Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Mature humor in goofy-but-violent crime caper.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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Once Upon a Time in Venice
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In ONCE UPON A TIME IN VENICE, private detective Steve Ford (Bruce Willis) is a recognizable figure in his Venice, Calif., neighborhood. When he's caught sleeping with a missing woman he's located, he escapes, naked, on a skateboard. This leads to a job recovering a stolen car from a drug dealer named Spyder (Jason Momoa). But before things can settle down, Steve's dog, Buddy, is stolen, and it looks as if the dangerous Spyder is involved. And that's somehow connected to another case: Real estate man Lou the Jew (Adam Goldberg) is being pestered with graphic graffiti on his building and wants to catch the culprit. To unwind this tangled series of events, which also involves a case of drugs and money borrowed from a loan shark, Steve's best friend, surf shop manager Dave (John Goodman), decides to help. Through it all, Steve's apprentice, John (Thomas Middleditch), is available to narrate.
Is It Any Good?
Another in a long line of Tarantino-inspired, multi-character comic crime capers, this movie stays on its toes during a whirlwind of sly humor, cool-headed characters, and colorful situations. The absurd plot of Once Upon a Time in Venice keeps charging ahead with a goofy gait, not even allowing time for the hero to sleep. Willis is fresh and at his cool, cocky best, and director Mark Cullen -- who previously wrote the screenplay for the awful Willis vehicle Cop Out -- gives the entire supporting cast a chance to shine. Only Middleditch's character, who narrates, is a bit too slapsticky.
Especially funny is -- surprisingly -- Game of Thrones' Momoa, who gives his drug dealer character (who once supposedly killed a Starbucks barista for misspelling his name) a quiet dignity. Other jokes are broad and purposely offensive but carried off with spirit. Once Upon a Time in Venice is far from a work of art, and in Willis' filmography it's closer to Alpha Dog or Lucky Number Slevin than Red or Pulp Fiction, but it's a bright, sunny, silly movie, and perhaps worth a viewing on TV.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Once Upon a Time in Venice's violence. Is it realistic or cartoonish? How does the movie's tone affect its impact?
How is sex depicted? Are the sex acts shown as emotional connections? Anything else? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding sex and relationships.
Are drugs and/or smoking glamorized? Are there consequences for their use? Why does that matter?
When is crude/over-the-top humor funny, and when does it cross the line? Who decides where "the line" is?
Movie Details
- In theaters : June 16, 2017
- On DVD or streaming : August 15, 2017
- Cast : Bruce Willis , John Goodman , Jason Momoa
- Director : Mark Cullen
- Inclusion Information : Indigenous Movie Actor(s) , Polynesian/Pacific Islander Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : RLJ Entertainment
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Run time : 95 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : February 15, 2023
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