 | 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. |
West Side Story
- Review Date: June 24, 2003
- NR
- Genre: Musical
- 1961
Common Sense Media says
Musical masterpiece tackles race, with some violence.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this updated Romeo and Juliet story explores race relations and immigration within a musical format. Street fighting and knifings are depicted, though some of the violence is lessened by the choreography. In one disturbing scene, a gang of boys physically abuses a young woman and a rape almost takes place. A major character is killed.
What's the story?
A classic American musical with strong social commentary, WEST SIDE STORY updates Shakespeare's tragedy about star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet to 1950s New York City, where second-generation American street gang the Jets are at constant odds with rival Puerto Rican gang the Sharks. A showdown is inevitable, but love gets in the way when Jets member Tony (Richard Beymer) falls for Maria (Natalie Wood), the sister of Sharks leader Bernardo (George Chakiris). People die and hearts get broken.
Is it any good?
Co-directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, this beautiful musical is a visual masterpiece packed with talent. The music of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim is unforgettable, as are the Oscar-winning performances of George Chakiris as Bernardo and Rita Moreno as Anita, the spunky girlfriend of Bernardo and confidant of Maria.
The raging emotions of the characters are expressed through song and dance (Jerome Robbins' choreography mixes jazz, ballet, and Latin influences), resulting in a kinetic display of emotion more expressive than words. Stylish street-wise sets and cinematic technique take the movie to another level, rich with visual symbolism.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the issues of racism, immigration, gangs, and youth culture. What do you think the two gangs would say about the American Dream?
What kinds of stereotypes are explored in this movie? Does the movie serve to challenge or reinforce stereotypes?
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AGE
Amazing
This was an amazing, amazing movie with memorable characters and a wonderful story. It's also very sad I started crying when Tony gets killed and when Maria takes the gun and wants to kill herself. It's beautiful. I highly suggest it for older kids because my little brother started crying really really hard and asked if he was dead (I told him he was just passed out so he wouldn't cry harder). Still an amazing movie though. See it See it See it!!!!!!!
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AGE
Graph-Sad (the worst mix)
It was great in the begining, but it got so sad and violent I had to force myself to turn it off. For kids at least 14 at least.
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AGE
From ballerinas to gangsters...
I don't understand this movie at all. Good dancing , check , catchy tunes , check but they go from dancing ballerinas to knife holding gangsters. We had to watch it in music class and everyones was like " what the heck??!!" This movie took forever to get to the movie, I mean , what's the point of the color changing screen in the beggining for 15 minutes? Not really appropriate... a bit odd.
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AGE
Classic
I disagree, I think this movie should not be R. This movie is a classic musical and I think it brings up a lot of good topics. Yes you might have to talk to you child afterwards about parts but that is what it is there for. It is to bring up thoughts and to bring publicity to problems that were happening in the US. I watched this when I was in middle school and liked it and understood it. I do believe that some children might not be ready for it, but it is a classic because it is a good movie and musical.
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AGE
Great and Brilliant
We saw this in school, and it was really cool. Really nice, and everyone should see it
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AGE
Not A Children's Movie
I watched this at school, it is definetely not for those who disapprove of violence or the like. There are a few references to drugs and alcohol, and the Jets are seen smoking a lot. There is a gangster fight, and a girl is almost raped. It's a cruel movie, and shows how brutal people can be.
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AGE
Great for conversation on social issues
West Side Story is another classic, along the lines of To Kill a Mockingbird, except with some fantastic singing and dancing. The social message is the whole point of the movie; it is a modern day Romeo and Juliet, where the boy and girl, due to their social backgrounds, are NOT supposed to be together but fall in love anyway. There is a lot of stuff about race, gangs, etc. that is still relevant over 40 years later. There are fights and violence and a main character gets killed, so this is not for the littlest ones... save this for your jr. high school and up age kids, unless very mature.
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AGE
High Art But Not For Children
We thought we'd let our 9 and 6 year olds see this one... Boy what a mistake!
The violence is visceral, there's a great deal of hate language to explain, and at the end of the day, a musical in this context is hard to explain... Like, why are they singing and dancing when they're killing and beating each other up?
A pretty good bet for a high school junior or senior, when prefaced with the proper sociological background. But no matter how good the movie is (and it's one of the best ever) it is definitely NOT suitable for children 16 or under.
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AGE
A powerful story
West Side Story is one of the most moving and powerful movies you will ever see. It brings up very important issues about the lines between races and cultures, and what can happen if people think those lines shouldn't be crossed. It really made me think about how horribly people will act if they refuse to accept people from other cultures. I loved this movie, and thought it had very good music, but this is not a good movie for younger children.
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| Studio: | MGM/UA |
| Director: | Jerome Robbins |
| Cast: | Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno |
| Genre: | Musical |
| Run time: | 152 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | December 23, 1961 |
| DVD release date: | April 1, 2002 |
| MPAA rating: | NR |
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