Common Sense Media Review
By Andrea Beach
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Earnest Hollywood docu argues for disability inclusion.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 12+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
CinemAbility: The Art of Inclusion
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
CINEMABILITY: THE ART OF INCLUSION is a documentary that interviews lots of Hollywood insiders from producers, directors, writers, and actors with a wide range of abilities about how movies and TV have portrayed people with disabilities in the past and how they can be more inclusive in the future. Celebrities interviewed include Ben Affleck, Jamie Foxx, Marlee Matlin, and Danny Woodburn, among many others. It shows Hollywood's historical treatment of disabilities in movies and TV and why it's important to be inclusive, and explores a wide range of issues from why movie's aren't that inclusive, whether it's OK for an actor with no disabilities to portray a character with disabilities, the media's influence on our perception of ourselves and others, and how words and images are used to create the notion of "disability."
Is It Any Good?
This earnest, thoughtful documentary takes Hollywood to task for its past treatment of disability while offering a clear path forward for industry insiders to make positive changes. CinemAbility: The Art of Inclusion backs up their arguments with lots of film clips showing how portrayals of disability have, and often haven't, improved over the course of movie history. Actors, writers, directors, and producers talk about their own experiences casting and portraying disability, successfully and sometimes not-quite-so successfully.
It offers lots of food for thought and will open up new lines of thinking about why inclusion is important, how we perceive disability, and the media's influence on society and our ideas about who we are and what we want to be. Some of the messages get a little repetitive, though, and most of the stars interviewed skew toward teen and adult appeal, making it best for older kids.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how CinemAbility: The Art of Inclusion argues for greater inclusiveness. Why should movies and TV have characters with disabilities? How does the media affect how we see other people?
Have you seen many movies, TV, or videos, read any books, or played any games that had characters with disabilities? Was the portrayal positive or negative? Did it change how you thought of, or felt about, people with disabilities? How?
How would society benefit if media, especially movies and TV, were more inclusive? Do they have to power to change how we see ourselves and each other?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : October 5, 2018
- Cast : Ben Affleck , Bryan Cranston , Geena Davis
- Director : Jenni Gold
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Leomark Studios
- Genre : Documentary
- Topics : Arts , History
- Character Strengths : Communication , Compassion , Empathy
- Run time : 97 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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