Parents' Guide to

A Place at the Table

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Powerful docu explores the problem of hunger in America.

Movie PG 2013 84 minutes
A Place at the Table Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 9+

Based on 3 parent reviews

age 9+

This title has:

Great messages
age 10+

Good, interesting, and gentle

I enjoyed this with my almost-10-y-o child. I had to pause a lot to explain things when the activists and other explainers were talking about legislation, but much of it was appropriate for her vocab level and comprehension. It made her think, and she was surprised at the facts presented, enough to want to take action in our community (and she's not typically an activist)! Also, the messages do not beat you over the head with graphic images, or sad, starving children. Overall I'd recommend.

This title has:

Great role models

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (3):
Kids say: Not yet rated

For parents, A PLACE AT THE TABLE will be devastating to watch. Seeing eloquent fifth-grader Rosie explain how it's hard to focus in class because her stomach hurts from being hungry, or watching an unhealthy, overweight Mississipi girl reveal that the only food she has at home is cookies and chips is upsetting. What's even more disturbing is all of the documentary's evidence that private food relief programs -- through churches and nonprofits -- mean well but don't solve the fundamental problem of hunger.

On the other hand, the movie follows some real champions of the cause: a Colorado pastor who picks up and delivers four pallets of food -- in addition to hot dinners -- to his congregants and community; Dr. Chilton, who founded a program to empower "Witnesses to Hunger" -- families in which at least one adult works but they still can't afford to feed their kids; and Bridges, who is Hollywood's most outspoken advocate for ending hunger. This isn't a happy documentary, but it's an important one that challenges how you think and what you assume about hunger, public assistance, and the needs of people -- in some cases, our neighbors -- who are hungry every day.

Movie Details

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