Common Sense Media Review
By Marty Brown
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Powerful Civil War-era comedy-drama has violence, racism.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 18+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Good Lord Bird
What's the Story?
Based on the 2013 novel of the same name, THE GOOD LORD BIRD is a fictional version of the abolitionist crusade of John Brown and the events leading up to the 1859 raid on Harper's Ferry that preceded the Civil War. Young Henry Shackleford (Joshua Caleb Johnson) loses his father in a violent skirmish between Brown (Ethan Hawke) and the pro-slavery Dutch Henry (David Morse). Mistaken for a young girl, Henry -- now Henrietta -- joins the small abolitionist army led by Brown and his four sons.
Is It Any Good?
Turning a key player in pre-Civil War America into a comic figure is obviously a dicey proposition. Yet The Good Lord Bird does just that, and without losing any of the gravity of the event's historical context. Ethan Hawke's John Brown is a loose cannon prone to violent outbursts and mangled bible verses, but The Good Lord Bird uses him as an entry point to understanding the Northern-Southern conflict. This darkly comic take of the seminal raid on Harpers Ferry gives viewers a modern, enlightened pesrpective and shows how the fight for change can be messy and righteous at the same time.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about John Brown. What did you know about the abolitionist John Brown before watching the show? How does The Good Lord Bird's Brown compare to the real life Brown?
What is Brown fighting for? How does he go about trying to reach his goal? Do you think his methods are justified by his cause?
Why would someone make a comedy about slavery? What does the audience experience when watching The Good Lord Bird that would be different from a typical Civil War-era drama? Does the show's tone make you view history from a different perspective? How so?
TV Details
- Premiere date : October 4, 2020
- Cast : Ethan Hawke , Joshua Caleb Johnson , Wyatt Russell
- Network : Showtime
- Genre : Drama
- TV rating :
- Award : NAACP Image Award - NAACP Image Award Winner
- Last updated : October 3, 2024
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