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Yentl

(1983, Rated PG, Musical, Starring Amy Irving, Mandy Patinkin, Barbra Streisand)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 7, age appropriate for kids over 12; suggested age 12.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0

  • Common Sense says

    Romantic folk tale retold with music and classic Streisand.

Themes in this movie include:   dating/crushes, family relationships, friendship, gender issues, honesty

Why We Rated This on for Ages 12 and Up

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    Although the film's heroine is a girl who "dishonestly" disguises herself as a boy, her reasons are honorable. Overall, the film holds that courage, integrity, compassion, and striving to do one's best are values of the highest order. The main thematic message is that it's righteous and important to fight for individual liberty rather than accept a role dictated by religious and/or cultural prejudices. Though set in the very early 20th century and made in the 1980s, the issues raised here are as relevant today as ever.

  • Role models:

    Primary characters are all hard-working, honest, and intellectually curious. The heroine, a teen girl, is courageous and strong. Parents are depicted as loving, caring, and having the children's best interests at heart.

 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Not an issue.

  • Sex:

    Some bare male bottoms seen from rear as a group of young men dive into a pond. One scene suggests a naked young man is standing in front of a young woman, however, since the woman is disguised as a "boy," the man is not aware of his inappropriate behavior. She's embarrassed and looks away.  Multiple sequences in which a young bride behaves in a shyly seductive manner in the bedroom, unaware that the "groom" is a girl in disguise. One gentle kiss.

  • Language:

    Not an issue.

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Some pipe smoking, moderate amount of wine drunk at dinner and on social occasions, shots of whiskey with no drunkenness.  

     

 

What Parents Need to Know

About Yentl

Parents need to know that because the basic plot involves a teen girl disguised as a young man, there are numerous scenes that place Yentl in embarrassing and uncomfortable situations, some of them with sexual overtones (i.e., Yentl being in the presence of several young men as they strip and jump naked into a pond). Though there is no actual sexual activity, the "marriage" ceremony performed between Yentl and another young woman is taken seriously by the "bride" and she attempts to make love to her husband, unaware that it is Yentl, a girl. These scenes are presented in a gentle way and do not emphasize sexuality. There is occasional wine drinking both in social situations and for religious ceremonial purposes.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the movie's music. Does it help you understand what Yentl is feeling? 
  • Even though it's clear to us that Yentl is not really a boy, was it possible to suspend your disbelief and accept that the other characters never questioned her? What other movies have you enjoyed that asked you to suspend your disbelief?
  • What are some of the tools (i.e., costumes, settings/art direction, lighting) the filmmakers used to take you back to the time and place of the story?
Tools and tips that can help

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Adult Reviewer
    whateverfloats
    I rate this title on for age 9 and give it 4.0

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