2003
- Cast: Alexis Bledel, Jonathan Jackson, William Hurt
- Director: Jay Russell
- Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
- Genre: Family and Kids
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Book Characters
- Run time: 88 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG
- MPAA explanation: peril and violence
- Last updated: March 31, 2022
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