Family Guy: Something, Something, Something Dark Side

Movie review by Sierra Filucci, Common Sense Media
Family Guy: Something, Something, Something Dark Side Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 15+

Sometimes funny but crude Empire Strikes Back parody.

NR 2009 54 minutes
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Parents say

age 14+

Based on 7 reviews

Kids say

age 13+

Based on 25 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this parody of The Empire Strikes Back done by the characters from the Family Guy contains the same level of crude humor and foul language as the Fox TV show. The cartoon is packed full with sexual jokes and references to race and homosexuality played for humor, which sometimes feel uncomfortably harsh. Cursing abounds, with the f-word in regular use.

Community Reviews

Taco Belly
Taco Belly Adult
August 16, 2022
age 14+
Rated M13

This title has:

Too much sex
1 person found this helpful.
CSMContentDefault
CSMContentDefault Adult
November 25, 2018
age 12+

The butt review

Family guy Star Wars sequal has some rude language like f*ck used regularly and sh*t, and d*ck some animated action.
See all 7 parent reviews

What's the Story?

This sequel to Blue Harvest, the parody of Star Wars by the Family Guy crew, retells The Empire Strikes Back. Darth Vader (played by Stewie) hunts Luke Skywalker (played by Chris), who has gone off on his own to learn from Yoda how to be a Jedi. Meanwhile Han Solo (Peter) and Princess Leia (Lois) try to sort things out in the galaxy and end up saving Luke after his encounter with Darth Vader. Throughout the Empire storyline, the Family Guy characters interject near-constant pop culture references, including brief scenes from Rocky IV and Magnum P.I., and poke slight fun at the original film.

Is It Any Good?

This movie veers from hilarious to stupid and back again in milliseconds. The pop culture references are often very funny, though they sometimes distract from the story itself. Though the filmmakers clearly had fun finding silly ways to retell the Empire story, they take a light hand in making fun of the original's earnestness. The Family Guy series in general is often brave in tackling subjects many would deem off limits, but the result is often more harsh than clever and the intention seems more to shock than to critique.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about over-the-top humor. What is funny in this movie because it seems extreme, and what is disturbing for the same reason? Where do you draw the line with this type of humor?

  • Families can also talk about parodies. What are your favorites? When do parodies miss the mark?

Movie Details

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