Parents' Guide to

Nature Calls

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Forgettable, raunchy scouting comedy isn't for young kids.

Movie R 2012 85 minutes
Nature Calls Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 12+

Based on 1 parent review

starbee36
starbee36 Adult
June 8, 2015
age 12+

A Great Comedy, But Not For Very Young Kids

This is a great family comedy for kids and parents of about 13 years old. My kids are 12 and 14, and they thought that this was the best. As there is quite a lot f swearing and drinking drugs and smoking it's not the best movie for families with young children, but okay for mature tweens and all teens. There is some sex involved, but no real sex scene. There is some gore and violence, but nothing that the average teen hasn't seen in the Hunger Games or Divergent. Quite a lot of swearing, but OK for secondary school kids, because they've heard it all before. It's overall, an Ok movie for tweens and teens but for much younger viewers it's advised not to watch without going through it yourself first. Hope this helped influence your decision.It's a great movie.

This title has:

Too much swearing
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

Brothers Randy (Patton Oswalt) and Kirk (Johnny Knoxville) couldn't be more different. They're both the sons of a beloved scout troopmaster, but while Randy has taken over the now-struggling troop, Kirk wants nothing to do with scouting. When Randy discovers that none of his troop wants to go camping because they're at Kirk's son's video-games-and-movies sleepover, Randy basically coerces the boys to go on a trip with his disabled, elderly dad in tow. The next morning, Kirk and his best friend go after Randy and the kids, while Kirk's wife Janine (Maura Tierney) must explain to the other boys' parents whey their sons aren't there. Late comedian Patrice O'Neal appears in his final film performance as an angry dad trying to convince his son that he's not dead -- as the scout leaders erroneously told him.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (2):

Oswalt, so good in Young Adult and on Showtime's The United States of Tara gets nothing from Nature Calls' flat, forgettable script. It's a shame he signed up to do something that's so embarrassing to his comedic abilities. This is lowbrow humor that actually has a promising early premise, but it goes south quickly and never recovers. How the director found parents willing to let their young sons be in this crass a comedy is befuddling.

Although Riggle and Knoxville are a duo made in fraternity-boy heaven, and O'Neal is a sight for sore eyes in his minor role, it's a waste that such a funny performer should have his last performance be in such a tasteless mess of a movie.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how not all movies featuring minors are actually geared toward kids and teens. How might Nature Calls have been different if kids were the target audience?

  • Is it appropriate for a movie about a group of young kids to feature so many raunchy jokes and strong language? Why or why not?

  • The violence in the movie, even a character's death, is played for laughs. Does it come off as amusing?

Movie Details

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