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Parents' Guide to

Domestic Disturbance

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Dark, suspenseful thriller has mature themes, profanity.

Movie PG-13 2001 89 minutes
Domestic Disturbance Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 1 parent review

Eric A.
Eric A. Adult
January 12, 2015
age 14+
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

Frank Morrison (John Travolta) is a recovering alcoholic and recently divorced father who works as a shipbuilder in a small town in Maryland. His 12-year-old son Danny, hurt by the divorce of his parents, has begun getting into trouble and acting out, especially when his mother marries a man named Rick Barnes (Vince Vaughn), a recent arrival in town who comes across as a wealthy entrepreneur. But when Danny inadvertently witnesses Rick murder a man from his past (Steve Buscemi), he tries to convince everyone of the truth, but no one believes him. Meanwhile, as Rick begins making threats to Danny, Frank begins to suspect that there's a dark side to Rick, and begins to uncover the truth as he does his best to protect his son.

Is It Any Good?

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

It's hard to tell if John Travolta is trying to play his role as more of a laid-back recovering alcoholic or if his performance is simply flat and uninspired. In some scenes, he comes across as almost bored. Still, there's enough action and twists to make this a semi-enjoyable tale of suspense and mystery.

While the suspense in this thriller is heightened by Vince Vaughn's undercurrents of violence and general creepiness as the murderous stepfather with a dark past, what prevents DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE from being anything better than average are the storyline's cliches. There is a police detective who doesn't believe the story of murder and deceit coming out of the mouth of a tween boy. There is a tween boy who has cried wolf one too many times, and now that the proverbial wolf is here, no one believes him. There is a wicked stepfather. It all follows a predictable-enough formula, even if there are occasional unexpected moments.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how issues of alcoholism and divorce are addressed. Were these topics handled realistically? Why or why not?

  • What similarities and differences do you see between this film and other suspenseful movies?

  • How was violence used in this film? Was it necessary for the story or did it seem gratuitous?

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