Parents' Guide to

Personal Shopper

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Kristen Stewart stars in entrancing, violent mystery.

Movie R 2017 105 minutes
Personal Shopper Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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age 17+

Based on 2 parent reviews

doctora
doctora Parent of 5-year-old
June 5, 2022
age 17+

Slow and steady...

A slow and layered film that does not necessarily leave one satisfied but that is not the point. It is haunting and full of tension that requires one to be glued to the screen. Stewart owns the role and we willingly go on the ride. The use of the metaphysical is sly and taut.
Anthony Ray Parker
Anthony Ray Parker Adult
January 23, 2019
age 17+

Strange

That movie is similar to Black Swan which was also a psychological thriller movie. There is a pair of moments where Kristen Stewart is seen topless. Also, there are strange moments where there flying things which seems to be ghosts, and this where we see a dead bloody body.

This title has:

Great messages
Too much violence
Too much sex
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In PERSONAL SHOPPER, Maureen Cartwright (Kristen Stewart) is in Paris, paying the rent by working as a personal shopper for a monstrously conceited supermodel. But she's also a medium who shared her gift with her twin brother, Lewis. He died of a heart condition -- a condition that Maureen also has. She hopes that because of their connection, her brother will send a sign from beyond. And since Paris is where he died, that's where Maureen waits. Then, while collecting dresses and jewelry in London, she receives a mysterious text. Could it be some unknown prankster, or could it be her brother? Or could it be some other malevolent ghost from the spirit realm?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (2):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Working for the second time with French director Olivier Assayas, Stewart gives a superb performance in this mysterious, compelling story, balanced cleverly between the known and the unknown. Following their work on the excellent, Cesar Award-winning Clouds of Sils Maria, the pair revisits some of the same territory -- the world of elite celebrities and the regular people who work for them. But Personal Shopper steps directly into the supernatural as well, treating it not as a jump-scare gimmick but simply as a reality.

Assayas, whose career has hardly followed any kind of conventional path, successfully tells his story in a most unusual way, with Stewart frequently onscreen alone, yet still creating a tension between a professional exterior and an uncertain interior. A long sequence in which she simply texts should have been a bore, but it's riveting. Meanwhile, the ghost sequences don't follow any kind of traditional genre rules, and, notably, the main character never even sees them. This is a highly uncommon movie, but for bold viewers, it's a bracing, entrancing experience.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Personal Shopper's violence. Is it shocking? Exhilarating? Numbing? What's the impact of violent media on kids?

  • Is the movie scary? How are ghosts used and shown within the story?

  • Why do you think Maureen smokes? Does she make it look cool? Are there consequences?

  • Does the movie appear to believe in life after death or a spirit world? What does that say about the characters' existence? What do you believe?

Movie Details

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