Common Sense Media Review
By Tara McNamara
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Dark EMT comedy finds humor in bloody, profane realities.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Code 3
What's the Story?
In CODE 3, it's Randy's (Rainn Wilson) last day on the job after decades of service as a paramedic. As he and Mike (Lil Rey Howery) start their standard 24-hour shift, their supervisor (Yvette Nicole Brown) assigns a trainee, Jessica (Aimee Carrero), to ride with them in the ambulance.
Is It Any Good?
You won't laugh to death, but this movie's comic tone is the spoonful of sugar that makes its tough truths at all possible to swallow. Code 3 uses sarcastic, cynical first-responder humor to reveal what it's really like to be a paramedic. They're portrayed as overlooked heroes who help people at their most vulnerable, carry the trauma of the tragedies they witness, and are woefully underpaid.
The takeaway is that there are a million ways to die, and life is fragile. But ... so is youthful innocence, and seeing so many people in crisis, in serious peril, unconscious, and facing death isn't the best fodder for kids. But for older teens who are considering working in the medical field, writer-director Christopher Leone truly tells it like it is.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the integrity and courage of first responders. Why are these important character strengths? After seeing Code 3, would you want to become a paramedic or work in the emergency room? Why, or why not?
Can you tell that a former paramedic co-wrote the movie's screenplay? Which moments give that away? Does that give the film more credibility?
How do the violence and peril in Code 3 compare to that in other movies you've seen? Does knowing that it's based on real incidents make you feel differently?
Are drug use or drinking glamorized here? Are there realistic consequences? Why does that matter?
Movie Details
- In theaters : September 12, 2025
- On DVD or streaming : October 7, 2025
- Cast : Rainn Wilson , Lil Rey Howery , Aimee Carrero , Rob Riggle
- Director : Christopher Leone
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Latino Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Aura Releasing
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Transportation
- Run time : 99 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language throughout, violent content/bloody images, some drug material and brief graphic nudity.
- Last updated : September 21, 2025
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