Parents' Guide to

Killers

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Bland spy romcom mines violence, stereotypes for laughs.

Movie PG-13 2010 100 minutes
Killers Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 12 parent reviews

twins57
twins57 Adult
November 5, 2013
age 14+

Takes God's name in vain

This movie was good up until the part where God's name is taken in vain. This disappointed me because there was no need for it and it is very rude. The plot was pretty good, though, and the actors did a good job.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing
m.mcgee
m.mcgee Adult
June 10, 2011
age 12+

Killers

I think that this movie was not that inappropriate. I was watching it with my husband and found the movie quite hysterical. It was a little sexually arising :D! It was violent, but not too bad. The actors/actresses were very good and definitely hot! I found the scene with the chandelier funny.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 12 parent reviews

What's the Story?

After being dumped by her fiancé, Jen Kornfeld (Katherine Heigl) accompanies her parents to sun-kissed Nice, France, where she unexpectedly falls in love with the dashing Spencer Aimes (Ashton Kutcher). Little does she know he's a CIA agent specializing in assassinations, and that, in fact, he was "working" when they met. But after meeting her, Spencer decides it's time to exit the field and settle down. Three years later, however, he gets a fateful call from his old boss that destroys his and Jen's suburban bliss. Quickly, guns are drawn, knives flashed, and, it seems, the entire town is trying to win a bounty placed on Spencer's head. Jen will no doubt find out who Spencer really is; what will happen to their marriage then?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (12):
Kids say (24):

The biggest mystery here is not how two perfectly appealing stars -- Heigl and Kutcher -- could have so little chemistry, but how a movie loaded with fast-paced sequences could be so tiresome. Clunky and curiously listless, despite a storyline thick with chase scenes and shootouts, Killers lugs forward from one plot point to the next with great effort -- not exactly what you look for in a romcom. There's nothing horribly wrong about it; there's just nothing impressive and right. The jokes are leaden, the gags tired. Even the villains are boring. When they show up, we're barely surprised.

Plus, Heigl's character, Jen, is off-putting to independent women everywhere. She appears all too willing to be infantilized -- her father insists she take a room on the same floor when they check into a hotel, and all she does is roll her eyes, like a teenager would. It's a sad state of affairs, really, because the supporting actors are fantastic. Catherine O'Hara, especially, is at her screwball best. And never mind about the ending: Confusing at most.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how this movie portrays coupledom and marriage. Is it realistic? Can you imagine getting into a serious relationship while keeping a big secret? Do movies need to be realistic to be good?

  • What do you think about Jen's character? Is her relationship with her parents healthy? Is she too dependent? Do you know women like Jen? Does this movie reinforce or challenge stereotypes about women?

  • What do you think about the violence in the movie? How does humor affect the way violence plays out in a movie or on TV? What would be the real consequences of some of the violence seen in the movie?

Movie Details

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