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Parents' Guide to

Unaccompanied Minors

By Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 7+

Stuck kids run amok; Home Alone this ain't.

Movie PG 2006 89 minutes
Unaccompanied Minors Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 5+

Based on 3 parent reviews

Jace N
Jace N Parent of 6-year-old
October 8, 2018
age 5+

Decent Christmas Movie

A decent amount of funny bits. Shows some minor bad behavior like a young girl who punches multiple men in the nuts but I don’t think it’s a big deal.
JustinHH
JustinHH Adult
October 3, 2018
age 5+

Funny but nothing special

Appropriate for any age if they don’t believe in Santa. The violence is minimal and suitable for all ages. Most of the violence involves men getting hit in the nuts by the character Donna. Donna’s signature move is punching guys in the nuts and almost every man in the movie gets one.
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Before they're stranded in a Chicago airport by a blizzard, the core group of "minors" are introduced, establishing his or her essential character. With his parents divorced, Spencer (Dyllan Christopher) feels responsible for his little sister Katy (Dominique Saldana). Harvard-bound Charlie (Tyler James Williams) worries about proper behavior and looking smart all the time. Tomboy Donna (Quinn Shephard) hates to be touched but likes to hurt others. Wealthy Grace (Gina Mantegna) acts older than she is. And lonely Beef (Brett Kelly) clings to his Aquaman action figure. Horrified by the chaos of the airport's "unaccompanied minors room," these kids start to bond, mainly over Spencer's problem. See, he left Katy in the terrible room, so he embarks on a mission to bring her a gift so she won't lose faith in Santa. His efforts are paralleled by those of his father, Sam (Rob Corddry), who's driving dangerous conditions to get them. Their mother, Valerie (Paget Brewster), is less effective, watching TV and worrying back home, as Aunt Judy (Teri Garr, in a cameo) drink herself into a stupor while wearing ornaments and a Santa hat. As annoying as such silly displays may be, the children's more immediate concern is with their primary adversary, Scroogey airport manager Oliver Porter (Lewis Black), who calls the kids names and makes it his personal mission to make them feel bad.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (15 ):

Both tedious and hyperactive, UNACCOMPANIED MINORS is also a strangely careless movie. Given that it ends up preaching the value of adults and kids sharing Christmas together, it spends an awful lot of time showing the extreme incompatibility of the two species by following a group of kids who, understandably frustrated at their seeming abandonment on Christmas Eve, outsmart and abuse any and all adults they meet.

While Unaccompanied Minors might seem to fall into the kids-running-amok holiday subgenre most famously exemplified by Home Alone, Paul Fieg's movie is a disappointment in several ways. Crass and unimaginative, it's more an assembly of disconnected scenes than a movie with a plot. After they're befriended by Porter's disgruntled employee, Zach (Wilmer Valderrama), the kids eventually triumph, of course, but you're left wondering just what they've won. And, more importantly, what better use you might have found for your time.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the movie's premise. How realistic is it that something like this could happen? If real kids did get stranded at an airport, do you think they'd act like this? Kids, how would you behave in that situation? What issues are brought up by kids traveling alone, especially during the holidays. What precautions can families take to make sure these trips go off smoothly? And for fun, what sorts of activities can you come up with during a "snow day"?

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