Parents' Guide to

The Straight Story

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Great, but young kids may be bored and restless.

Movie G 1999 112 minutes
The Straight Story Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 11+

Based on 2 parent reviews

age 18+

G-rated, but...

...bad language in the first 5 minutes ("what the he..." over and over)
age 4+

Great for the whole family

Forget the reviews saying this will bore kids, maybe some will be bored but it is no reason to not watch it. The film is slow which is something different to most things we watch, it is good to expose kids to something besides fast paced action and tomfoolery. There are plenty of topics to keep the conversations flowing with the family. We showed our 3 boys who are 4, 6 and 8 and they all enjoyed it.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (6):

Don't let the G-rating and the Disney label mislead you - this is an adult movie in the old-fashioned sense of the word, meaning that its story and themes will most appeal to adults and some teens. It gets a G rating because it does not have any of the usual triggers for a PG or PG- 13 rating. Thoughtful middle- and high schoolers and adults will find a lot to appreciate and talk about.

Children who watch a lot of television and movies often develop what psychologists call the "mean world" syndrome. Based on what they learn about the adult world from the media, their estimates of the incidence of murder and corruption are distorted way out of proportion to reality. And our cautions about not talking to strangers contribute further to their sense that the world is a dangerous place. This movie is a nice antidote to that. Also, Richard speaks feelingly to people he meets about the importance of the bond between siblings. This is a point that is always worth raising to kids who think that there may never be a day when they will have more to talk to their brothers and sisters about than whose turn it is to empty the dishwasher.

Movie Details

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