Parents' Guide to

Four Kids and It

By Stefan Pape, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Magical family adventure has positive messages, mild peril.

Movie PG 2020 110 minutes
Four Kids and It Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 13+

Based on 4 parent reviews

age 13+

Adulterous and Major Disrespect & Disobedience

For our family, this movie is not a good fit! The movie starts out with a depressing mood, the father takes the kids on vacation and then surprises them with his girlfriend coming to stay also with her children. Assuming the parents are committing adultery, the children share rooms. Girlfriend's daughter is beyond disrespectful to her mom, the other kids, and strangers. Same daughter is terrible influence on younger children. Mom does nothing to correct behavior and neither does the other children's father. So what that there's a cute little alien, the fact that the parents are sleeping together, making out, and flirting is enough to shut the whole thing off. The movie supports disrespectful and disobedient children, lack of parenting and discipline, and adulterous relationships. There really is no redeeming quality to the movie, and I stomached it to the end.

This title has:

Too much sex
age 18+

Way to sexual and not vegan friendly

From the outside this movie seems like a family friendly movie. That’s what I thought when I took my family of 8 to see the movie but I was in horror when the unmarried couple kept trying to make love to each other in absurd places and even in front of the kids! The ‘It’ was also nude! And promoted greed and obesity, but what takes the cake was all the stuffed animals and the many meat based meals they had. There should definitely be a warning in this movie for those like me and my family who care about the animals

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4):
Kids say (8):

There's an enchantment to this movie that's enriched by positive messages, even if they are a little contrived at times. Four Kids and It is based on the popular Jacqueline Wilson book, which in turn is based on the famous E. Nesbit story Five Children and It -- itself turned into a movie in 2004. Capturing the essence of both imaginative novels, director Andy De Emmony has crafted a movie that can be enjoyed by all members of the family.

The casting is excellent, not just of the four young leads. Brand, as the movie's playful antagonist Tristan, steals the show. In fact, the one major shortcoming of the movie is that actor's lack of screen time. Caine is also brilliantly employed as the voice for the creature Psammead. It's fair to say that the budget was clearly modest, with the special effects somewhat lacking, giving Four Kids and It a TV movie feel. But this doesn't take too much away from a fun-filled and entertaining fantasy that easily passes the time.

Movie Details

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