Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 8+
Sisters learn value of love, work, and sacrifice.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that for children interested in the performing arts, this family-friendly movie and its emphasis on a rigid training regimen as a road to sure success will be appealing. A loving family comprising three girls adopted from around the world and their guardian and nanny is depicted, working together to overcome tough economic times in Britain in the 1930s. One child runs away but returns without harm. Expect plenty of era-appropriate smoking as well.
- Families can talk about the sacrifices that each family member makes when they begin to run short on money. Which character sacrifices the most? Which of the three sisters do you like the best, and why? What do you think happened to Pauline, Petrova, and Pansy after the movie story ends?
The good stuff
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Positive messages: Three orphans who become adopted sisters work hard to help their guardian through times of financial crisis, but for two of the characters the work becomes self-serving and an avenue for arrogance. The bonds of love are strong for this haphazardly formed family of women, who believe that "the world isn't kind to girls who can't support themselves." One sister pokes fun of other students and teachers, challenges a famous ballet master, and is more worried for her ballet training than her teacher when the woman becomes ill.
What to watch for
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Violence and scariness: Not an issue
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Sexy stuff: Dance teacher talks with nostalgia of meeting men at the stage door; brief scene of scantily clad dancers; adult characters pine for each other from afar for most of movie.
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Language: This is a British production so some of the slang terms may be unfamiliar to children, like "skint," and "fag" as a name for a cigarette.
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Consumerism: Not an issue
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Drinking, drugs and smoking: Director didn't skimp on era-appropriate adult smoking, though one new smoker chokes and throws a butt away after one puff.