Common Sense Media Review
By Monique Jones
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Powerful drama tugs at heartstrings, has drug use, swearing.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Rob Peace
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
ROB PEACE follows the title character (Jay Will), a young man who excels throughout his school career and earns a spot at Yale. He loves biochemistry and looks set for a bright future somewhere outside of his bleak Newark, New Jersey, neighborhood. But Rob is beholden to helping his father, Skeet (Chiwetel Ejiofor, who also wrote and directed the film), who was convicted for murder—a crime he says he didn't commit. Rob goes to great lengths to help his father, against his mother's (Mary J. Blige) wishes. But Rob's decision to live for everyone except himself ultimately causes him to pay a very high price.
Is It Any Good?
This heartrending story is truly a tragedy—it's a haunting film that's likely to stick with everyone who watches it. Rob Peace shows in great detail how the systematic forces that work against Black and Brown people in the United States have nipped in the bud the potential of many bright folks—including Rob. Hopefully, the movie will inspire the civic-minded to advocate for better policies and practices that will help everyone, especially those who are seemingly left behind but still want to achieve their own American dream.
The film also offers another valuable lesson that everyone can apply: Don't live your life for other people at the expense of your own. Rob's love for his family makes him want to save them, particularly Skeet. But his father's eventual dependence on him robs (no pun intended) Rob of his childhood, his teenage years, and eventually even his adulthood. Rob was his father's only lifeline, and other adults allowed him to carry that burden for far too long. If anything, Rob Peace shows how the most compassionate and strongest among us often need the most support.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the message of Rob Peace. What is it saying about the relationship between personal potential and social circumstances? What does Rob hope to do with his life? What holds him back?
How accurate do you think the movie is to what happened in real life? Why might filmmakers sometimes choose to alter the facts in films that are based on true stories?
How are Black people represented in the film? Why are diverse representations important in the media?
How does Rob's relationship with his family help or harm him? How does Rob try to help his father?
Movie Details
- In theaters : August 16, 2024
- On DVD or streaming : September 10, 2024
- Cast : Chiwetel Ejiofor , Mary J. Blige , Jay Will , Camila Cabello
- Director : Chiwetel Ejiofor
- Inclusion Information : Black Movie Director(s) , Black Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Gay Movie Actor(s) , Latino Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Republic Pictures
- Genre : Drama
- Character Strengths : Compassion
- Run time : 119 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : drug content and language
- Award : NAACP Image Award - NAACP Image Award Nominee
- Last updated : January 15, 2025
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