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Parents' Guide to

Tale of Tales

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Sex, violence in fairy tale collection that's NOT for kids.

Movie R 2016 133 minutes
Tale of Tales Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 18+

Based on 2 parent reviews

hmoul640
hmoul640 Adult
December 1, 2018
age 18+

Breath of Fresh Air!!!!

Yes, its weird. Yes, it's not for small children. And some it can be gory. So, what's the breath of fresh air? Well, its simple really. These are Real Fairy Tales not watered Disney fairy tales. The King and his Flea was If I remember correctly it was written in 15 to 16 hundreds from Italy. Believe it or not a long time, ago and far away there was a time when we didn't bubble wrap our kids. We let them grow up by not sheltering them from a thing call real life. These stories were to teach kids and adults about self account ability. And life. Life is scary toughen up. And its from other parts of the world. So you got cultures differences and time differences as well. Is this out dated? No, in fact. We gained technology but we are still the same. People are still violent, greedy, lustful, untruthful. The difference is we have 4k tv. We truly have not evolved any further then the 15 hundreds. It's a breath of fresh air due to the fact it's Not political correct. The acting is amazing. And they stayed true to the stories itself. I hope they make more. Common sense states that this is not for five year old. But pre-teens and up. Just my opinion.
Vikki G.
Vikki G. Adult
February 11, 2018
age 17+

my view

over the top sexually not for kids

This title has:

Too much sex
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In TALE OF TALES, a queen (Salma Hayek) desperately wants a child. An old man tells her that she can become pregnant if her husband (John C. Reilly) kills a sea monster and she consumes its heart, as prepared by a virgin. Years later, the queen has a son (Christian Lees), but somehow he also has a twin (Jonah Lees), born of the virgin girl. Meanwhile, another king (Toby Jones) raises a giant flea, which eventually leads to his terror-stricken daughter's marriage to an ogre. And another king (Vincent Cassel) pursues a woman whom he thinks is beautiful, but she's really an old hag who has magically transformed. She succeeds in becoming queen, until her lonely sister (Shirley Henderson) interferes.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (1 ):

Well-made and proudly weird, this collection of fairy tales is missing something; it could have been funny, sexy, or thrilling, but instead it's clinical, like spying on bugs under a microscope. Director Matteo Garrone once made a terrific modern Italian crime movie (Gomorrah), but otherwise, he's struggled to find the right tone for his movies (The Embalmer, Reality, etc.), and TALE OF TALES is yet another example of missing the mark.

In switching between the three main threads, the film stays too long in each, and the movie never really builds an enticing rhythm. Likewise, none of the tales stands out; they all have the same constant thrum, and nothing perks up the storytelling. Some bits, such as the sea monster or the giant flea, feel like they should elicit some kind of reaction, but they just don't; it's like they're museum pieces. Ultimately, this is an interesting but lackluster attempt to bring Giambattista Basile's tales to an American audience.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the violence in Tale of Tales. What effect does the brutal, punishing violence have? Is it necessary to the story? What's the impact of media violence on kids?

  • What role does sex play in the movie? What does it mean to the characters? Parents, talk to your kids about your own values regarding sex and relationships.

  • Why do you think fairy tales have such long lives? Why are they passed down from generation to generation? What purpose do they serve?

  • What's the message of these particular fairy tales? What lessons are learned? Who pays the price?

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