Parents' Guide to

Kick-Ass

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Superhero comedy is super-crass, super-twisted.

Movie R 2010 117 minutes
Kick-Ass Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 78 parent reviews

James R.
James R. Parent of 12-year-old
April 17, 2023
age 14+

Very funny movie, but pretty violent

This movie is very funny. The gore factor isn't very present in this movie, but there are some parts. It's mostly just bloody violence with small-ish blood splashes. The worst it gets is when Hit Girl makes a man shoot himself up the head with a shotgun, or when a man explodes into guts galore in an oversized microwave by the antagonist. The cussing in this movie is very frequent. I'd say about two to three f-bombs per ten minutes, with most of them coming from Hit Girl, the eleven year old superhero. The raunchy side of it is only in the first thirty minutes or so, always coming from Dave's friends. There is about one second of nudity, which is a picture of two topless women on Dave's computer. In that same scene is a masturbation joke where we see Dave drop down his pants (no nudity shown) and then a shot of tissues getting thrown into a trashcan. After that scene the sex jokes are milder and less frequent.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing
David R.
David R. Parent of 11, 12 and 14-year-old
April 4, 2023
age 18+

Adults only.

This title has:

Great messages
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 78 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Comic book nut Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) wonders why a normal person can't put on a costume and become a superhero, and he gives it a try, becoming Kick-Ass. After a terrible beating, he gets his only superpower: a skeleton laced with metal braces and damaged nerve endings that lessen the sensation of pain. Not long after his debut, more heroes appear, including Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage), the 11-year-old Hit Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz), and Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). A dangerous gangster (Mark Strong) decides to take out the heroes, who are starting to interfere with his drug operations. Everything comes down to an insanely bullet-ridden showdown.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (78):
Kids say (225):

Simply put, KICK-ASS is a lot of fun, but it's packed with edgy content. Since one of the main characters is a skilled, confident 11-year-old girl, watching her curse and kill can be quite disturbing. She's strong, but often cruel and ruthless. Given the dearth of strong female characters, especially in action movies, Hit Girl could be a chance to create a powerful girl lead, but her extremely young age mixed with the limit-pushing content instead pushes the film into exploitative territory. The movie hints that she's been forced to grow up too quickly, and in that way, she's a pathetic character. But young viewers will likely miss that point.

The extreme violence, intense language, and overt sex underlines the kind of reckless, dangerous attitude of the movie. Director Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake, Stardust) balances several characters with brisk economy and punchy scenes, not unlike comic book panels. The movie only falters during its final third, when Vaughn lets the humor drop in order to wrap up the explosive story.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the character of Hit Girl. Was the idea of a skilled, confident 11-year-old girl superhero cool, or disturbing? Or both? Why? Is she a role model, or a cautionary tale? What responsibility does the movie studio and filmmakers have to the young actress involved in an adult film like this?

  • Were the violence, language and sex necessary for this movie? How would it have played without them?

  • What do you think about the concept of a regular person becoming a superhero? What are the dangers involved? What are the benefits? Are courage and weapons enough? What are some realistic ways kids and teens can be "superheroes"?

  • Can you think of any real-life examples where someone stepping in when they saw something bad happening would have made a big difference?

Movie Details

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Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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