Peter Rabbit

Movie review by Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media
Peter Rabbit Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 7+

Action-heavy take on classic books has peril, edgy jokes.

PG 2018 89 minutes
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Parents say

age 10+

Based on 163 reviews

Kids say

age 7+

Based on 74 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Peter Rabbit is a live-action/animated movie based on Beatrix Potter's classic books and starring James Corden as the voice of Peter. It doesn't have the same mild, pastel-hued feel of the stories, though: There's lots of frenetic action, including perilous chases, attacks with weapons and traps, explosions, and even death. Old Mr. McGregor dies on-screen, and Peter's parents are said to be dead (his father was eaten in a pie). There are also threats, arguments, and temper tantrums, and at one point the animals attack their human enemy with blackberries, knowing he's allergic to them (he has a reaction and must treat himself with an EpiPen). The two main human characters (Rose Byrne and Domhnall Gleeson) fall in love and kiss once. Part of Old Mr. McGregor's buttocks is shown; Peter tries to poke a carrot in the crack. A rooster talks about "fertilizing all those eggs" and then tries to be a good father to a gaggle of baby chicks. Language is mild overall but includes insult words like "stupid," "idiot," and "imbecile." A couple of quick scenes include references to drinking and the implication that a character is high (the latter will likely go over kids' heads), and background characters smoke cigarettes. The main characters make lots of iffy decisions, and everyone behaves rather badly until an apology at the end that seems a bit too little, too late. But they do learn a few lessons about listening to others and the fact that there's enough love to go around for everyone.

Community Reviews

Racco5
Racco5 Adult
July 17, 2022
age 6+

Slapstick funny

Our whole family likes this movie - I laughed really hard, myself! There's a lot of slapstick comedy and poor choices made but I didn't mind. This movie has none of the stuff that makes my kids anxious (people getting in to trouble, hurt or forced to physically change without their consent). We all watch it together (6, 3 and 2 year olds) despite my rating for 6 and older.
1 person found this helpful.
Grounded
Grounded Adult
March 10, 2021
age 7+

Perfect Opportunity To Teach

I took my kids to this movie twice and bought it. It was worth every penny. It’s hilarious. I do agree that the allergy part is a little discolored but it was not terribly offensive for my family even though we have serious allergies in the family. We saw it as a joke and as a perfect learning opportunity to teach children for one that the show is pretend and secondly that it wasn’t a good idea to do this to anyone. It was a perfect movie for children, who can distinguish reality from pretend and this depends on the child. It was a perfect movie for laughter and the movie theater was full of laughter. Those who can appreciate humor for what it is and distinguish reality from pretend, will appreciate this movie. It was pretty clean and safe in comparison to the majority of movies.
1 person found this helpful.
See all 163 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In PETER RABBIT, Peter (voiced by James Corden) and his family -- sisters Flopsy (Margot Robbie), Mopsy (Elizabeth Debicki), and Cotton-Tail (Daisy Ridley) and cousin Benjamin (Colin Moody) -- are without parents thanks to mean Old Mr. McGregor (Sam Neill). So the young rabbits regularly break into his garden to steal vegetables. Then one day, Mr. McGregor dies suddenly, so all the local animals take over his house. But a distant nephew, Thomas McGregor (Domhnall Gleeson), gets word of his inheritance and, hoping to sell the farm and open a toy store in London, decides to check it out. He meets pretty, bunny-loving neighbor/artist, Bea (Rose Byrne), and is smitten. Determined not to let her know about his deep-seated anger issues, he puts on an easygoing facade -- all the while trying to get rid of the rabbits (permanently) without her knowing. Peter, in turn, wants Thomas to go away, so he plays all manner of vicious tricks on him. Eventually, the situation literally becomes explosive.

Is It Any Good?

Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit books were simple and charming, but this adaptation just tries too hard. It's frantically paced, but it still feels padded/stretched out with too many pop songs and too many dumb jokes. Peter Rabbit also has a surprising amount of death in it, and it gets tricky to figure out whom to root for, since almost everyone in the movie behaves pretty poorly. But Thomas gets the edge, since he's human, and Gleeson is able to bring a hint of sadness and loneliness to his role. Peter, on the other hand, has too much in common with the arrogant, yappy, hyperactive "E.B." in 2011's Hop. The filmmakers couldn't even seem to decide on one simple rule: whether humans could hear and understand the rabbits.

Peter Rabbit also attempts a kind of "meta-ness" (i.e., having characters occasionally address the camera and making wink-wink references to anthropomorphic animals, etc.) that isn't much funnier than the regular jokes. Overall, the humor isn't exactly vulgar, but it also isn't smart. And whenever the movie gets stuck, which is often, it throws in another pop song. The only time it comes close to evoking Potter's books is when it briefly digresses into what look like hand-drawn animated sequences inspired by Potter's original artwork. If only the filmmakers had realized what they were missing.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the action/violence in Peter Rabbit. Were you expecting all of the chases and explosions? Did they bother you? Was it upsetting to see or hear about characters dying?

  • Which characters are role models? Why? Do they learn any lessons or display any character strengths?

  • How does this take on Peter compare with the character in the books? Which do you prefer, and why?

  • Did you notice any stereotypes in the movie? If so, is that OK?

  • What audience do you think the movie is most intended to appeal to? How can you tell?

Movie Details

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