Father and child sit together smiling while looking at a smart phone.

Want more recommendations for your family?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for entertainment inspiration

Parents' Guide to

12 Monkeys

By Carly Kocurek, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Terry Gilliam's violent dystopian masterpiece.

Movie R 1995 130 minutes
12 Monkeys Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 16+

Based on 3 parent reviews

MarcI 1
MarcI 1 Parent of 7 and 11-year-old
October 4, 2017
age 18+

A Really, Really good movie that needs no Common Sense for Age: It's Rated R

Sometime I get the feeling this site is a mother hen trying to make everything fit into a lens of what age child should watch this. This is rated R folks, check the MPAA as they do us a service and R is Restricted – under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. The review by CSM makes it seem like it's aimed for 8 year olds and they're being over protective against you showing it to one. Do not show this to under 18 kids. It's not really meant for kids at all. I have a friend who has a bit part (blonde in the van when they take the tape off the Doctor) and she even said it's for adults and she was there in filming. I would click the buttons below but they're mostly "too much" of something and again, it's not for kids.
Pizza G.
Pizza G. Adult
June 24, 2017
age 13+

Smart, interesting dystopian sci-fi can be confusing and provocative

12 Monkeys is a unique, memorable dystopian time travel flick with mature themes and a moody atmosphere. It's meant for adults, but it should be alright for older kids--however, if you're thinking about letting your younger ones watch it, then there are some issues to consider. Not only is the movie's depiction of a mental institution relatively upsetting, but various scenes throughout depict severe beatings, sometimes with bloody dead bodies / painful wounds lingered on. The movie's final sequence features a slow motion gunshot with spurting blood. There's also plenty of swearing ("f--k," "s--t," "a--hole," "p---y,") and a few sexual references (to prostitution, etc.). Several shots feature naked male buttocks in a non-sexual context. Most suitable for teens 13+.

This title has:

Too much violence
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

12 MONKEY'S futuristic plot follows convict James Cole (Bruce Willis), who is "volunteered" to go on a mission back in time to 1996 to seek information pertaining to the Army of the Twelve Monkeys, a group believed to be responsible for releasing the deadly virus that nearly wiped out the earth's population. Time travel turns out to be an inexact science though, and Cole is inadvertently sent to 1990, where he is institutionalized for insanity and meets Kathryn Railly (Madeleine Stowe), a sympathetic psychiatrist. While in the mental institution, Cole meets Jeffrey Goines (Brad Pitt) the lunatic son of a well-known scientist. Whisked back to the post-apocalyptic present, Cole realizes that Goines is the leader of the Army of the 12 Monkeys. He asks to return to the past, where he again encounters Railly and further investigates the events leading to the release of the deadly virus, growing increasingly paranoid about surveillance by authorities, both in his present and in the past he is visiting.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (9 ):

Few directors have visions as ambitious as Terry Gilliam's; while cinematically rich, this is more than just a feast for the eyes -- it's a sharply written, well-acted piece of cultural commentary.

Acting throughout the film is exceptional. Although at times skeptical or downright terrified, Stowe makes her character's alliance with James Cole seem reasonable. In the lead, Bruce Willis really demonstrates why he has managed such a long career; he is utterly charismatic on-screen. Gilliam's artistic vision is really allowed to develop in the film, and as a result, the film provides some very interesting commentary on the proliferation of media outlets.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the boundaries between the sane and insane. Why is James Cole viewed as "sane" by some characters and "insane" by others? Similar questions could be asked about other characters, including Kathryn Railly and Jeffrey Goines. The film also deals extensively with issues of surveillance. Who is being watched in the film and why? Who is monitoring characters? How does this monitoring impact the characters and their actions?

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate