Parents' Guide to

Time to Choose

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Climate-change doc is visually beautiful but oversimplified.

Movie NR 2016 97 minutes
Time to Choose Poster Image

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What's the Story?

Director Charles Ferguson, who explained the 2008 financial crisis so well in Inside Job and tackled the war in Iraq with No End in Sight, turns his attention to climate change in TIME TO CHOOSE. This visually stunning film, narrated by Oscar Isaac, explains how fossil fuels and deforestation are heating the planet and how rapid improvements in clean energy may be able to curb their impact before it's too late.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (1):

This documentary juxtaposes beautiful images of our planet with experts discussing the calamitous environmental challenges threatening that very beauty; it's both an affecting and effective approach. For this alone, Time to Choose is worth a watch. But while high schoolers and younger will likely find it a good, basic primer on climate change, anyone with more than a passing knowledge of the issues may find the film frustratingly lean, the advice oversimplified. That said, its visual impact nearly makes up for its shortcomings.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the debate surrounding global warming. Why do you think some people believe it's a hoax, despite scientific evidence that human activity is heating up the planet?

  • Are documentaries obliged to be objective? How can the same facts look different when presented from different points of view?

  • Why do you think so many executives chose not to appear in Time to Choose? Do you think documentaries like this one will actually make people change their minds? What can individuals do to stop global warming?

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