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Parents' Guide to

Straight Outta Compton

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Edgy but powerful story of incendiary '80s rap group.

Movie R 2015 147 minutes
Straight Outta Compton Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 15+

Based on 10 parent reviews

age 15+

great film 15+

strong language, drugs and alcohol and lots of sex are included however it is a must watch if you love hip-hop or N.W.A

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
age 14+

LISTEN!!

Parents this movie contains cursing,drugs,violence, and sex. The film is amazing it shows how cruel the world can be. The film also shows some good messages, it shows that you should never quit/give up because of how you look or act. I really recommend this film NOT FOR KIDS UNDER 13

This title has:

Great messages
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (10 ):
Kids say (30 ):

A group as powerful as N.W.A. deserves a powerful movie; this one captures the energy of the moment, but after a while, it becomes apparent that the filmmakers didn't know how or where to stop. Director F. Gary Gray was there during the time portrayed here, making videos for both Ice Cube and Dr. Dre and making his feature directing debut with Cube's Friday (1995). He was clearly the right man for the job, and the footage of the group's early days and first successes is transporting and immensely powerful.

But perhaps Gray was a bit too close? Perhaps there was pressure to give equal weight to all the players, and to respectfully depict Eazy-E's 1995 AIDS-related death? As STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON reaches the mid-1990s, it becomes awkwardly torn between showing enough detail and showing too much; it could have been a fascinating long miniseries or a much stronger, shorter movie. But what's here will thrill music fans, especially those who wish to learn more about the old school.

Movie Details

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