Common Sense Media Review
By Kat Halstead
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Nostalgic movie satire; language, smoking, looming threat.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 12+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Matinee
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In MATINEE, on the eve of the Cuban Missile Crisis, schlocky horror director Lawrence Woolsey (John Goodman) and his leading lady Ruth (Cathy Moriarty) head to Key West, Florida, for the premiere of his latest film. There, teen movie fan Gene (Simon Fenton is hanging around the theater, waiting for his arrival and trying to distract himself from his dad's absence in the Navy. Lawrence takes Gene under his wing, and shows him the showmanship that goes into scaring audiences, while giving them a much-needed escape from reality.
Is It Any Good?
Fans of creature features and those who remember the times of local Saturday matinees will find plenty of nostalgic value in this underrated satire. Goodman is perfectly cast in the lead role of Matinee, giving a relatively understated performance as the small-time filmmaker with big dreams, whose career seems to ride on showmanship and positive vibes alone. Moriarty provides plenty of eye rolls as the more pessimistic, long-suffering girlfriend-come-leading lady, who sticks by his side but always seems to have one foot hovering out the door. The "real world" is filmed in color, while the movie within the movie is in black and white, adding a nice stylistic flourish. And the fictional Mant—"half man, half ant, all terror"—looks like a legitimately fun film to watch. There's a lot thrown into the 90-odd minutes, but the film never quite reaches a crescendo, instead lingering with a light, undeniably watchable tone and the feeling that director Joe Dante (Gremlins), could have learned a little from the central character's own dedication to going all in.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Matinee balanced comedy with more serious subjects. How was the Cuban Missile Crisis presented in the film? How did it affect the lives of the characters? Why do you think comedy and serious subjects are often paired together?
The film partly satirizes the creature feature B-Movies of the 1950s and 1960s. Have you seen any of these kinds of films? What do you think is the appeal of "regular" people being terrorized by "bizarre" creatures?
What did the movie say about films and other art forms as escapism during difficult times? Why do you think some people are drawn to intense emotional experiences that can be contained in this way? Why is it important to have an outlet for emotions more generally?
Discuss some of the language used in the movie. What did it contribute to the movie?
Was smoking glamorized in this movie or did it just reflect the time period? How have attitudes to smoking changed from when the movie was set?
Movie Details
- In theaters : January 29, 1993
- On DVD or streaming : August 22, 2010
- Cast : John Goodman , Cathy Moriarty , Simon Fenton , Lisa Jakub
- Director : Joe Dante
- Studio : Universal Pictures
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : History
- Run time : 99 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language, and for mild violence and sensuality
- Last updated : July 16, 2026
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