Madeline

Movie review by Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Madeline Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 6+

Great adaptation for young kids and fans of the books.

PG 1998 88 minutes
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Parents say

age 8+

Based on 7 reviews

Kids say

age 6+

Based on 8 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that, Madeline is a live-action adaptation of the classic children's book about Madeline, a little girl who lives in a boarding school in Paris. This version presents Madeline as an orphan who expresses an awareness that she has no family and no real home. It also merges elements from the book Madeline and the Bad Hat, including the Spanish ambassador's son, Pepito. Suspenseful scenes include Madeline with appendicitis; an accidental fall into the river; a clownish but perhaps scary kidnapping; a chase with two kids on a motorcycle; and the threat of the girls' school being closed. A caring woman dies after a long illness and a dog is lost (but eventually reappears). A few instances of insulting language, swearing, and a scene with the little girls having fun with their cook's undergarments.

Community Reviews

RachelEsme
RachelEsme Adult
September 9, 2020
age 10+

Use of the word Bl**dy

Watched this on Netflix, rated as a U. This is in no way, imo, a U. There are a few scary scenes including Madeline falling in the river and a face appearing suddenly at the window in the kitchen. At about 40 minutes into the film when the girls neighbours son can’t find the keys to his bike his father explains he doesn’t need his ‘Bl**dy keys’. The film is ok but didn’t get any further than the keys scene before switching it off so not sure if there’s more language after that. Should be rated a PG in my opinion if not higher, I wasn’t aware swearing was allowed on films rated U or even PG.

This title has:

Too much swearing
lythic
lythic Adult
August 8, 2018
age 10+

Not like the book at all

The first few minutes is the actual Madeline book, but they changed it significantly. The 'good' thing they smile at is a couple kissing in a park, the 'bad' was to men fighting, the 'sad' was nothing at all. They scene in the hospital of the kids playing with toys was replaced with one girl calling Madeline a 'charity case' because she's apparently now an orphan. This made the scene with the kids crying & wanting their appendixes out make no sense. Instead of being brave, they show Madeline as being disobedient. Kids regularly get rewarded for misbehaving. Instead of having a sweet kids movie they had to turn it into an action/adventure with Madeline rescuing a boy and riding off with him on a motorcycle. It's not a good movie, and it's certainly not Madeline.

This title has:

Too much sex
See all 7 parent reviews

What's the Story?

One of the most beloved heroines of children's literature is brought to life in this movie based on the classic series of books by Ludwig Bemelmans about the "twelve little girls in two straight lines" who live in "a small house in Paris that was covered with vines," and especially "the smallest one," Madeline (Hetty Jones). Bemelmans' gorgeous water colors turn into gorgeously photographed Paris, set vaguely in the 1950s, setting the stage for Madeline's nighttime race to the hospital for an appendectomy, her fall into the Seine and rescue by the brave dog Genevive, and her adventures with Pepito, the son of the Spanish ambassador. Oscar-winning actress Frances McDormand plays Miss Clavel, the nun who cares for her charges with imagination, wisdom, and love, and courage. Veteran British actor Nigel Hawthorne is stern Lord Covington, who wants to sell the small house covered with vines and close down the school.

Is It Any Good?

Young children, especially fans of the books, will enjoy the film. Newcomer Hetty Jones is a spunky Madeline, brave enough to say "Pooh Pooh" to a tiger, smart enough to know that if she asks Pepito to be extra quiet he will find some way to do something noisy, and determined enough to find a way to stop Lord Covington from selling the school his late wife loved so dearly.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how the film compares with the original Madeline book. Which do you like better?

  • Would you have done anything differently if you were making this film?

  • How did you like mixing in Pepito from Madeline and the Bad Hat?

Movie Details

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Themes & Topics

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