Parents' Guide to Max

Movie PG 2015 111 minutes
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Common Sense Media Review

Barbara Shulgasser-Parker By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 11+

Brave military dog saves the day in intense adventure.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 11+?

Any Positive Content?

  • :55
  • Max Trailer
  • Max Movie: Scene #1
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Parent and Kid Reviews

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age 11+

Based on 12 parent reviews

 

 

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age 10+

Based on 27 kid reviews

Kids say the film could have been great due to its heartwarming story about a dog and a boy, but it suffers from poor acting and a weak climax that didn’t quite deliver on its potential. While some found the intense scenes and mild violence appropriate for older children, others noted that it could be too violent or sad for younger audiences, and that the script was often cheesy and formulaic.

  • potential storyline
  • mixed acting
  • violence concerns
  • heartwarming moments
  • emotional impact
Summarized with AI
 

 

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What's the Story?

Brave, intelligent, and movie-(dog) star handsome, MAX is a military-trained Belgian Malinois who works with his Marine master, Kyle (Robbie Amell), in Afghanistan. Kyle's friend/fellow soldier Tyler is illegally selling recovered weapons; his nefarious actions get Kyle killed. In the wake of Kyle's death, Max falls into a violent, anti-social depression, so the military asks Kyle's family to take the dog. Max bonds with Kyle's younger brother, Justin (Josh Wiggins), who's been traumatized both by trying to live up to his soldier father's standards and by Kyle's death. As Max and Justin heal each other, Tyler comes to town and involves the family in his gun running, putting them all in harm's way. Max understands all of this and takes action; intense chase scenes, dog fights, and threatening pistol-wielding all follow.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 12 ):
Kids say ( 27 ):

With engaging performances that bolster a scenario combining Americans' attraction to heroic military epics and our love of dogs, this movie hums along. Max is magnificent and gives a performance that makes Rin Tin Tin and Lassie look like chopped liver. Owing to a need to wrap things up neatly, the movie can sometimes feel formulaic and even obvious: The bad guy is melodramatically identified early on, and when he pops up later in the story, Max goes nuts trying to communicate the danger -- but, hey, humans just don't listen. Still, there's lots to like about Max, and you can certainly expect your heartstrings to be tugged.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the many ways there are to deal with the loss of a loved one. How is grief portrayed in Max? How do you think you might react in similar circumstances? Who could you turn to for help/support?

  • When parents and children have conflicts, what can help them better understand each other?

  • What role does violence play in the story? Do you think it's necessary to the plot? Which has more impact -- the scenes of explosions and threats or the emotional ones in which characters deal with grief? Why?

  • How do the different characters in Max demonstrate courage? Why is this an important character strength?

Movie Details

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