Parents' Guide to

Crooked Arrows

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Inspiring sports drama about Native Americans, lacrosse.

Movie PG-13 2012 105 minutes
Crooked Arrows Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 9+

Based on 5 parent reviews

Dusty Fortyfives B.
Dusty Fortyfives B. Adult
May 17, 2018
age 8+
With little competition, this is currently the best lacrosse film out there. There are plenty of documentaries for fans of the sport that are superior though. The predictable story allows for discussions about race, perseverance, resilience and more. Terrible casting choice for the lead, which also provides an opportunity to discuss race with your child.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
H2Clark
H2Clark Parent of 7 and 9-year-old
October 30, 2012
age 9+

Good-Family-Movie-Night Movie

My family of almost 10 and 8yo boys watched this for family movie night. They loved it, and wanted to know where the local lacrosse teams were. In subscript it does have the word "vagina" and I did have to explain it. As the review says, a good cliche movie.

This title has:

Great messages
Too much sex
Too much swearing
See all 5 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Mixed-blood Native American Joe Logan (Brandon Routh) runs a successful casino and is negotiating to sell off part of his ancestral land to build an even bigger one. But before the elders approve the sale, they have a condition: Joe must "examine his spirit" by coaching the ragtag lacrosse team. At first Joe doesn't take the job seriously, but he soon becomes involved with the lost, unfocused teens. Before long, he's gone back to his roots and discovered how to make the team really work together. But can they defeat a team of wealthy white kids in the championship game?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5 ):
Kids say (3 ):

Director Steve Rash has made ultra-lowbrow comedies in Hollywood for three decades, and this attempt at a drama is pretty routine, but it demonstrates why some clichés became clichés: they work. CROOKED ARROWS is basically The Bad News Bears without all of the humor, though the tone is still fairly light. What gives it a new twist is the natural heroic, underdog status of the Native American characters, as well as the historical and technical information on the sport of lacrosse.

Routh also helps a great deal; when he played Superman, he was fairly bland onscreen, but since then he's learned how to bring humanity and humility to his characters. Joe is hugely appealing, and his journey is believable, even when the script rushes it. It's too bad Crooked Arrows didn't have time for more interaction with individual players or a more memorable team of bad guys. But by the end, it's difficult not to cheer for the good guys.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Crooked Arrows' themes. How does lacrosse help the main character "explore his spirit"? What does he learn? Is it better to have a strong spirit than a lot of money?

  • Does the movie have a realistic standard for boys' body image? Are there any lacrosse players with less-than-perfect bodies?

  • Are the games violent? Is this kind of violence necessary in lacrosse?

  • How are Native Americans depicted in this movie? Is there any stereotyping?

Movie Details

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