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Parents' Guide to

Quadrophenia

By Tom Cassidy, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

British cult classic has violence, language, drugs, sex.

Movie R 1979 120 minutes
Quadrophenia Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

In its classic scenes, this British cult drama manages to show all the thrills, highs, and lows of teen life. In what was director Franc Roddam's debut feature, Quadrophenia shows young characters with honesty and no judgement. It is every bit as fun, occasionally ugly, and upsetting as the heady days of discovering early independence and finding a direction in life can be. Boasting a charismatic performance from Daniels and a zippy direction, like Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused, the film's characters are concerned with three things: sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll, and their pursuit of these is a fun and honest ride.

If Roddam had been left to make a movie with no strings attached, it could have been a masterpiece as well as a classic. But squatting over the whole thing is the bloated presence of rock band The Who. Released in 1979, the movie was a nostalgic period piece harking back to the mid 1960s, so the movie's rock band producers feature heavily. But other than one scene where a packed club goes wild to My Generation, these scenes just feel shoehorned in. The rest of the early 1960s soundtrack is blissful though, and despite all the violence, tears, and messy decisions, Jimmy and the gang are fun company.

Movie Details

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