Boy

Parents need to know that Boy is a touching comedy drama from New Zealand, which has some strong language, occasional underage drinking, some smoking of pot by minors, and slapstick violence. Eleven-year-old Boy (James Rolleston) is reunited with his father, Alamein (Taika Waititi), when he returns home from prison. Boy commits petty crimes -- such as stealing marijuana -- in an attempt to impress Alamein, who is more interested in finding the money he buried before he went to prison. Boy also neglects his brother and cousins, who up to then he had looked after. But due to both his age and his easygoing nature, he remains likable throughout. There is both strong language -- including variants of "f--k" and "s--t" -- and occasional violence, but both are usually played for laughs. In an imagined scene, a prison guard has a spoon thrown into his eye resulting in blood spatter. In another, a bar brawl initially plays out like a dance routine, albeit with knives and chains, before Alamein is thrown to the floor and stamped on. Alamein gives Boy both beer and pot. But the only drunkenness shown is that of Alamein and his friends while at a party. There are several references to a mother dying during childbirth. In a flashback scene, the woman's bloody feet and sheets are seen. Alamein has a brief, but crude, discussion with Boy about sex. There is some tween crushing and Alamein lies to another boy about having sex with someone. While the movie touches on some serious issues, it's playful, real, and identifiable to teens and older.