Stand by Me

Just a "mature" version of The Sandlot (minus the dead body). Fantastic story! Well told and directed. Those complaining about language clearly aren't Stephen King fans. If you are worried about language, be a proactive parent and educate your kids on its use during the time, the bringing up of the boys in the story, and the situations in which they found themselves. There is so much happening in this story that kids no longer do - camp overnight away from home with no parental supervision, WALK from place to place, have secret hideouts... all the kids do now is sit inside and play video games. Maybe if we allowed them to experience what we did when we were younger, they'd be more willing to explore and get out of the house. It's a beautifully tragic story that warms and breaks my heart all in the same hour and a half of the film. I watched it with my daughter when she was 13. She loved the story and we had a lot of fun talking about how my childhood was different from hers. She even asked if we could go camping. The subject matter of child abuse is REAL and so prominent - it's all around you. It's important that children understand that not everyone else is as "settled" and sheltered as our kids are. They also need to know that tragedies happen. What you do with that experience is what shapes us as humans. Bottom line: If you approach this subject the right way, and not be an overreactive "oh my goodness" parent, you can actually make magic happen with your kids while watching it.

We watched this with our kids 12/10 who are both very mature for their ages and we've seen movies before with a couple of SH** or one F*** in them. This move has so much more than we remember, including a "go F*** your mother" reference. I love this movie and it has some great messaging for early teens, but be ready for the swearing. The boys constantly call each other P***y as well - my kids aren't totally up on that reference yet or the use of Fag**t which you'll also hear. Sad this movie had so much language, neither of us remembered how much there was. We are pretty open about a swear word here and there but this was surprising. The movie is still awesome - but just a fair warning!