Common Sense Media Review
By Charles Cassady Jr.
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Mellower Tarantino still has sex, drugs, swearing, murder.
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Jackie Brown
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 4 parent reviews
Based on 15 kid reviews
Kids say that this film stands out in Quentin Tarantino's catalog as one of his tamest works, featuring minimal violence and a vintage aesthetic, making it a suitable introductory film for teens. While some found it slow-paced and lacking in excitement compared to other Tarantino films, others appreciated its character depth and engaging plot, noting that it contains strong language and drug references but is less graphic than expected.
- tame violence
- strong language
- slow pacing
- character depth
- mild drug use
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
In Quentin Tarantino's tribute to old-school (mostly 1970s) crime pictures, action-heroine Pam Grier plays Jackie Brown, a classy-looking flight attendant with a criminal conviction in her past, who earns a pitiful income with a seedy airline shuttling back and forth to Mexico. Jackie occasionally serves as a money courier for Ordell (Samuel L. Jackson), a dealer in arms and drugs, and when she's caught by police after a tipoff, she fears the ruthless Ordell will murder her, just as he killed the informant. In a series of double-crosses, Jackie tells Ordell she will retrieve his $500,000 fortune from Mexico right under the noses of cops. Meanwhile Jackie forms an alliance with her chivalrous bail bondsman Max (Robert Forster) to actually keep the cash, as a strong mutual attraction develops between the pair.
Is It Any Good?
JACKIE BROWN was Tarantino's much-anticipated follow-up after Pulp Fiction made him a superstar director, but fans expecting another hyper-violent, hyper-hip hyper-flick are in for disappointment. Adapting the novel Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard, Taantino instead delivers a long, thoughtful, restrained, adult crime drama emphasizing emotion and relationships more than cool stunts or gore. It's also quite a career-salute to 1970s "blaxploitation" diva Pam Grier, only instead of having her burn down Watts ghettoes yet again Tarantino lets Grier strut her stuff and middle-aged allure in a nicely three-dimensional characterization (incidentally, in the source novel, Jackie was a white blonde). Hopefully parents can appreciate the seasoned ambiance that has this grooving to a mature, rhythm'n'blues beat, not MTV.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the morality (or lack of it) among the characters. Who is the most admirable? Is anyone really a "good guy" here?
Did the violence in this movie disturb you? Have you seen other Quentin Tarantino films with more violence? How does he use violence in a story? What would the story be like without it? And what would true life consequences of the violence seen in these movies be?
Movie Details
- In theaters : December 25, 1997
- On DVD or streaming : July 17, 2000
- Cast : Pam Grier , Robert De Niro , Robert Forster , Samuel L. Jackson
- Director : Quentin Tarantino
- Studio : Miramax
- Genre : Drama
- Run time : 154 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Award : NAACP Image Award - NAACP Image Award Nominee
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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