If a dd/ds shows an interest in films, what age do you let them see R-rated classics

[unsinkable]

Both of my olders have shown an interest in films. My 2nd (the one who started at a boys high school) joined the film club.

 

He came home with a list of the 100 greatest films. Problem is, some of them are R-rated and he is only 14. There is NO requirement to see R rated films, I want to make that clear. It is a family discussion, not something the film club demands.

 

I think he has years to go before he needs to see most of the Rs. But of course, he thinks he is ready. I think he'll be just fine without seeing most of the Rs and he can still learn much about films.

 

Here is the war genre, for example:

 

All Quiet/Western Front

Apocalypse Now R

Birth of a Nation

Born/4th July R

Braveheart R

Bridge/River Kwai

Coming Home R

Deer Hunter R

Glory R

Great Escape

Lawrence/Arabia

Longest Day

Paths of Glory

Patton

Platoon R

Saving Private Ryan R

Stalag 17

Three Kings R

 

Please excuse the short hand. :)

 

Now I think there are enough non-R movies here for a 14 boy to get a handle on the genre. I bolded the non-R ones.

 

What does the Hive think?

[LittleIzumi]

Now I think there are enough non-R movies here for a 14 boy to get a handle on the genre. I bolded the non-R ones.

 

What does the Hive think?

 

Yup. I'm surprised Patton isn't R. Plenty of war left without the Rs. (Or maybe you could ClearPlay the Rs, if you have it.) And there are other interesting ones to branch out to, like Dr Strangelove :lol: and he can see the Rs if he wants when he's older. IMO.

[abbeyej]

I would probably tend to evaluate the films individually, rather than categorically by rating. The ratings can be a tool for sorting, but ultimately, I might take an inspiring story with fabulous discussion value and some foul language or violence and an R rating over an insipid story with lots of kicked-in-the-privates types of jokes and a PG rating...

 

I wouldn't have a problem watching Braveheart, Glory, or Saving Private Ryan with a younger teen, for instance. (It's been long enough since I've seen most of the others that I'd hesitate to make a decision without seeing them again or at least reading a parent-oriented review to remind myself...) But most of these movies have great discussion value (in terms of moral choices, character, film-making)...

[Jean in Newcastle]

Glory is a wonderful film that is rated R for battlefield scenes, not language, sex etc.

 

Look at this review -

 

http://www.christiananswers.net/spotlight/movies/2000/glory.html

[unsinkable]

Yup. I'm surprised Patton isn't R. Plenty of war left without the Rs. (Or maybe you could ClearPlay the Rs, if you have it.) And there are other interesting ones to branch out to, like Dr Strangelove :lol: and he can see the Rs if he wants when he's older. IMO.

 

That is under comedy. :D

 

I've never heard of ClearPlay...gonna do the google...

[JudoMom]

I'd go with content, rather than rating, as well.

[unsinkable]

I would probably tend to evaluate the films individually, rather than categorically by rating. The ratings can be a tool for sorting, but ultimately, I might take an inspiring story with fabulous discussion value and some foul language or violence and an R rating over an insipid story with lots of kicked-in-the-privates types of jokes and a PG rating...

 

I wouldn't have a problem watching Braveheart, Glory, or Saving Private Ryan with a younger teen, for instance. (It's been long enough since I've seen most of the others that I'd hesitate to make a decision without seeing them again or at least reading a parent-oriented review to remind myself...) But most of these movies have great discussion value (in terms of moral choices, character, film-making)...

 

I tend to agree with you about evaluating individually.

[unsinkable]

Glory is a wonderful film that is rated R for battlefield scenes, not language, sex etc.

 

Look at this review -

 

http://www.christiananswers.net/spotlight/movies/2000/glory.html

 

Thanks!

[unsinkable]

I'd go with content, rather than rating, as well.

 

Thank you!

[elegantlion]

I tend to agree with you about evaluating individually.

 

:iagree: My ds12 has seen many R rated films. Especially war films I tend to watch and determine if I think he is mature enough to handle the point of the movie. I recently watched Defiance and while the violence & language were not anything he hasn't seen, I don't think he's mature enough to understand the subtlety of the movie. We'll hold off on that for a few more years.

 

I wouldn't dismiss a movie because of the R rating and I'd most likely preview anything that was questionable.

[LittleIzumi]

There are some R films that don't deserve an R, like Glory. I suppose I was thinking of all the true "R" war films, the ones that deserve their "R" and there are many that I think are far too gory/extreme for a 14-year-old.

[Melinda in VT]

Yup. I'm surprised Patton isn't R. Plenty of war left without the Rs. (Or maybe you could ClearPlay the Rs, if you have it.) And there are other interesting ones to branch out to, like Dr Strangelove :lol: and he can see the Rs if he wants when he's older. IMO.

 

I wouldn't recommend ClearPlay for a film student.

 

If you're going to study a work of art, I think you need to see it as the creator intended it to be seen.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Oh - I would hold off on Platoon and Deer Hunter. They haunted me. . .

[Heather in WI]

 

Now I think there are enough non-R movies here for a 14 boy to get a handle on the genre.

 

What does the Hive think?

 

:iagree:

 

I would have him watch all of the non R ones ... some of those are dh's and my favorite movies! I would let him see Braveheart, Glory, and Saving Private Ryan. The others listed (esp. Apocalypse Now, Born on the 4th of July and Platoon), could wait until he is older, IMO.

[Whereneverever]

I would OK Glory, but I don't know about the rest. I definitely think that it should be movie by movie.

[Daisy]

I agree that you could take each movie individually. That said, watching an R-rated movie would be the exception in our household and it would have to really have some incredibly educational content that was unavailable any other way.

 

Even the adults in our family hold to the above principle.

 

Seems that there are plenty of non-R-rated movies on that list that should give you a few more years, imo.

[Deidre in GA]

i think appropriateness for your child and family works best on a film-by-film basis. one F-bomb will earn a film an R rating and there are plenty of worthy films with F-bombs. i find i will often okay films that are R for violence and language. violence is not a problem for me as long as we're not talking snuff films. language i can work around also.

 

sexuality. yeah, i have problems with film depictions and will nix some films on that.

[joannqn]

I agree with everyone else who said to take it each movie individually.

 

My kids will be watching Braveheart in the next month or two since we are hitting that part of history then. They'll see Glory when we do the Civil War. Some of the movies, though, will have to wait until their high school go through history.

 

In our house, we are ok with violence and gore...it's the sexuality that bothers me.

[Crimson Wife]

If I thought the film had merit and there were only a few scenes I deemed inappropriate, I'd probably just fast forward through them. My folks used to do that with me growing up. They would briefly verbally describe what happened in the skipped scenes for plot purposes but wouldn't go into any unnecessary detail.

[unsinkable]

:iagree: My ds12 has seen many R rated films. Especially war films I tend to watch and determine if I think he is mature enough to handle the point of the movie. I recently watched Defiance and while the violence & language were not anything he hasn't seen, I don't think he's mature enough to understand the subtlety of the movie. We'll hold off on that for a few more years.

 

I wouldn't dismiss a movie because of the R rating and I'd most likely preview anything that was questionable.

 

I read that too fast...thought you wrote Deliverance...:lol:

[unsinkable]

There are some R films that don't deserve an R, like Glory. I suppose I was thinking of all the true "R" war films, the ones that deserve their "R" and there are many that I think are far too gory/extreme for a 14-year-old.

 

I think *when* the film was made impacts the R-rating too.

 

Stand By Me (1986) was an R that probably wouldn't be now.

[unsinkable]

I wouldn't recommend ClearPlay for a film student.

 

If you're going to study a work of art, I think you need to see it as the creator intended it to be seen.

 

Good point.

[unsinkable]

Oh - I would hold off on Platoon and Deer Hunter. They haunted me. . .

 

I haven't seen these myself. Thanks for the heads-ip.

[unsinkable]

:iagree:

 

I would have him watch all of the non R ones ... some of those are dh's and my favorite movies! I would let him see Braveheart, Glory, and Saving Private Ryan. The others listed (esp. Apocalypse Now, Born on the 4th of July and Platoon), could wait until he is older, IMO.

 

Thank you!

[unsinkable]

I would OK Glory, but I don't know about the rest. I definitely think that it should be movie by movie.

 

Thanks!

[unsinkable]

I agree that you could take each movie individually. That said, watching an R-rated movie would be the exception in our household and it would have to really have some incredibly educational content that was unavailable any other way.

 

Even the adults in our family hold to the above principle.

 

Seems that there are plenty of non-R-rated movies on that list that should give you a few more years, imo.

 

This is crux...when the learning is about transmitting a message and not necessarily the content.

 

Does that make sense?

[unsinkable]

i think appropriateness for your child and family works best on a film-by-film basis. one F-bomb will earn a film an R rating and there are plenty of worthy films with F-bombs. i find i will often okay films that are R for violence and language. violence is not a problem for me as long as we're not talking snuff films. language i can work around also.

 

sexuality. yeah, i have problems with film depictions and will nix some films on that.

 

I'm pretty sure the F-bomb is what got Stand By Me the R-rating.

[swimmermom3]

I would probably tend to evaluate the films individually, rather than categorically by rating. The ratings can be a tool for sorting, but ultimately, I might take an inspiring story with fabulous discussion value and some foul language or violence and an R rating over an insipid story with lots of kicked-in-the-privates types of jokes and a PG rating...

 

I wouldn't have a problem watching Braveheart, Glory, or Saving Private Ryan with a younger teen, for instance. (It's been long enough since I've seen most of the others that I'd hesitate to make a decision without seeing them again or at least reading a parent-oriented review to remind myself...) But most of these movies have great discussion value (in terms of moral choices, character, film-making)...

 

This is how we approach R-rated movies as well. Recent viewings for our 14yo have included: Last of the Mohicans, Patriot, Defiance, and...umm...Pyscho. We don't allow indiscriminate viewing of PG13s.

[unsinkable]

I agree with everyone else who said to take it each movie individually.

 

My kids will be watching Braveheart in the next month or two since we are hitting that part of history then. They'll see Glory when we do the Civil War. Some of the movies, though, will have to wait until their high school go through history.

 

In our house, we are ok with violence and gore...it's the sexuality that bothers me.

 

The torture & execution scene in Braveheart haunts me.

[unsinkable]

If I thought the film had merit and there were only a few scenes I deemed inappropriate, I'd probably just fast forward through them. My folks used to do that with me growing up. They would briefly verbally describe what happened in the skipped scenes for plot purposes but wouldn't go into any unnecessary detail.

 

Thanks!

[swimmermom3]

Another point for consideration is how visual your son is. Highly graphic content bothers some more than others.

[unsinkable]

This is how we approach R-rated movies as well. Recent viewings for our 14yo have included: Last of the Mohicans, Patriot, Defiance, and...umm...Pyscho. We don't allow indiscriminate viewing of PG13s.

 

DD & I viewed Psycho...I think this is one of those movies that wouldn't get an R-rating today.

[unsinkable]

Another point for consideration is how visual your son is. Highly graphic content bothers some more than others.

 

Very good point!

[TravelingChris]

There are some R rated movies I let my 13 and 16 see and there are some PG13 they don't see. It has less to do with ratings but more with what is offensive. Some of the comedies that get PG13 are totally worthless and filthy if you ask me. Some of the R rated are based on F word or violence of a nature that doesn't offend me. But I don't have them see all R rated war movies either. Platoon I thought was a very disturbing movie and I won't have them see this.

[Dobela]

I would also look at screenit.com . They provide very detailed reviews of movies and that willhelp you make a very good judgement call about how appropriate it is for your child. We depend on that site so heavily for movies that we have now subscribed.

 

About Braveheart - there is some sexuality. He marries and later has a relationship with another woman after his wife is killed. So you do need to be aware of it. The torture scene at the end is horrific IMO, but much of the movie is very realistic and was intended to be historically correct concerning battles, retaliation, and punishment. You don't always see tha actual violence but you see enough to know what is happening (like when he was disembowled and others were beheaded and such). The story of Braveheart himself is not historically accurate, lots of license was taken to make it into a movie. It is rough, but honestly one of my favorite movies.

[Paula in MS]

I would also look at screenit.com . They provide very detailed reviews of movies and that willhelp you make a very good judgement call about how appropriate it is for your child. We depend on that site so heavily for movies that we have now subscribed.

 

About Braveheart - there is some sexuality. He marries and later has a relationship with another woman after his wife is killed. So you do need to be aware of it. The torture scene at the end is horrific IMO, but much of the movie is very realistic and was intended to be historically correct concerning battles, retaliation, and punishment. You don't always see tha actual violence but you see enough to know what is happening (like when he was disembowled and others were beheaded and such). The story of Braveheart himself is not historically accurate, lots of license was taken to make it into a movie. It is rough, but honestly one of my favorite movies.

 

 

Isn't there some nudity in the beginning as well? Haven't seen it in a while. It would be a must for a film student, though.

[elegantlion]

I read that too fast...thought you wrote Deliverance...:lol:

 

Ironically I couldn't remember the name of the movie when it arrived from Netflix and told dh is was Deliverance. He gave me the strangest look until I corrected myself. :D

[joannqn]

The torture & execution scene in Braveheart haunts me.

 

I don't remember it at all even though I've seen that movie twice. Is it worse than Gladiator or Lord of the Rings?

[Dobela]

Isn't there some nudity in the beginning as well? Haven't seen it in a while. It would be a must for a film student, though.

I haven't seen it recently - an in the last 3 months LOL- but if they aren't completely nude, they are at least partially nude. The women anyway. There are 'romantic' scenes I do remember. I agree that a film student would need to watch it. There are parts of it on YouTube available for watching.

[Holly IN]

Both of my olders have shown an interest in films. My 2nd (the one who started at a boys high school) joined the film club.

 

 

 

Apocalypse Now R

 

Born/4th July R

Braveheart R

 

 

Glory R

 

 

 

Platoon R

Saving Private Ryan R

 

 

 

 

What does the Hive think?

 

My son is 14. I deleted the non r movies as it is not addressing the OP thread. So what is left is what my son already have seen either at 14 or earlier.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Now my dh said that Deer Hunter is a big NO NO. It is bad. I haven't seen it though but hubby has. He wished he never saw it.

 

Holly

Edited December 20, 2009 by Holly IN
finish my thought but had to go back to figure out what movie hubby said was bad.

[joannqn]

Ok, I just watched Braveheart on Netflix Instant Play. Here's what I can remember:

 

Wallace and his bride have a scene where they are nude, consummating their secret marriage. They show them standing from the waist up, her breasts are clearly visible full on.

 

Wallace's bride is killed; her neck is sliced. It is obvious what happens but you don't see the actual slice as it happens the split second the camera changes view to just her face.

 

At the beginning of a battle, the Scottish men raise their kilts and "moon" the English soldiers from the front and back. They are wearing nothing but loincloth under their kilts.

 

Lots of battle scene violence...blood, gore, legs chopped off, heads chopped off, smashed skulls, etc. In one seen, some of the English soldiers are locked into a home and burned alive. Some of the Scottish soldiers have hot oil dumped on them and are then burned alive.

 

Yes, the king's son is obviously homosexual but nothing sexual is shown. The king toss's the prince's lover out a window to his death.

 

Yes, the fact that Wallace and the princess have sex is obvious but nothing more than them lying down together and a kiss is shown. No nudity or sex.

 

The end torture scene shows him hanging and being racked. The disembowling isn't shown; you see him reacting from the shoulders up. The beheading isn't shown...just the ax swinging downward.

[Rhonda in TX]

Another point for consideration is how visual your son is. Highly graphic content bothers some more than others.

 

Both of my children are highly visual, so to me, most of these movies would not be acceptable.

 

I recently saw Bridge Over the River Kwai (not R, of course) and it is wonderful. You don't have to have all the violence at a young age to have a great war movie.

[IsabelC]

I would love to see the entire list of 100 Greatest Films.

 

You probably don't want to type them all out though. Does anyone have any links to good lists, or can cut and paste some in?

 

Actually, I might have to start another thread...

[Catherine]

I personally cannot stomach the intensity of movies like Saving Private Ryan-the physical and emotional intensity is too much for me. I have one child who is like this, but he is still small. My olders would have no problem with that, and I'd allow that for a 13 yo. One of my very favorite WWs era films is The Pianist, but the scene when there is a sudden, point-blank shooting of someone who is resisting getting on the train haunted my dreams for weeks. So I'd allow that too, for a kid who can handle the intensity, because the movie is so wonderful.

 

There is also what I'd consider pointless childish humor, ala Austin Powers. Unfortunately the other decision-maker in the house has allowed those. Enough said. I do spend time with my kids discussing why some of these jokes are funny (the fact is, its often poking fun at fat people, or women's body parts, etc.-) so they at least get why not everyone would enjoy that kind of humor.

[TravelingChris]

I agree with the poster about Deerhunter. That one still really bothers me in a completely bad way. (SOme movies like Breaker Morant, ALl quiet on the Western Front, and Gallipolli among many others are haunting but they portray war or loyalty or bravery in a good way so they can be worth it.) I don't remembr much about Deerhunter except the song, the initial scenes and the horrible scene. It didn't teach me anything since I already knew that plenty of people have depressing lives.

[unsinkable]

I still have to answer some of the more recent posts but I got this from DS's teacher so I wanted to post it ASAP.

 

This is his teacher's creation, separated by genre b/c "comparing the best drama to the best comedy is like comparing apples to oranges."

 

The Greatest Films

 

 

Action

Adv. Of Robin Hood

The African Queen

Batman

Ben-Hur

The Dark Knight

The Defiant Ones

Deliverance ®

Die Hard ®

Gladiator ®

Goldfinger

Gunga Din

The Man Who Would Be King

North by Northwest

Pirates of the Caribbean

Raiders of the Lost Ark

 

Animation

Bambi

Beauty and the Beast

Cinderella

Finding Nemo

The Lion King

Pinocchio

Shrek

Snow White

Toy Story

Wall-E

 

Comedy

Adam’s Rib

Airplane

American Graffiti

Annie Hall ®

As Good As It Gets ®

The Awful Truth

Babe

The Bank Dick

Big

The Big Chill ®

Blazing Saddles ®

Breakfast Club

Bringing Up Baby

A Christmas Story

Dr. Strangelove

Duck Soup

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

The General

Gentleman Prefer Blondes

Ghostbusters

The Gold Rush

The Graduate ®

The Great Dictator

Groundhog Day

His Girl Friday

It Happened One Night

The Lady Eve

Little Miss Sunshine ®

MASH ®

Manhattan ®

Miracle of Morgan’s Creek

Modern Times

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

A Night at the Opera

The Philadelphia Story

The Producers (1968)

Sideways ®

Sullivan’s Travels

The Thin Man

This is Spinal Tap ®

To Be or Not To Be

Tootsie

Young Frankenstein

 

Crime

Badlands ®

The Big Heat ®

Blood Simple ®

Bonnie & Clyde

Boyz N the Hood ®

The Departed ®

Dirty Harry ®

Dog Day Afternoon ®

Double Indemnity

Fargo ®

Fight Club ®

The French Connection ®

Gilda

The Godfather ®

The Godfather II ®

Goodfellas ®

Gun Crazy

In Cold Blood

The King of Comedy ®

Little Caesar

The Maltese Falcon

Mean Streets ®

Munich ®

No Country for Old Men ®

Out of the Past

The Public Enemy

Pulp Fiction ®

Scarface ®

The Sting

Touch of Evil

Traffic ®

Treasure of Sierra Madre

Usual Suspects ®

White Heat

 

Drama

Ace in the Hole

An Affair to Remember

All About Eve

All the King’s Men

The Apartment

Apollo 13

The Aviator

A Beautiful Mind

The Best Years of Our Lives

Blackboard Jungle

Capote ®

Citizen Kane

The Color Purple ®

Cool Hand Luke

Days of Wine & Roses

Dead Poets Society

Do the Right Thing ®

Easy Rider ®

Erin Brockovich

A Face in the Crowd

Forrest Gump

Good Will Hunting ®

Goodbye, Mr. Chips

The Grapes of Wrath

Hotel Rwanda

The Hustler

The Insider ®

Into the Wild ®

Kramer Vs. Kramer

The Last Picture Show ®

The Lost Weekend

A Man for All Seasons

Michael Clayton ®

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Network ®

On the Waterfront

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest ®

Ordinary People ®

Philadelphia

A Raisin in the Sun

Rebel Without a Cause

Shawshank Redemption ®

Stand by Me ®

A Streetcar Named Desire

Sunset Blvd.

Sweet Smell of Success

There Will Be Blood ®

To Kill a Mockingbird

12 Angry Men

United 93 ®

Wall Street ®

 

Fantasy

Children of Men ®

E.T.

The Empire Strikes Back

Eternal Sunshine…

Field of Dreams

Harry Potter/ Azkaban

It’s a Wonderful Life

Lord of the Rings

Miracle on 34th Street

Star Wars

Wizard of OZ

 

Horror

The Birds

Carrie ®

Cat People

The Exorcist ®

Frankenstein

Freaks

Halloween ®

JAWS

King Kong 1933

Night of the Living Dead ®

Phantom of the Opera 1925

Rosemary’s Baby ®

The Shining ®

Sophie’s Choice ®

Taxi Driver ®

 

Musical

All that Jazz

Amadeus

An American in Paris

Cabaret

Chicago

Grease

The Jazz Singer

Mary Poppins

My Fair Lady

Nashville ®

Saturday Night Fever ®

Singin’ in the Rain

The Sound of Music

West Side Story

 

Mystery

All the President’s Men

The Big Sleep

Chinatown ®

The Constant Gardener ®

The Conversation

In the Heat of the Night

L.A. Confidential ®

Laura

Marty

Memento ®

Mildred Pierce

Mystic River ®

Vertigo ®

Witness ®

Zodiac ®

 

Romance

Atonement ®

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Broadcast News ®

Brokeback Mountain ®

Casblanca

City Lights

The English Patient ®

Gone With the Wind

Harold and Maude ®

Jerry Maguire ®

Lost in Translation ®

Love Story ®

The Quiet Man

Pride and Prejudice

Sense and Sensibility

Shakespeare in Love ®

Wuthering Heights

 

Sci-Fi

Alien ®

Aliens ®

Back to the Future

Blade Runner ®

Brazil ®

Close Encounters/3rd Kind

The Day the Earth Stood Still

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Jurassic Park

The Matrix

Minority Report

Planet of the Apes

Terminator

The Thing From Another World

2001

 

Sports

Breaking Away

Bull Durham ®

Chariots of Fire

Hoosiers

Million Dollar Baby

Pride of the Yankees

Raging Bull ®

Rocky

 

Thriller

Fatal Attraction ®

The Manchurian Candidate

Night of the Hunter

Notorious

Psycho

Rear Window

Rebecca

Se7en ®

Shadow of a Doubt

Silence of the Lambs ®

The Sixth Sense

Strangers on a Train

The Third Man

What Ever Happen to Baby Jane?

 

War

All Quiet on the Western Front

Apocalypse Now ®

The Birth of a Nation

Born on the 4th of July ®

Braveheart ®

Bridge on the River Kwai

Coming Home ®

The Deer Hunter ®

Glory ®

The Great Escape

Lawrence of Arabia

The Longest Day

Paths of Glory

Patton

Platoon ®

Saving Private Ryan ®

Schindler’s List ®

Stalag 17

Three Kings ®

 

Western

Butch Cassidy & Sundance

Cat Ballou

Dances With Wolves

High Noon

McCabe and Mrs. Miller

Outlaw Josey Wales

Red River

The Searchers

Shane

Unforgiven ®

The Wild Bunch ®