Parents' Guide to

Innerspace

By Betsy Bozdech, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

'80s sci-fi adventure comedy has some drinking, swearing.

Movie PG 1987 120 minutes
Innerspace Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 11+

Based on 2 parent reviews

JAinVA
JAinVA Adult
November 26, 2020
age 12+

So much sexual innuendo

Great story, good action, but so much sexuality. Cigarette smoking from the 80s was allowed everywhere. Women only get to be smart if they are also sexy.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
1 person found this helpful.
goodgirl
goodgirl Adult
December 31, 2016
age 10+

Nice movie a young cute Dennis Quiad

Good movie. although some bad language and a part where you see Dennis Quiad's naked butt. but its PG . its enjoyable to watch. its about the human body.

This title has:

Great messages
Too much swearing
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In INNERSPACE, cocky pilot Tuck Pendleton (Dennis Quaid) volunteers for a cutting-edge military science experiment: He'll be miniaturized inside a special submersible and then injected into the body of a rabbit. But after bad guys storm the facility and chaos erupts, Tuck ends up inside neurotic grocery store clerk Jack Putter (Martin Short) instead. Once Jack stops thinking he's hearing voices and enlists the help of Tuck's on-again/off-again girlfriend, reporter Lydia Maxwell (Meg Ryan), the race is on to find out who raided the lab so they can retrieve the special chip Tuck needs to reverse the miniaturization process before he runs out of air.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (3):

Directed by Joe Dante, who also helmed Gremlins, Explorers, and episodes of Steven Spielberg's sci-fi anthology series Amazing Stories, Innerspace has an unmistakably '80s feel. And not just because of Ryan's spiky, bleached hairdo and shoulder pads; there's something about the movie's mix of lighthearted spirit, engaging adventure, and slightly edgier content (including drinking, swearing, and sexual humor) that has a kinship with fellow '80s movies like The Goonies, Splash, and Ghostbusters.

Innerspace isn't quite as memorable as those movies, but it's fun, and if you like Short's showy style of humor, there's plenty to laugh at (he even gets to dance around goofily a la Ed Grimley). As long as you're OK with things getting a little bawdy at times, you could do a lot worse for a tween-friendly adventure.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how the movie portrays drinking. Are there any consequences for the characters who drink? Do you think there would be additional/different ones in real life?

  • Is the movie scary or exciting? Why is some violence upsetting, while other action scenes are thrilling?

  • How do Jack and Tuck change over the course of the movie? What does each one learn from the other?

Movie Details

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