Sunday, January 24, 2010

"AT LEAST 6 ASSES, 2 HELLS, 1 CRAP, 1 DAMN, 2 USES OF 'GOD' AND 1 USE OF 'OH MY GOD": Even though it's rated PG-13, is there really anything in School of Rock which renders it unsuitable for an almost-seven-year-old? Schneebly!

9 comments:

  1. Been a while since I've seen it, but there's stuff in there that flies over the head of a seven year old, but that might be inappropriate for a 10 year old.  (Example--Dewey's big "I've touched your kids" speech.)  Certainly, the TV edit ought to be safe.

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  2. Billiam5:25 PM

    Wow.  These people really watch the movie closely:  "A miscellaneous woman wears a midriff-revealing top."

    If I had children, I would appreciate that this site exists.  But it must be really unfun to write for the site.  There is no way you could get any enjoyment watching a movie, when all you do is write down every detail that could be scary or inappropriate (even making notes of scary music and writing down every disrespectful phrase), and also examine whether every character could be construed as a postive/negative role model (check out the deconstructions of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban").

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  3. Not unless you're worried about her being overwhelmed by too much awesomeness.

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  4. Mr. Cosmo9:42 PM

    Totally depends on the kid.  I don't think I'd want my almost-7-year-old girl to see it, but wouldn't lose much sleep if she did.  However, I can already guarantee that if my 3 1/2-year-old son saw it then he was almost 7, we'd have two months of hell, crap, and ass flying around the house.

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  5. kcosmo's neighbor7:41 AM

    my kids (6 & 9) have seen it more than once (we have the DVD). The only lasting effect--they are even more into "producing" their own music. We've experienced no increase in foul language or midriff baring shirts. Jack Black is really just an oversized almost 7-year-old.

    P.S. I'm going to put together a parental review web site for parents who want to know if it's safe for their children to join their father as he watches the Jets in the post-season. Let's see 12 F words, 4 What the F? words...
    [Actually, daddy was sent off to the bedroom for private viewing to protect the ears of the innocent.]

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  6. Slick1:57 PM

    Re the PS: Our family had the same experience watching the Washington Huskies last year.  Oof. 

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  7. Genevieve3:13 PM

    Depends on the kid, definitely, and on what the parents are comfortable with.  Mine saw it at 8, not because we were keeping it from him before then but because it didn't come up until then. 

    I really appreciate that the site exists, and I'm a subscriber to it.  It's been very helpful in knowing specifically what's going to be in a movie and therefore how I feel about my son watching it -- I don't care about midriffs bared or role models or too many expletives, but there are certain phrases he doesn't need to be hearing yet and concepts he doesn't need to learn yet.  I used it a fair amount when he was younger and really sensitive to certain tense emotional situations in movies, too.  Certainly I wouldn't want to write for the site, but I'm glad it's there in much more detail than the somewhat helpful "Family Filmgoer" in the WaPo.  And I like that it doesn't recommend specific ages that movies are appropriate for, just gives you the information and lets you decide.

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  8. Genevieve3:15 PM

    Oh, and "scary music" was good to know about when he was 3 and would want to stop watching a movie when the music started telling him something scary was going to happen.  He was more sensitive to the music than to the actual happening.

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  9. calliekl7:38 PM

    Genevieve- My sister and I were both terrified of the music for Unsolved Mysteries. If we came to the middle of the show, we were fine, but the opening music was way too scary for us.

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