Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says not for kids
Tarantino's very bloody half of Grindhouse.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this movie celebrates and partially recreates brutal sex-and-action movies that played in bad-neighborhood theaters of the 1960s and '70s. There is a lot of swearing, bloody violence, much talk of sex (none shown, though), vicious and self-destructive behavior, and revenge.
- Families can talk about why Quentin Tarantino made this film, and what would be the appeal for anyone outside of his viewing-party circle. Lots of today's cutting-edge moviemakers seem fascinated by trashy exploitation pictures from their childhood, and some commentators claim those down-and-dirty films, ignored or condemned at the time by the mainstream, exhibited more creativity, energy, and daring than conventional Hollywood productions. Do you believe that? Where are the good ideas hiding today, then?
The good stuff
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Positive messages: Nobody here is very admirable. The second set of girl victims are "empowered" stuntwomen, who fight back (and get revenge, with no help from authorities), but also pull hazardous tricks for their own thrills. Characters in a mixed black and white posse call each other the N-word in comradely fashion.
What to watch for
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Violence: Characters battered and gruesomely dismembered in a brutal car smashup (shown in several versions) and beaten bloody.
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Sex: All talk, but lots of it, with details of infidelity and multiple partners. Female characters dress skimpily, in shorts and T-shirts, and one gives a man a very suggestive (but clothed) lapdance.
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Language: Most every swear word there is gets uttered. At least one girl chastises another when she uses God's name in vain.
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Consumerism: Brand names of beverages, cars, popular magazines, and obscure movies (Faster Pussycat Kill Kill!) that Quentin Tarantino fancies.
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Drinking, drugs and smoking: Psycho stuntman Mike claims to be a non-drinker, but he's the only one. Lots of imbibing, smoking, and talk of marijuana and harder drugs.