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Avg. Critic Score: 86 out of 100 Universal acclaim Metascore^® based on all critic reviews

Information for Parents:

OK for kids 16+

Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

100

Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern
The results are nothing less than sensational. Read full review
100

New York Daily News | Joe Neumaier
Argo is movie magic. Ben Affleck's third directorial outing, is an entertaining, real-life, race-the-clock thriller that nabs you at the start and never makes a wrong move. Read full review
100

San Francisco Chronicle | Amy Biancolli
The main source of astonishment is the precision exhibited everywhere, from the slyly vintage look of Rodrigo Prieto's cinematography to the gradual, cinching tension in Chris Terrio's careful screenplay. Read full review
100

USA Today | Claudia Puig
A superbly crafted and darkly funny real-life political thriller, with pitch-perfect performances. Read full review
100

Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman
Argo is never less than wildly entertaining, but a major part of its power is that it so ominously captures the kickoff to the world we're in now. Read full review
90

The Hollywood Reporter | Todd McCarthy
Argo is a crackerjack political thriller told with intelligence, great period detail and a surprising amount of nutty humor for a serious look at the Iran hostage crisis of 1979-81. Read full review
88

Philadelphia Inquirer | Steven Rea
Argo's white-knuckle nail-biter of a climax takes liberties with how events played out in real life. But while Affleck and screenwriter Chris Terrio have opted to go Hollywood, it's high-class Hollywood, not the low-rent and exploitative route that the make-believe movie at the heart of this tale would have taken. Read full review
88

Rolling Stone | Peter Travers
Just so we're straight, Ben Affleck doesn't merely direct Argo, he directs the hell out of it, nailing the quickening pace, the wayward humor, the nerve-frying suspense. Read full review
75

Boston Globe | Wesley Morris
Argo is absurdly suspenseful for both of its hours. I've never been this stressed-out watching people shred documents. Read full review
75

Movieline |
The primary weakness of Affleck's film is the actor himself, who can't seem to find much in "exfiltration" specialist Tony aside from a dedication to his work and sorrow over the potential breakup of his family. Read full review

Metacritic link View more reviews for Argo on Metacritic

Information for Parents

Common Sense Media says OK for kids 16+ Taut political thriller based on real-life escape from Iran.

What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that Argo is based on the true story of a daring covert rescue mission, carried out by CIA operative Tony Mendez (played by Ben Affleck, who also directs), during the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis. A few scenes feature unruly mobs and dead bodies, and there are some extremely tense sequences during the escape, but there's not much actual on-screen violence. Other issues include swearing (there's quite a bit, including "f--k" and "s--t") and several scenes that show people smoking and drinking during social occasions.

Families can talk about the fact that the whole Argo mission is built around a huge deception. Why is it OK to lie in this situation? Are there other times that it's OK?
Some Canadians are apparently miffed that their participation in the rescue has been minimized in the film. When it comes to portraying real-life events, should Hollywood hew to the historic accounts? Or does entertainment trump accuracy?
Are the characters role models? What about the "bad guys"? How are they portrayed? How might this story play out differently if it had been made in another country?

The good stuff

Positive messages: The CIA goes to extreme lengths -- and one agent risks his life -- to save six people who need to get out of Iran before they're captured by revolutionaries. It's a patriotic story, based on a real mission, that highlights the agency's sense of duty during very difficult times.
Positive role models: CIA operative Tony Mendez has one firm rule: Never leave anyone behind. He goes to extraordinary lengths to rescue six people before they're captured. The entire movie is built around a huge lie, but it's clear that the deception is both justified and necessary, and Mendez puts his own life on the line to pull it off.

What to watch for

Violence: An unruly mob overruns the U.S. embassy, waving guns and threatening people. Soldiers fire tear gas into a crowd. People are manhandled and shoved around. Later, militants threaten to shoot hostages, even setting up a firing squad. Other scenes show victims of the violence in Iran, including death by point-blank gunfire and hanging. Several scenes include tense stand-offs between soldiers and people trying to hide their identities, and though there's not much violence, the anxiety is palpable. Lots of guns.
Sexy stuff: Some scantily clad actresses in scenes involving sci-fi movie shoots. A married couple hugs.
Language: Frequent swearing includes "f--k" (and many variations thereof, including a running joke involving the movie's title and word "f--k"), "s--t," "prick," "a--hole," "d--k," "hell," "goddamn," "Jesus Christ" (as an exclamation), and more.
Consumerism: One character drinks Miller beer and eats at McDonald's. A wealthy movie executive drives a Rolls Royce.
Drinking, drugs and smoking: Several scenes show people drinking wine and cocktails at meals. A man drinks liquor alone in a hotel room, straight from the bottle, after getting bad news; it's also implied that he drinks wine "for courage" in another tense situation. Pretty frequent smoking (accurate for the era).

Common Sense Media An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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