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Home

age 6+
(i)

 

Animated alien comedy is sweet, cute, if not super original.
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Parents recommendPopular with kids
  • Review Date: March 27, 2015
  • Rated: PG
  • Genre: Family and Kids
  • Release Year: 2015
  • Running Time: 94 minutes

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What parents need to know

Educational value

Intended to entertain, rather than educate, but there are some lessons about the power of friendship and tolerance.

Positive messages

Themes of tolerance, the power of friendship, and being who you really are. The Boov (and all viewers with pessimistic leanings) are encouraged to embrace humans' irrational but endearing tendencies toward hope and perseverance. Boovs give up when the odds are against them, but Tip never gives up on finding her mother.

Positive role models

Oh feels like an outsider among his people because, like humans, he wants friends and social interaction (in general, the Boov prefer to be alone). Despite their differences, he befriends Tip, and they teach each other the strengths of their people. Some toilet/potty humor (Oh likes to share information about his output).

Violence & scariness

Gargantuan alien spaceships invade Earth. A main character appears to be killed but survives. Tip has lost/been separated from her mother.

Sexy stuff
Not applicable
Language
Not applicable
Consumerism

Many licensing/merchandising tie-ins off screen, including books, clothing, and more.

Drinking, drugs, & smoking
Not applicable

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Home is based on Adam Rex's children's book The True Meaning of Smekday. This skillfully animated movie creates a believable world in which aliens known as The Boov, running from their enemies, must find a new planet to inhabit ... so they take over Earth. Human families get broken up in the forced relocations that follow, and Tip (voiced by Rihanna) is separated from her mother -- which could be upsetting for small children. She teams up with Oh (Jim Parsons), the most human-friendly of The Boov, and an adventure ensues. The invaders and their large ships could be a little scary, and at one point it looks as though a main character dies (though that's not the case). There's also a little bit of toilet humor, but not much in the way of strong language, inappropriately sexy stuff, or substance use.

What's the story?

The Boov have a problem. Every time their archenemies, The Gorg, find them hiding somewhere new in the universe, The Boov have to run away to a new host planet. And this time, their destination is Earth. The humans -- including seventh grader Tip (voiced by Rihanna), who ends up separated from her mother, are less than thrilled as The Boov vacuum them up and send them to Australia. But Tip makes an unlikely friend in Oh (Jim Parsons), an unusually friendly Boov who craves a connection. Despite a rocky start, the two form a bond, and together they conspire to find Tip’s mother and -- naturally -- save the planet.

Is it any good?

QUALITY

Plenty of creativity and artistry were lavished on HOME's production, and the animation is flat-out beautiful. The movie is good, if not startlingly original -- which may be just fine for most young moviegoers. The Boov look a little like the pudgy, adorable Minions from the Despicable Me franchise, with some mini-Shrek thrown in. And The Boov's clueless leader, Captain Smek (an enthusiastic Steve Martin), recalls Madagascar's hilariously egomaniacal but not particularly brave King Julien. (When threatened, the Boov legend goes, "Smek wisely fled in terror.")

The Boov frown upon courage and lack the human yearning for company; they find human behavior totally bewildering. This makes the lovable Oh an outlier -- he's a guy who wants to party down living among a people who believe that "Parties are useless and take up valuable Boov time."  ("Among The Boov, I do not fit in," he explains. "I fit out.") The relationship between the good-hearted but friendless alien and the skeptical, self-reliant Tip is beautifully rendered. And the songs (sung by Rihanna) that dot the action help enormously to clarify the movie's emotional underpinnings. The decision to emphasize humanity's best characteristics -- the tendency to display irrational hope in the face of long odds -- makes Home a feel-good experience even as aliens are taking over the planet.

Families can talk about...

  • Families can talk about Home's messages about tolerance. How does the movie demonstrate that it's OK to be friends with people who look different from you and live differently from you?

  • Why do you think some people might give up hope before they even try? Why is failing so scary?

  • How would you feel if every time you lied, you turned green? Do humans have other "tells" when they lie?

  • If you've read the book the movie is based on, how do they compare? Which do you like better, and why?

Movie details

Theatrical release date:March 27, 2015
DVD release date:July 28, 2015
Cast:Jim Parsons, Steve Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna
Director:Tim Johnson
Studios:Twentieth Century Fox, DreamWorks Animation
Genre:Family and Kids
Topics:Adventures, Book characters, Friendship, Space and aliens
Run time:94 minutes
MPAA rating:PG
MPAA explanation:mild action and some rude humor

This review of Home was written by

Barbara Shulgas...
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.

Quality

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Learning ratings

  • Best: Really engaging; great learning approach.
  • Very Good: Engaging; good learning approach.
  • Good: Pretty engaging; good learning approach.
  • Fair: Somewhat engaging; OK learning approach.
  • Not for Learning: Not recommended for learning.
  • Not for Kids: Not age-appropriate for kids; not recommended for learning.

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Parent Written byMommyLogic March 28, 2015
age 7+

Cute but Serious..

My kids couldnt wait to see home and we saw it opening weekend. The cute one liners and looney tunes type humor kept my husband and I entertained. Of course the animation and colors are spectacular. I am particularly sensitive to language use and didnt catch anything offensive. Be prepared the movie is more dramatic than funny. There are a few scenes that were a bit troubling for my seven year old (Spoiler Alert) one is the main character getting separated from her mother during the Boov invasion (and the invasion of Earth itself) and the other is in the end when Oh appears to have been killed. I overheard my daughter telling her friend she saw the movie and described it as "really sad"; that wasnt my take-away but can see where she would have that interpretation.
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Parent Written bymominNJ222 April 14, 2015
age 7+

If your child is very sensitive...

Just a heads up that my 9 1/2 year old broke down in the middle at the thought of the mom missing. I kept trying to tell her that of course the mom would be found, but it took a half hour in the lobby to convince her to come back in. May just want to warn ahead of time if you think this might be upsetting for your child.
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Parent of a 10 year old Written byYeliartz March 27, 2015
age 6+

Apocalypsis Boov – A wacky philosophical story of hope and friendship

What a wackily-entertaining and an explosion of rainbow-colors and adventure! Home is a mostly-drama movie that gives you a lot to talk about: It takes you to the past and to the future and to the center of your heart. As an adaptation of the middle-grade science fiction novel, The True Meaning of Smekday, by Adam Rex, Home is a friendlier alien-invasion experience, but the emphasis is the same: the growing understanding between the Boov alien named OH and the girl named Gratuity-Tucci. These aliens are so advanced in technology and so clownish! And how funny how the Boov’s values are so upside-down relative to the humans! Tires and toilet paper and Van Gogh’s art…The craziness reminds me of the recent “Penguins of Madagascar” movie. However, home is more dramatic than comedic. But under all the highly-creative chaos, there is profound hidden meaning. The Boov make me think of chameleons, medieval harlequins and Beegu – a character in a picture book created by artist Alexis Deacon. OH, our main Boov character, is especially logical and naïve. It’s a delight to see his character grow. I also enjoyed the journey Gratuity-Tucci goes through, and how she is such a lively young teen that feels real. I found “Home” quite interesting: There are two parallel stories going on. First, the alien invasion removes all earthlings to some sort of happy human reservations-towns. The Boov, have been running away from the Gorg, their lethal enemy, but our favorite OH, makes a terrible mistake and puts the whole operation, and the Boov, at peril… Then there’s the heart story: Gratuity-Tucci, Tip, wants to reunite with her abducted mother. In the process of escaping, she meets the alienated alien and fugitive, OH. After opting for truce, they sort of promise to help each other. Their journey takes a lot of twists and turns that is fantastical and funny. And here is one of my favorite moments in the movie: When, the very logical OH discovers that he doesn’t have to run away from things that have less than 50% probability of success: Gratuity-Tucci teaches OH that he should believe in hope… OH will also discover that humans also rely on their emotional bonds, not just logic. To OH the love of the daughter for her mother astonishes him—it allows him to discover his own heart. “You are sad-mad,” he says to Gratuity-Tucci, understanding her predicament. I also loved the compassion that OH shows for his enemy the Gorg, and how OH solves the intergalactic conflict forever, bringing a happy ending for the Boov, the humans, and the Gorg. And of course, I love the scene of Gratuity-Tucci’s car transformation! Superb! The plot is dynamic, it takes surprising turns, and in the end, we end up loving the alien OH. Cheers.
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