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Parents' Guide to

Nope

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Brilliantly crafted sci-fi horror tale has gore, swearing.

Movie R 2022 135 minutes
Nope Movie Poster

A Lot or a Little?

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

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age 15+

Based on 24 parent reviews

Nicole S.
Nicole S. Parent
July 21, 2022
age 13+

Great for teen plus

There is swearing and pot smoking. Most disturbing is a chimp that kills a girl and bites off her face. They don’t show it but it is implied. Chimp had blood everywhere. Then it is shot. The UFO parts are just creepy. Some jump scares. A man does in the beginning and they show his body. A brother and sister work together to defeat the UFO.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
7 people found this helpful.
ptcruiser13
ptcruiser13 Adult
July 25, 2022
age 14+

Nope? Ah, nope! Pass on this disaster of a movie. Even a brilliant director can't win them all.

Nope? Ah, nope! This film was a disappointment from beginning to end. The acting, especially the female lead, was juvenile and bordered on irritating - I just could not comprehend her take on this character, and found her role grating. Sorry, not sorry. I spent the entire film contemplating two things: how one scene related to another to create some sort of plot, and when is it okay for me to leave. In fact, I left the theatre irritated that I had fallen for the positive reviews, and wondering if I can ask for my money back. When you compare "Nope" to a great film like "Them", it's unfathomable they came from the brilliant mind of the same director. Save your money and pass on this boring disaster of a movie. Yep!
4 people found this helpful.
See all 24 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In NOPE, OJ Haywood (Daniel Kaluuya) works with his father, Otis (Keith David), on a ranch, training horses for movies and TV. Otis is killed after a freak accident, and OJ finds himself struggling to run the business with his flighty younger sister, Emerald (Keke Palmer). A deal with former child actor Ricky Park (Steven Yeun), who now runs a Western-themed amusement park, helps for a bit. But when OJ sees what appears to be a UFO over their land, he and Emerald get the idea to film it -- and make a fortune. Angel (Brandon Perea), a tech-savvy Fry's Electronics employee who's also a UFO buff, helps the Haywoods set up surveillance cameras. But the next time the visitor comes back, its true nature is revealed.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (24 ):
Kids say (48 ):

Jordan Peele's sci-fi/comedy horror movie doesn't quite have the cultural impact of his earlier films, but it's an expertly constructed, hugely entertaining ride. Each intricate puzzle piece is perfectly fitted. Nope doesn't have as much to say about America and where we are right now as Get Out and Us did, but that's about where any complaints might stop. This film seems to be concerned with themes of humans attempting to tame and control other species, up to and including filming them for entertainment and profit. A subplot about a chimp that snapped and went on a bloody rampage on the set of a 1990s TV sitcom doesn't quite seem to belong to the overall plot about UFOs, but, upon reflection, it helps put everything in context. It connects everything.

Peele's skill as a filmmaker keeps improving. His camera placement, cutting, and shocking use of sound design and music combine to create a truly surprising experience. We're frequently kept off-balance as bits of mystery are doled out sparingly, then slyly answered, only to be replaced by new mysteries. Details that may seem insignificant can become important, or vice versa. Best of all, Peele lets his comedy side flow here. While his last two films had funny moments, the tension was too strong to really allow for laughter. Here, the balance allows for more big laughs, more often. Kaluuya and Palmer are responsible for many of these, as well as for all of the movie's heart. Kaluuya's stoic, monosyllabic character and Palmer's chatty, free-spirited one are opposites, but also part of a whole. They make us say "Yep" to Nope.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Nope's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?

  • Is the movie scary? What's the appeal of scary movies? Why do people sometimes like to be scared?

  • Do you consider any of the characters to be role models? Why, or why not?

  • What does the subplot about the chimp's rampage have to do with the main plot about the mysterious visitor? What do you think the movie is trying to say?

  • How does the movie compare to Jordan Peele's films Get Out and Us? How does Peele's body of work shine light on the ways that Black people have always been critical to cultural production in the United States in unacknowledged ways?

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