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Parents' Guide to

The Kid

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Very funny and genuinely insightful family movie.

Movie PG 2000 104 minutes
The Kid Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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age 9+

Based on 5 parent reviews

Rjcarriere
Rjcarriere Adult
April 13, 2021
age 8+

Body & food shaming

It’s disappointing the original review makes no mention of the onslaught of fat shaming & diet references about 2/3rds of the way through the movie. A pretty significant oversight that would have deterred me from showing this movie to my young daughters. I think we’ve learned a lot about toxic dieting culture since this movie was made. I’ve chosen age 8+ only because I had to pick one in order to post.
1 person found this helpful.
cagey11
cagey11 Parent of 9-year-old
March 20, 2017
age 8+

Great cast, Breslin especially.

I've been a Bruce Willis fan since the '80s, but he doesn't make this movie magical on his own: Spencer Breslin is fantastic as little Rusty, Emily Mortimer is effective as Amy, the optimistic foil to Willis' cynical Russ (and it looks like she and Breslin have a genuine affection for one another), and Lily Tomlin delivers the best sarcastic replies as Russ' assistant. There is also a charming brief but pivotal second scene with Jean Smart. One thing to note: due to Russ' shame over his childhood self, he levels criticism at little Rusty (words like loser and chubby) that would otherwise be cruel were we not supposed to know that he's talking to himself. Every time I watch this movie (and I watch it often - it's on cable constantly!), I wonder how much had to be done to prepare Breslin for the name-calling scenes.
1 person found this helpful.
See all 5 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Russ Duritz (Bruce Willis) is an "image consultant" who spends his time diverting public relations disasters, making everyone around him miserable and being miserable himself. Duritz hides from his hurt and loneliness by working all the time, being thoughtless and insensitive to everyone he meets, and forgetting his feelings and that he ever had them. But he can't escape his feelings. Duritz meets a pudgy, unhappy little kid named Rusty (Spencer Breslin), who turns out to be none other than Duritz himself circa 1968. At first, Duritz is embarrassed by his younger self. He says, "I look at him and all I see is awful memories -- memories I've been spending most of my life trying to forget." He decides that Rusty can't go back until he helps him. But he learns that Rusty is there to help him, too. Duritz has spent his entire professional life making over other people, his first subject having been himself. But he needs to remember who he really is inside that image. Why does he have a problem with dry eyes? Why does he get so angry when people cry? What is it about his past that "doesn't want to stay in the past?"

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5 ):
Kids say (2 ):

Bruce Willis has great talent as an actor and enough charm to keep him on the A-list despite a few clunkers, but he is simply the best there is when he plays opposite a child actor. There's a reason for the legendary advice to stay away from kids and animals on stage, because they draw all the attention away from even the most accomplished adult performer. Some actors who appear with kids can't resist showing off or trying to out-adorable them. But Willis treats his kid costars as though they are the only two people in the world. He is not afraid to let the child actors get the attention. The result is two terrific performances at the heart of a surprisingly funny and endearing movie, which also is very funny and genuinely insightful.

THE KID is a Disney movie, and it has an old-fashioned Disney ending. Only the hardest hearts will refuse to be warmed.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the importance of understanding your past. Kids who see the movie will want to know whether their parents are neglecting their childhood dreams, and they may want to talk about what they can do now to stay in touch with what's important to them and to feel happy with themselves when they grow up. They should discuss what makes people mean. As this movie shows, it's often because people are insecure and in pain. Some kids who have experienced or observed bullies at school may want to talk about why kids behave that way and how to respond to them. Older kids may want to talk about the difference between "spin" and accountability and the way image consultants change the way people feel about celebrities.

Movie Details

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