Parents' Guide to

30 Minutes or Less

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Language + sex + violence = funny, but not for kids.

Movie R 2011 83 minutes
30 Minutes or Less Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 16+

Based on 7 parent reviews

AB7
AB7 Parent of 13-year-old
September 29, 2019
age 18+

Really good, lots of f**ks and b**bs though

This movie is so damn funny. If you don’t find this funny, there’s something wrong with you. The perfect blend of Eisenberg and Aziz is culminated with thousands of f*cks sh*ts b*tches and other sex/ profanity related talk. Sexy Stuff: a fat man goes into a strip club to ease himself before an assassination. The woman pulls off her top revealing both boobs, and the man fondles and plays with them, without censorship. This movies violence isn’t too bad, not too gory.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
Platypus123
Platypus123 Adult
June 16, 2015
age 18+
This is a very funny good movie but a lot of sexual content some nudity and profanity

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
See all 7 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In Grand Rapids, MI, Nick (Jesse Eisenberg) hasn't lived up to his potential. He works as a pizza delivery man, and his only friend is schoolteacher Chet (Aziz Ansari) -- whose sister (Bianca Kajlich) Nick is secretly in love with. Meanwhile, Dwayne (Danny McBride) is fed up watching his lottery winner father (Fred Ward) waste his riches and decides, along with his buddy (Nick Swardson), to hire a contact killer and take out the old man. To do this, they need money. So they conjure up a plan to kidnap a pizza delivery man, strap a bomb to his chest, and force him to rob a bank. Nick becomes the victim and calls on Chet for help. What follows is a crazy, reckless race against time.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (7):
Kids say (17):

For 30 MINUTES OR LESS, Oscar nominee Eisenberg re-teams with Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer; the result isn't quite as clever as that hit, but 30 Minutes or Less isn't bad. It's like a live-action version of a vulgar, violent cartoon: It's cheerful, willfully subversive, speedy, and lightweight. The filmmakers have gone out of their way to nab an "R" rating, inserting all kinds of swearing, beer-drinking, pot-smoking, and gratuitous nudity ... though it's all often put to hilarious use.

The violence, on the other hand, seems a bit misplaced, especially the use of the bomb vest; it recalls all-too-serious images from the news. Still, the movie never stops being fast, funny, or crazy, and the combination of talent helps sell it. Eisenberg turns in a believably panicked performance, and he's nicely matched by stand-up comic Ansari. Even the bad guys show their humanity from time to time, and Ward is a scream as the nasty old dad.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the movie's violence. How does the movie's comic tone affect its impact?

  • Are Nick and Chet role models? If not, what makes them interesting characters?

  • How does the movie depict drinking and drug use? What are the real-life consequences of substance use?

Movie Details

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