Parents' Guide to

Titanic

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Great movie, but too intense, racy for younger kids.

Movie PG-13 1997 194 minutes
Titanic Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 13+

Based on 118 parent reviews

age 10+

Not prepared for multiple references to suicide

I was not concerned about the brief appearance of breasts or the violence in a historical context - but what bothered my kids the most, and was the hardest to explain for me since I was not prepared for it, was the recurrent theme of suicide. Early on, the main character, who feels trapped by her social circumstances, climbs the ship's railing and dangles over the water before she is talked down and assisted down. Later, when fighting breaks out over lifeboats, a crew member shoots a passenger, then overwhelmed, he points the gun to his temple and pulls the trigger. This shocked my young kids. We are also told, but not shown, that another main character who survived the wreck later "put a pistol in his mouth" when the stock markets crashed in 1929. Lots of questions from these scenes, and we had to talk about coping skills! Less noticeably, there were also people both jumping and falling from the sinking boat as it sank, and an older couple who opted to stay below deck and die together, but as that entire sequence at the end of the movie was intense, my kids did not ask many questions about these.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
9 people found this helpful.
age 10+

Be real

Wow. Some of these reviews are wild and whacky! Sex is a natural and beautiful and healthy part of life. The portrayal of sex and love in this film is tastefully done and shows consent and mutual love. How many of these previous reviews take that into consideration? Words like Sh#t and F*** and whatever? Cmon. Get real. This is true history with a beautiful love story of finding and trusting a partner you can consensually be with. My biggest hurdle would be the mass death. Why is everyone so caught up on sex and language? Sex and language are such natural parts of life. If you raise your children to understand this- this film is fine for your mature 10 year old. A classic!

This title has:

Great messages
2 people found this helpful.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (118):
Kids say (713):

One of the highest-grossing movies of all time, this enthralling saga achieved commercial and critical success, winning 11 Oscars out of its 14 nominations. The irresistible love story of Titanic stars two of the best actors of their generation; dazzling visual effects involve the most famous ship disaster of all time; a smug, rich villain is so easy to hate that he should be sporting an evil, twirling mustache; James Horner's score soars, coupled with Celine Dion's hokey-but-touching "My Heart Will Go On" theme; and there are fine performances by supporting actors like Kathy Bates as the "Unsinkable" Molly Brown, Frances Fisher as Rose's snobby mother, Bernard Hill (known best as King Theoden in that other epic, Lord of the Rings) as Captain Smith, Victor Garber as the Titanic architect, and, of course, Oscar-nominated Stuart as the narrator, Old Rose.

Strong central female characters are the heart of Titanic, along with a look into the differences between social classes. Fans of romance will adore the journey of the star-crossed lovers, while action fans will appreciate the suspense and tension as the ship begins to sink. This is truly a film that has something for nearly everyone.

Movie Details

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