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Parents' Guide to

Looper

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Smart, exciting sci-fi tale has violence, sex, and drugs.

Movie R 2012 118 minutes
Looper Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 16+

Based on 16 parent reviews

age 16+

Looking for an original story? Well here you go!

The kid got me. Just right to the core. Perhaps because he looks a lot like my own son and has tantrums like my own son. I did not see his involvement coming and was impressed on how it played out in the film. A smart time travel film that focuses more on the people than on on the intricacies of the science. Another film to prove that there is nothing Emily Blunt can't do.
age 18+

Absolutely not a kids' movie

I watched this at age 11 with my cousins in the theater. I was scared and left with my aunt. It was because of the bloody violence. Definitely don't recommend to under 17, maybe even 18. I believe there were a lot of F-bombs and S-words, which is normal for an R-rated film.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (16 ):
Kids say (37 ):

Writer/director Rian Johnson delivers on the promise of his extraordinary debut Brick, with this, his ingenious third film. Looper has an unusual balance of intelligence and thrills, plus visual design and sharp dialogue. It's complex enough that sci-fi fans can dig deeper over multiple viewings, but thrilling enough that casual viewers can take it all in with one watch.

Perhaps the biggest drawback is that actors Gordon-Levitt and Willis don't look much alike, and Gordon-Levitt's makeup doesn't help much. But his performance is exceptional, and eventually the two actors start to seem like their characters, even if they don't look like them. Johnson also adds several little Western touches, including an ineffectual cowboy-like bad guy and an amazing use of wide-open spaces, stillness, and silence -- as well as a tribute to Shane. The characters are dark, but they each go on fulfilling journeys. This is the kind of movie Hollywood doesn't make enough of.

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