Father and child sit together smiling while looking at a smart phone.

Want more recommendations for your family?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for entertainment inspiration

Parents' Guide to

Paterson

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Beautiful, funny movie celebrates the flow of life; cursing.

Movie R 2016 118 minutes
Paterson Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

See all
age 15+

Based on 4 parent reviews

doctora
doctora Parent of 5-year-old
June 23, 2022
age 16+

Beautiful and understated

The pace and tone of this film, just mesmerizing. Driver of course is a very compelling bus driver. This film is about Paterson, New Jersey, front and center. This film is methodical with the most charming English bulldog to grace the screen. This film inspires ditching the smartphone, picking up a notebook and writing some poems. A film about poetry that inspires you to read some but more importantly to write some. This could be waaaay pretentious, but it is not. It feels honest and sincere and beautiful in its monotony. Beautiful and understated.
Bored with Patterson
Bored with Patterson Adult
November 4, 2020
age 18+

No particular plot.

If you suffer from insomnia, then this movie is for you. The characters show no emotion and there is no particular plot. It's like watching Groundhog Day with absolutely no humor. I fast forwarded much of it and didn't miss a thing. If you want, just watch the first five minutes and the last five minutes of this movie. The part in between can be omitted and you'll not have missed a thing.
See all 4 parent reviews

What's the Story?

A bus driver named PATERSON (Adam Driver) lives in Paterson, New Jersey, with his significant other, Laura (Golshifteh Farahani), and writes poems like his hero, William Carlos Williams. During a week in their lives, Paterson returns home from work each day, walks their dog, Marvin, and stops at a bar for a beer. Laura decorates their home in black-and-white designs and circles, orders a guitar, and makes cupcakes for the Saturday farmer's market. Her cupcakes are a success, and they go out to dinner and a movie to celebrate. When they return home, something terrible has happened. On Sunday, Paterson goes for a walk and, after a meaningful encounter, finds a reason to keep going.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4 ):
Kids say (5 ):

Jim Jarmusch first made a splash on the indie movie scene in the '80s, and has enjoyed a long, noteworthy career, but with this beautiful, Zen-like work, he has made what could be his very best movie. Paterson is a masterpiece that takes great pleasure in the repeating rhythms of life, finding great beauty in circles, twins, and the cycle of things ruined and repaired. Its simple structure allows for many little, hidden meanings to be happily discovered and enjoyed (from William Carlos Williams to the Wu-Tang Clan to Moonrise Kingdom), but it's also a touchingly emotional work as well, focusing on the tiny intricacies of a long-term relationship.

The couple, Paterson and Laura, have many little conversations about their day-to-day lives, but the unspoken is also important. There's so much love in the way they simply read each other, and admire each other's actions, or worry about each other. It's a deeply compassionate movie, wherein Jarmusch paints the town with multicultural characters, each of whom is viewed respectfully, as human. (Paterson himself is one of the only white characters in the movie.) Finally, lest it sound too serious and too ponderous, the movie is also quite funny from time to time, with most of the humor springing from the stubborn, snorting English bulldog. Paterson is a movie you'll wish you could just carry around with you forever.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Paterson's depiction of sex. How is the intimate relationship between the couple shown? Is anything gratuitous shown? How do we know they love each other?

  • How is drinking portrayed? Is it glamorized? Does anyone drink to excess?

  • What happens in the movie's major scene of violence? What was the intended effect? What was the actual effect?

  • What do you think the major theme of the movie is? What does Paterson learn in the end?

  • How does the movie represent other cultures? Any stereotypes?

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended movie lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate