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Parents' Guide to

A Warrior's Heart

By Renee Longstreet, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Cheesy lacrosse-as-metaphor film has some mature themes.

Movie PG 2011 95 minutes
A Warrior's Heart Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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age 13+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Dusty Fortyfives B.
Dusty Fortyfives B. Adult
May 17, 2018
age 8+

Predictable Coming of Age Sport Movie

This is a good film for young kids who are sport obsessed. It allows for discussions with your child regarding topics like resilience, perseverance, commitment and maturity. It is undeniably predictable and often cheesy, but that makes it more accessible to younger audiences than films like Basketball Diaries, Varsity Blues, etc. There are so few lacrosse films, so that may be an entry point for some kids. As always, it is important to discuss the film with your children. My main complaint is that Adam Beach's character is flat, used as a stereotypical Aboriginal guide for the lost white youth. Not as good as Crooked Arrows, but it is acceptable for the Hallmark movie crowd.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
1 person found this helpful.
Brandee L.
Brandee L. Adult
February 18, 2018
age 18+

18+

This is waaaay under rated do not let your kids watch

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Conor Sullivan (Kellan Lutz) is a hotshot high school lacrosse player, far from being a good teammate, and very full of himself in A WARRIOR'S HEART. His goal is to be invited to attend and play for the Naval Academy after graduation. But when his military officer father is transferred from the West Coast to Washington, D.C., Conor must find acceptance on a high-profile Eastern prep school team. The new coach is cynical, aware of Conor's reputation, and complicating the young man's efforts is his growing infatuation with the coach's daughter (Ashley Greene). When a family tragedy strikes, the teen's temper and inability to cope with circumstances make an already precarious situation worse. It's only via the commitment of one of his dad's old friends and a forced trip to a Native American lacrosse camp in an Outward-Bound-like setting that Conor begins to develop the courage and maturity he will need to find his way.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (1 ):

The film gets extra points for its efforts to portray the early Native American influence on lacrosse, a sport for both boys and girls that is growing in popularity throughout the U.S. Everything else is substandard. Clichéd characters, formulaic plotting, unmotivated behavior, and way-too-easy resolutions make this a tedious, insignificant offering. What's more, the scenes that take place on the lacrosse field are so ineptly shot that the sport's objectives and rules and the excitement of play are all missing entirely. It would seem that only teen (and maybe tween) audiences longing for more exposure of these popular yet minor Twilight characters will find this movie of any interest.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what it means when a movie is "predictable." Do you enjoy knowing everything that's going to happen along the way, or do you prefer to be surprised? Why?

  • If you were familiar with lacrosse before watching A Warrior's Heart, do you think it projected an effective and accurate view of the sport? If you were not familiar with lacrosse, do you think the movie was a good introduction? Why, or why not?

  • What do you think the filmmakers were hoping to do when they sent Conor into the backwoods with his dad's Native American friend? Did you believe his experience was enough to motivate the change in his character? What specifically was the purpose of tearing down the shack?

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