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Gone

age 15+
(i)

 

Fascinating main character saves kidnapping thriller.
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  • Review Date: February 25, 2012
  • Rated: PG-13
  • Genre: Thriller
  • Release Year: 2012
  • Running Time: 94 minutes

What parents need to know

Positive messages

In a variation on "the boy who cried wolf," a young woman is unable to get the help she needs in a drastic situation. Since authority figures don't believe her, she's forced to do everything herself. She doesn't trust anyone, and they don't trust her. Her methods include lying and hurting people.

Positive role models

Jill is amazingly self-sufficient -- a crafty and very strong survivor. She's physically capable of taking care of herself; she's aware and cunning. On the downside, she lies quite often to get information she needs, and she's also capable of crossing the line into murder. (There's also a suggestion, unproven, that she's mentally unstable.)

Violence

The main character carries a gun. She pulls it several times but only fires it at her ultimate target, whom she also burns with kerosene. There are flashbacks to a kidnapping, which include potentially upsetting images. Young women are knocked out with chloroform and are shown with duct tape on their hands and mouths. Viewers see vague images of the remains of former victims (a bit of hair and a broken bone). While wrestling in a gym, the main character gets angry and begins beating on her (male) opponent. A reference to rape.

Sex

When the main character takes a shower, the clear outline of her naked body can be seen through an opaque shower curtain. Also some flirting and more than one scene of sexual innuendo, including somewhat offensive terms.

Language

Language is infrequent but contains a few strong words, including one "f--k" and a few "s--t"s. Also "bitch," "balls," "hell," "goddamn," oh my God," and "ass."

Consumerism

The main character does a Google search. Justin Bieber is mentioned.

Drinking, drugs, & smoking

The main character's sister is said to be an alcoholic. This is mentioned several times in dialogue, though she's never seen drinking and never falls off the wagon. The main character takes some kind of prescription pills in one scene. (In another scene, she throws them away.) Women are knocked out with drugs.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Gone is a thriller about a kidnapper of young women. Although there's plenty of peril, tension, and violence -- including flashbacks to kidnappings, women being knocked out (with chloroform) and bound, gun use, and more -- the main character (played by Amanda Seyfried) is a strong, fascinating young woman. She's very tough, cunning, and crafty, although she often resorts to lying and isn't above hurting others. In addition to the violence, content includes some sexual innuendo and relatively infrequent language (including "s--t" and one "f--k"). One character is said to be an alcoholic, though she's never seen drinking; another character takes prescription pills.

What's the story?

Several months before GONE begins, Jill (Amanda Seyfried) survived a kidnapping. She now lives with her sister in Portland, works as a waitress in an all-night cafe, and constantly looks over her shoulder. When she arrives home one morning, her sister is missing, and Jill becomes convinced that the kidnapper has returned. Unfortunately, given her history of mental illness and a lack of evidence, the police don't believe her. But Jill knows that she has roughly one day to save her sister's life, so she does everything in her power, including avoiding the police and conning just about everyone in town, to pull off her next-to-impossible task.

Is it any good?

QUALITY

Gone is a most unusual thriller. It's not particularly focused on the killer's identity, and though it does drop in a red herring, the actual reveal means nothing. Likewise, the heroine is rarely in physical danger. Rather, the main theme here is the "girl who cried wolf" story, in which the girl is tough, capable, and cunning. It's fun watching Seyfried bluffing and conning her way through scene after scene; no opponent can best her.

 
When viewers realize that the bad guy here isn't necessarily the killer, but rather the cops, the movie begins to take shape. The police are the ones who have labeled and cornered Jill, using underhanded tactics and slimy behavior. Her telephone conversation with the killer is the first honest, civil one she has in the movie. Overall, Gone is an odd but appealing combination of flat and subtle, sturdy and loony.

Families can talk about...

  • Families can talk about the movie's violence. What's scarier -- the stuff you see, or what you don't? What's the impact of both types of scares?

  • Jill is tough, capable, and cunning, but she also lies and isn't above hurting people. Can people be role models despite serious flaws?

Movie details

Theatrical release date:February 24, 2012
DVD release date:May 29, 2012
Cast:Amanda Seyfried, Jennifer Carpenter, Wes Bentley
Director:Heitor Dhalia
Studio:Summit Entertainment
Genre:Thriller
Run time:94 minutes
MPAA rating:PG-13
MPAA explanation:violence and terror, some sexual material, brief language and drug references

This review of Gone was written by

Jeffrey M. Anderson
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are conducted by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

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Teen, 13 years old Written bythatruth34 February 28, 2012
age 13+

Gone

I just got back from seeing it. I thought it was really cool.
What other families should know
Too much swearing
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Kid, 10 years old May 14, 2012
age 10+

Ok for some tweens

i think it is ok for mature tweens. If you are a really mature 10 year old and can hadle violence and bad words i say give it a go.( my mother helped me write this)
What other families should know
Too much violence
Too much sex
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Parent Written byMorFinB February 25, 2012
age 13+

Appropriate for 13 and above...maybe even 12...

Just got back from seeing this with my 13 year old boy, who doesn't like scary movies. This was perfect for him. There is pill-popping due to psychiatric illness, talk of AA, and gun use. There's a stabbing and the perpetrator meets a violent end, but it is not excessive at all. I liked the fact that the main character, Jill, follows her intuition and doesn't let others dictate what she does. In cases like this one, it is an important message for teens to learn. You cannot trust blindly. You must stand for something. Have courage. Prepare and strengthen your mind, etc... I have seen plenty of PG-13 movies that should have been an R -- this one wasn't even close.
What other families should know
Great role models
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