Parents' Guide to Home

Movie PG 2015 94 minutes
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Common Sense Media Review

Barbara Shulgasser-Parker By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 6+

Animated alien comedy is sweet, cute, if not super original.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 6+?

Any Positive Content?

  • 1:00
  • Home Trailer
  • Home: Oh and Tip sitting next to each other
  • Home: Oh with mustache
  • Home: Oh in a vehicle with a belly-up cat on his head

Parent and Kid Reviews

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age 6+

Based on 50 parent reviews

 

 

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age 6+

Based on 78 kid reviews

Kids say this animated film is a delightful and heartwarming adventure, championing themes of friendship, family, and acceptance that resonate with both children and adults. While some reviews mention mild peril and moments that could be a bit intense for younger viewers, the overall tone is fun, funny, and suitable for a family movie night.

  • friendship
  • family values
  • mild peril
  • humorous moments
  • suitable for kids
Summarized with AI
 

 

See all 78 kid reviews

What's the Story?

The Boov have a problem. Every time their archenemies, The Gorg, find them hiding somewhere new in the universe, The Boov have to run away to a new host planet. And this time, their destination is Earth. The humans -- including seventh grader Tip (voiced by Rihanna), who ends up separated from her mother, are less than thrilled as The Boov vacuum them up and send them to Australia. But Tip makes an unlikely friend in Oh (Jim Parsons), an unusually friendly Boov who craves a connection. Despite a rocky start, the two form a bond, and together they conspire to find Tip's mother and -- naturally -- save the planet.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 50 ):
Kids say ( 78 ):

Plenty of creativity and artistry were lavished on HOME's production, and the animation is flat-out beautiful. The movie is good, if not startlingly original -- which may be just fine for most young moviegoers. The Boov look a little like the pudgy, adorable Minions from the Despicable Me franchise, with some mini-Shrek thrown in. And The Boov's clueless leader, Captain Smek (an enthusiastic Steve Martin), recalls Madagascar's hilariously egomaniacal but not particularly brave King Julien. (When threatened, the Boov legend goes, "Smek wisely fled in terror.")

The Boov frown upon courage and lack the human yearning for company; they find human behavior totally bewildering. This makes the lovable Oh an outlier -- he's a guy who wants to party down living among a people who believe that "Parties are useless and take up valuable Boov time." ("Among The Boov, I do not fit in," he explains. "I fit out.") The relationship between the good-hearted but friendless alien and the skeptical, self-reliant Tip is beautifully rendered. And the songs (sung by Rihanna) that dot the action help enormously to clarify the movie's emotional underpinnings. The decision to emphasize humanity's best characteristics -- the tendency to display irrational hope in the face of long odds -- makes Home a feel-good experience even as aliens are taking over the planet.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Home's messages about tolerance. How does the movie demonstrate that it's OK to be friends with people who look different from you and live differently from you?

  • Why do you think some people might give up hope before they even try? Why is failing so scary?

  • How would you feel if every time you lied, you turned green? Do humans have other "tells" when they lie?

  • If you've read the book the movie is based on, how do they compare? Which do you like better, and why?

Movie Details

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