Parents' Guide to

Legends of the Fall

By Afsheen Nomai, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Tween girls will swoon over this tear-jerker.

Movie R 1994 133 minutes
Legends of the Fall 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 1 parent review

Sawyer B.
Sawyer B. Parent of 13 and 14-year-old
July 15, 2023
age 13+

Great Movie. Consists of bloody war violence, Some sex/nudity, and little profanity.

Very good Movie, some gory scenes including war violence. One scene of the main character holding his brothers heat for an Indian sacrifice. Little sex/nudity. One sex scene including women's bare breast and mans bare buttox. Some kissing. For the MPAA R rating there was little to know profanity. Only a couple uses of "fuck" some uses of "shit". And a couple "godamns." Overall a great movie. Anyone over 14 should be able to watch it fine.
1 person found this helpful.
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What's the Story?

Set during the early 1900s, LEGENDS OF THE FALL is the epic tale of the three Ludlow brothers, Tristan (Brad Pitt), Alfred (Aidan Quinn), and Samuel (Henry Thomas). Tristan is the wild brother, as opposed to the cultured-but-innocent brother (Samuel) and the savvy-and-ambitious brother Alfred. Growing up, the three were tight, led by their headstrong father, Col. William Ludlow (Anthony Hopkins). But when Samuel returns home from college with his bride-to-be, Susannah, things get complicated, even more so after Samuel is killed in the war. Tristan and Alfred fight over Susannah and later Susannah fights with Tristan's wife, Isabel (Karina Lombard), over Tristan.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (5 ):

Legends of the Fall goes a long way to preserve as many stereotypes about settlers in the Wild West as it can, including Native Americans, and the treatment of women in that era. While Hopkins does a good turn as the firm yet emotionally vulnerable father, the rest of the cast is less than stellar. This goes double for Pitt, though the gratuitous shots of his upper torso that appear throughout the film are what made it a major box office hit.

Best viewed on a big screen TV for its breathtaking Academy-Award winning cinematography (we're not talking about Brad's personal landscape), Legends of the Fall is undoubtedly a chick flick. Though unfortunately, women in this film do not fare very well.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about chick flicks. Who do you think this film was made for? Do you think there is something offensive about the term chick flicks -- or in targeting women with predictable, sentimental movies?

Movie Details

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