Parents' Guide to

Notorious

By Kathryn McGarr, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Suspenseful but slow-moving Hitchcock thriller.

Movie NR 1946 102 minutes
Notorious Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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age 11+

Based on 1 parent review

Tsion
Tsion Parent of 13-year-old
July 1, 2009
age 11+

The Ultimate Espionage Film...

Alicia Huberman's father has recently been convicted for treason against the US. He was helping the Nazis obtain inside information in WWII. This makes Alicia useful to the US Government: they want her as an inside agent in the Nazi regime. She has fallen in love with agent T.R. Delvin, so she agrees to endear herself to a key Nazi and obtain information. But as she gets deeper inside the regime, the danger mounts. This is truly an explosive tale, and the perfect spy movie, filled to the brim with suspense, thrills, and passion. It's not a good movie for young kids (many scenes of passionate kissing, but nothing sexual; tons of drinking and lots of mentions of alcoholism), but for preteens and up, it will make for a wonderful cinematic experience.

This title has:

Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
Great role models
1 person found this helpful.
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What's the Story?

After her Nazi father is convicted of treason, Alicia Huberman (Ingrid Bergman) gets drawn in as a spy for the American government. Her assignment is to infiltrate the inner circle of Alexander Sebastian (Claude Rains), once in love with her, who happens to be part of a Nazi plot involving smuggled uranium. Alicia and her government contact T.R. Devlin (Cary Grant) fall in love, but dutiful Alicia marries Sebastian in order to get access to top secret information. When she's discovered as a spy, Sebastian's mother urges her son to kill his new wife.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (3):

Hitchcock directed it, critics acclaimed it, and Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman are only the tip of the talented cast. So what makes NOTORIOUS less appealing than other films with the same parameters? Well, it moves painfully slowly. Its snail's pace might be a filmic reflection of Alicia's drawn out suffering. Even if it can easily claim this -- and more -- in artistic merits, the film will make you downright drowsy. Do not operate heavy machinery while watching it.

Devlin and Alicia's romance is predictable given what we expect from attractive leads, but you might wonder if you missed something. Their on-screen romance is quite sudden and short-lived. Still, inevitable tension results when Ms. Huberman becomes Mrs. Sebastian. The master of suspense does deliver on that count. By the end of the film, it doesn't look so good for Alicia and, though sedated, you might be biting your nails in anticipation of a potentially unfortunate finale.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the many moral dilemmas that Alicia faces. These include her loyalty to her father versus her country, drinking and driving, and using her sexuality to be a spy.

  • Do you think her marriage to Mr. Sebastian is a good decision? When does her sacrifice become greater than her reward? What is her "reward" anyway?

  • What makes the women in this movie unequal to the men? Can you think of scenes in which male superiority is taken for granted?

Movie Details

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