Jackie

My All-American-Kids’ Movie Review

Freddie Steinmark (Finn Wittrock) is a football player. He started as a young boy scoring several touchdowns a game. Freddie’s life long dream is to play college football for Notre Dame then go pro and play for the Chicago Bears. The problem is that Freddie is too small, weighing only 145 pounds as a teenager. Though he’s an amazing high school football player, he receives regular rejections to play college football due to his small size. However, his life dramatically changes the day legendary University of Texas football coach Darrell Royal (Aaron Eckhart) offers Freddie a scholarship to play for the Texas Longhorns. Freddie, along with his high school teammate Bobby Mitchell, head to Texas to play football. As the Longhorns finish their 1969 season as National Champions, Freddie faces a challenge of his own-his biggest one ever. Based on a true story, My All-American is a wonderful inspirational drama about a true football hero… on and off the field.

Rating: 4 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: February 23, 2016
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 10+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

Freddie is a humble, hard-working athlete. He’s a great role model for kids; he attends Mass everyday, works hard in school and works hard on the football field. Nothing came easy for him, but it was his work ethic and determination that helped him succeed. Great parent/child conversations.
Fans of Hoosiers and Rudy will most likely love My All-American as it is written and directed by the same filmaker-Angelo Pizzo.

Sexual Content: Mild

We see Freddie and his girlfriend kiss several times.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate

We see hard hits during the football practices and games.
{Spoiler Alert} The subject of death is noted in the film which may frighten young kids. There’s a Brian’s Song element to it.

Crude or Profane Language: Moderate

We hear “h–,” “d–n,” “a–,” “b–ch” and “b–tard.”

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

We see characters drinking wine.
It’s mentioned that a priest serves beer to the football players once a week.

Will Kids Like It? Yes

Overall My All-American is an amazing heartfelt sports drama. Depending on the child I recommend this for kids ages 10 and up. Parents need to be aware of the mature subject matter of death.

Love the Coopers-Teen Movie Reviews

The Cooper family may seem happy as they sing their favorite Christmas carols during their annual Christmas Eve dinner…though they’re not. Charlotte Cooper (Diane Keaton) wants one perfect Christmas before she and her husband get divorced. However, when the four generations of Coopers come together to celebrate, several unlikely events occur and their true lives are ultimately revealed. Through their ups and downs, the family discovers the true meaning of the Christmas spirit.

Rating: 3 and 1/2 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: February 9, 2016
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 13+
Sexual Content: Moderate
Violent/Disturbing Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Teens Like It? No

Talking Points:

The Cooper family have their problems; they lie to one another and pretend to have “Facebook” perfect lives. However, they ultimately learn that’s it’s better to tell the truth, and that with family you can be yourself.
Though this has a wonderful message about importance of family, the film may not appeal to kids or teens due to the mature subject matter of complicated adult relationships.

Sexual Content: Moderate

We see various couples passionately kiss and making out.
There’s talk of being gay, female body parts and jokes relating to orgasms.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Mild

It’s implied that a character attempted suicide.
One character punches another character.

Crude or Profane Language: Mild

We hear “sh-t,” “h—,” and “d–n.”

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

We see characters drinking wine, martinis and shots.

Will Teens Like It? No

Due to the mature subject matter this may not appeal to kids.

Overall Love the Coopers is geared towards adults and may appeal to older teenagers.

Spectre-Teen Movie Review

Bond. James Bond…he’s back and better than ever. In this film Bond (Daniel Craig) ends up in Mexico City and Rome. After entering a secret meeting, he discovers the existence of an evil organization called Spectre. As Bond learns about the group, he also finds a connection between himself and their cruel leader (Christoph Waltz). Spectre is an action packed adventurous film with 007’s cars, guns, and gadgets. It’s all about Bond. James Bond.

Rating: 3 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: February 9, 2016
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 15+
Sexual Content: Moderate
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Teens Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

Though Spectre is very violent, and disturbing in parts, Bond seems very different. He falls in love, and treats woman with a more respect. There are times in the film when he could kill, though he chooses not to.

Sexual Content: Moderate

James Bond sleeps with a newly widowed woman. We see them passionately kiss, then bond unzips her dress. Later we see her on the bed in a negligee.
James sleeps with another woman as well, a love interest. We see them passionately kiss as Bond rips off her clothes (we don’t see anything). Later she’s shown wearing a sexy nightgown.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

The villain drills holes into James’ head, James screams in agony. This was a very disturbing scene.
We see a lot of characters shot and killed. There are several explosions as cars, planes and buildings blow up.
There are numerous brutal fights, with very graphic images. In one scene a man gouges out another mans eyes with his thumbs… killing him. There’s a violent fight on a train with characters thrown around, beaten and shot.

Crude or Profane Language: Moderate

We hear “a–,” “b–tard,” and “h—.”

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

Bond orders his usual drink…vodka martini.
We see characters drinking beer, wine and champagne. One character is shown tipsy and tells Bond that she can see two of him.

Will Teens Teens It? Yes

Overall Spectre is an action packed movie, one that teenagers will enjoy. Parents need to be aware of the excessive and disturbing violence throughout the film. Depending on the child I recommend this for kids ages 15 and up.

The Peanuts Movie-Kids Movie Review

Charlie Brown is not a quitter, and life isn’t always easy for Charlie; especially when he’s trying to impress the Red-Haired Girl who moves into his neighborhood. As Charlie continually tries to woo her, things don’t always go his way. However, he keeps hoping and never gives up. We see how “Good ol’ Charlie Brown” handles his ups and downs, while always doing the right thing! The Peanuts Movie is a wonderful feel good family flick!!!

Rating: 5 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: March 8, 2016
MPAA Rating: G
Best Age Group: 5+
Sexual Content: None
Violent/Disturbing Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drug and Alcohol Content: None
Will Kids Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

Charlie Brown may have his goofy mishaps but he never gives up….great parent/child conversation.
He’s a good friend, and brother. We see him help his sister as she’s in a embarrassing situation. He puts aside his own plans to help her out. It’s noted that he’s kind, compassionate, brave and funny.
The Peanuts Movie does a great job of representing the Peanuts comic strips and TV show. The voices are perfect.

Sexual Content: None

Violent/Disturbing Content: Mild

There is some silly slapstick violence throughout the film. Charlie stumbles, slips on a wet floor, gets tied up by a kite, and much more.
In Snoopy’s fantasy world we see him pursue his nemesis, The Red Baron, as a WWI pilot.

Crude or Profane Language: Mild

Name calling, “blockhead” is said a few times.

Drug and Alcohol Content: None

Will Kids Like It? Yes

Kids of all ages were at the theater grinning from ear to ear and sitting at the edge of their seats.

Overall this is a perfect animated film for young kids. Parents who grew up Charlie Brown will love it as well.

Burnt-Teen Movie Review

“If it’s not perfect, throw it away.” Adam Jones (Bradley Cooper) is a control freak and a perfectionist! He was once known as a top chef in Paris, though he had his share of problems due to drug and alcohol addiction that put his career on hold. However, he gets a second chance when he’s hired as the head chef of a fine-dining restaurant in London. Adam learns a lot on how to handle his control issues while managing his new staff. He also gets a second chance to fulfill his dream of earning a third Michelin star…a goal the perfectionist chef has always pursued.

Rating: 1 and 1/2 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: January 26, 2016
MPAA Rating: R
Best Age Group: 18+
Sexual Content: Moderate
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
Drug and Alcohol Content: Moderate
Will Teens Like It? No

Talking Points:

As I previously mentioned, Adam Jones is a perfectionist and he wants to be in control. Even though this is not a sports film, the theme throughout the movie is to work as a team. One of Adam’s chefs says, “We cook together. We take care of each other. You can’t do it alone. No one can. You have to trust us.” {Spoiler Alert} He relinquishes some control and becomes a better chef and more importantly a better person.

Sexual Content: Moderate

We see a couple kiss passionately.
A couple is shown in bed together, and the woman is only wearing a camisole.
A man is gay and it’s noted that he’s in love with Adam. We see him admire Adam’s physique.
There are a lot of sexual references throughout the film. Adam repeatedly compares food to sex. There’s talk of orgasms, condoms and prostitutes.
.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate

Drug dealers beat Adam (offscreen), we see his scared face and a big bruise and wound on his back.
Two chefs destroy their kitchens in a fit of rage.
Adam pulls a plastic bag over his head and attempts to suffocate himself. This was a disturbing scene.

Crude or Profane Language: Excessive

The f-word is said numerous times throughout the film. We also hear “sh-t,” “h—,” “b–tard,” and “a–.

Drug and Alcohol Content: Moderate

We see characters drinking wine and smoking cigarettes.
It’s noted that Adam had a drug and alcohol addiction.
References are made to painkillers and cocaine.
We see a character who gets very drunk and can barely walk.

Will Kids Like It? No

Overall this is an interesting film, however due to the mature subject matter and R rating, Burnt may not appeal to pre-teens or teens.