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Parents' Guide to

Branded

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Bizarre, unsettling, futuristic satire about advertising.

Movie R 2012 106 minutes
Branded Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 1 parent review

orchidflame
orchidflame Parent of 8 and 13-year-old
January 17, 2013
age 13+

Visually Fun

My teenagers and I, actually found this film to be a bit entertaining. It was visually interesting but, the plot seemed to lag a bit. There were important messages that were attempted. But, some people may not have caught them, due to the very surrealistic scenes. But, if you're really into science fiction and conspiracy theories, this will be good to see.

This title has:

Great messages
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

In the Russia of the future, Misha (Ed Stoppard) is a visionary marketing genius who makes horror movie trailers and other ads. He also spies on clients for his boss, Bob Gibbons (Jeffrey Tambor). Meanwhile, an evil marketing guru (Max von Sydow) comes up with an intricate plan to revitalize the ailing fast food industry by making people believe that fat is beautiful. He uses a makeover reality show to kickstart his plan, and Misha and Abby (Leelee Sobieski) -- Bob's niece -- become the show's unwitting producers. When Misha realizes what's going on, he retreats, performs a strange cleansing ritual, and returns, now able to see the physical "monsters" of people's desires. Can he use his skills for the good of mankind?

Is It Any Good?

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

Certainly the topic of marketing and advertising is ripe for satirizing, probably more so now than ever before, and BRANDED gets points for bringing up some great ideas. But the movie is so strange and off-putting that it's not likely to gain much traction. Moreover, satire usually implies at least a little bit of humor, and Branded is mostly humorless -- if it was ever actually trying to be funny, then it fails. If a satire should be pointed, then this movie is more on the dull side.

Part of the problem is that Branded spends far too much time setting itself up, wasting time on details that never go anywhere. The "cleansing ritual" sequence in particular seems to take up an entire reel, when it could have been presented far more succinctly. And then there's the fact that the entire production has a queasy tone -- especially in the presentation of those hideous monsters during the final stretch -- making it hard to get too excited about its ideas. Viewers may never want to eat food again.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what Branded has to say about consumerism, marketing, and advertising. What's the connection between fast food and images of beauty? Does that connection exist in real life?

  • In the movie, marketing gurus manipulate people to the point that they actually commit violence. Do you think it's easy for people to get caught up in a kind of mass hysteria? Can you think of real-life examples when that's happened?

  • Did this movie make you want to eat fast food or buy any kind of products? Or did it make you want to avoid them?

  • What is a satire? Is it supposed to be funny, or can it be serious? What did this movie satirize? Was it effective?

Movie Details

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