Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Existential, pessimistic animated movie is not for kids.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 18+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Anomalisa
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 7 parent reviews
Based on 16 kid reviews
Kids say the film has garnered mixed reactions, with some praising its emotional depth and artistic animation while others criticize it for excessive sexual content and lack of action. Many reviewers mention the film's thought-provoking themes on loneliness and romantic idealism, but it is deemed inappropriate for younger audiences due to strong language, graphic nudity, and sexual scenes.
- emotional depth
- excessive content
- inappropriate for kids
- artistic animation
- mixed reactions
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
Michael Stone (voiced by David Thewlis), who published a successful book about customer service, has traveled to Cincinnati to speak at a convention. Checking into the Fragoli Hotel, he begins to feel that life is meaningless, especially given that all the people around him (all voiced by Tom Noonan) sound the same. As Michael prepares for an evening of mediocrity, he hears an unusual voice in the hallway; it belongs to Lisa (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Despite Lisa's own shyness and inadequacy, Michael is drawn to her and wants to run away with her. But before anything can happen, Michael's life takes an even more absurd and bizarre turn.
Is It Any Good?
Celebrated screenwriter Charlie Kaufman has fashioned this existential crisis as a dark, bizarre stop-motion animated movie, and while it's extraordinary in many ways, it's clearly not for kids. ANOMALISA began its life as a kind of radio play; then Kaufman enlisted animator Duke Johnson as a co-director, and they came up with an amazingly detailed, mundane, grimly comic world in which the puppets' seams are allowed to show. (This isn't a movie about smoothness.)
Fans of Kaufman's earlier, imaginative work -- like Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind -- will find Anomalisa a more dispiriting affair, with special attention paid to the imperfections of the human body and our sometimes-clumsy relationships with food, drink, and sex, not to mention longing for love and sense of purpose. The film pays special attention to sound -- not only spoken voices, but also music (Lisa sings a song that can break the heart). It's perhaps more hopeless than hopeful, but it's a deep, thoughtful experience.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Anomalisa's graphic sex content. What role does it play in the story? Does the impact change at all because the movie is animated? How much sexual content in movies is OK for kids?
Why do we consider "animation" a genre better suited to kids'/family movies? Why is it so unusual to see an animated movie geared toward adults?
When the characters drink and smoke in the movie, how does it come across? Is it glamorized?
What does "existential" mean? What are the characters looking for? What do they find? Is it OK if they don't find anything?
Why does it take so much courage simply to be yourself, as Lisa says?
Movie Details
- In theaters : December 30, 2015
- On DVD or streaming : June 7, 2016
- Cast : Jennifer Jason Leigh , David Thewlis , Tom Noonan
- Directors : Charlie Kaufman , Duke Johnson
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Paramount Pictures
- Genre : Drama
- Run time : 90 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : strong sexual content, graphic nudity and language
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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
Suggest an 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