Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Strong gore, language in bizarre but touching comic fantasy.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Voices
What's the Story?
Jerry Hickfang (Ryan Reynolds) is a nice guy who works in packing and shipping in a fixtures and faucets company. Unfortunately, he had a troubled childhood and has been seeing a therapist (Jacki Weaver) ... but he hasn't been taking his anti-psychotic medication. So Jerry's nasty cat, Mr. Whiskers, and his loyal dog, Bosco (both also voiced by Reynolds), speak to him on a regular basis. While attempting to date the office beauty, Fiona (Gemma Arterton), Jerry accidentally kills her. Fearing how it would look to the police, he cuts up the body and keeps the head in his freezer. Things get even more complicated when another attractive co-worker, Lisa (Anna Kendrick), starts to show an interest in Jerry.
Is It Any Good?
This quirky film is quite a bit more vulgar than you might expect, with over-the-top blood and gore, as well as the cat's salty language (spoken in a Scottish brogue). Iranian-born director Marjane Satrapi published her own unique life story in the comic book Persepolis, made it into an animated feature, and followed it up with the big-hearted tragic romance Chicken with Plums; all of those titles deal in unrealistic situations but are rooted in genuine, powerful emotions. THE VOICES stays true to this path. Thanks to Satrapi's understanding touch and Reynolds' warm, funny performance, Jerry's aching loneliness and regret feel real, and his occasional little victories and connections are moments of beauty. (It was a nice touch for Reynolds to provide all the animal voices, which also include a deer and a sock bunny). Satrapi's visual touches, like the pink of the warehouse and Jerry's bowling alley home (with its alternate fantasy-reality decorating), are both funny and melancholy.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about The Voices' strong gore and violence. How did it affect you? How do you think the movie would have been different without it?
What's it like to watch movies that don't take place strictly in reality? Does The Voices have its own set of rules, even if everything isn't believable?
Is the main character sympathetic, even though he's a killer? How and why?
Since almost all of the victims are women, do you think that means the movie is taking a stereotypical view of them?
Movie Details
- In theaters : February 6, 2015
- On DVD or streaming : April 7, 2015
- Cast : Ryan Reynolds , Anna Kendrick , Gemma Arterton
- Director : Marjane Satrapi
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s) , Middle Eastern/North African Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Lionsgate
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 103 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : bloody violence, and for language including sexual references
- Last updated : September 15, 2022
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