Parents' Guide to

Tristan & Isolde

By Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

The legend of young love going wrong, again.

Movie PG-13 2006 125 minutes
Tristan & Isolde Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 3 parent reviews

celbiekarj
celbiekarj Adult
February 20, 2023
age 18+

definitely not for younger kids, but amazing movie!!

romantic action/drama film that includes some intensity. Be aware, there are multiple graphic war/fighting scenes i.e. hanging, and using sword to cut a head cleanly off that WILL be disturbing to younger audiences. however, the fighting scenes are balanced out. there are a handful of sexual scenes, but nothing too bad or graphic, and in my opinion, definitely worth watching the film. the story is very redemptive, although it does not have a happily ever after ending. Tristan and Isolde right their wrongs as best they can, which I think adds great messages and relatability to the film. reminds me of the movie Far and Away (Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman) in terms of storyline somewhat (young lovers, fear of death scenes), and violence and sexuality. not much more intense than that.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
DuncanDerund
DuncanDerund Adult
August 30, 2014
age 12+

Movie

PG-13 for imagery of violence and terror and medieval discussions and crude profanity and sexuality+language.

This title has:

Too much violence
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Orphaned during an Irish raid, Tristan (James Franco) is raised by his uncle, Lord Marke of Cornwall (Rufus Sewell), who tries to unite the British tribes against their would-be Irish conquerors. Wounded during battle, Tristan is believed dead and set adrift on a burning bier. He washes up in Ireland, where he's nursed by the daughter of King Donnchadh (David Patrick O'Hara), the rambunctious Isolde (Sophia Myles). She keeps her own identity secret as they fall in love. When Tristan's compatriots come hunting for him, she sends him off with a kiss and lament that "This cannot be." But as soon as Tristan returns home, Donnchadh decides to give away his daughter to the winner of a contest among the British tribesmen, hoping to divide them in the process. When Tristan wins her for Marke, she's horrified to learn her husband is not Tristan, just as he's horrified to learn she is the princess. After the marriage, Tristan dissolves in depression, until they begin to tryst in secret.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3):
Kids say (3):

Focused on loyal knights and proud royals, forbidden passions and tragic fates, TRISTAN & ISOLDE is a disappointingly wan romance. The film shows their love as a series of soft-focus embraces and seductive glances across crowded rooms, like they're teenagers on The O.C. Such soapy structure and conflicting allegiances only make the medieval setting gloomier.

Franco suffers exceedingly: another pretty young actor who has appeared in several films and hasn't yet found a defining role, he's hardly helped by the lack of voltage with Myles. If Tristan is inexplicably addicted to the girl, the effects of his desire are conveniently lacking when he's called on to swash and buckle in defense of Marke. And then, well, it's back to swooning, his dark eyes timeworn emblems of adolescent love gone wrong.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the characters' efforts to balance desire and duty. How do the young people deal with losing parents (Tristan loses both; Isolde's mother is absent), or seek moral ground while living during wartime? How does the film follow the well-known legend that serves as its source?

Movie Details

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