Coffeytalk
is an online family magazine that offers both expert
parenting advice and family friendly movie reviews.
As parents, when we’re looking for a movie to
see with our kids, we’re concerned with more than
the rating. The Motion Picture Association of America
(MPAA) assigns each movie a rating based on the amount
of violence, the swear words used, any sexual content,
and the general tone of the movie. Movies are rated
with a G (for General Audiences), meaning that the film
basically contains nothing that anyone would find offensive
and that parents can feel comfortable taking children
of all ages to see this movie. PG means that Parental
Guidance is suggested. There is no age requirement set,
but parents are advised that some words or images might
not be suitable for younger children. PG-13 means that
Parental Guidance is suggested for children under the
age of 13 years old. To further explain how they came
up with the rating, the MPAA has also given its reasons.
For a more specific run-down of a movies rating, go
to http://www.parentalguide.org . An R rating indicates
that a movie is restricted, and that no one under the
age of 17 will be admitted without an adult accompanying
them. An NC-17 rating means that the movie is for adults
only, and no one under age 17 will be admitted at all.
The ratings are just a guideline. It’s up to us,
as parents, to decide what movies our kids can handle,
and which they will benefit from. We are bombarded with
advertisements and previews, which don’t really
tell us the whole story. We do have choices in how we
spend our movie-going dollars.
In
my movie reviews, I look at the film from a parent’s
point of view. And, of course, I want to be entertained
by the whole experience as well! I don’t go
to see every movie that comes out, just the ones I
choose to see – which happens to be a lot anyway!
And I grade the movies with letter grades like you’d
get in school. Any film that gets an A is definitely
worth seeing. It’s probably award-worthy. A
B means that it’s enjoyable, but you could wait
to see it on DVD if you’re not in a hurry. A
C is just barely passable. Wait for the DVD, or skip
it all together. A D is a total waste of time and
money. An F, well, speaks for itself. I don’t
give many F’s because I feel like people put
time and effort into creating this movie and the fact
that it made it into the theatres is an accomplishment
in itself. And I am not totally generous with A’s
either. I’m looking for quality in the story,
in the acting, in the cinematography – I want
to be taken away for a couple of hours and enjoy it.
So an A really means something in my book!
There
is a section on the discussion board where you can
talk about your favorite movies – and feel free
to agree or disagree with any of my reviews. We learn
from each other, and I appreciate your feedback! Post
your own family friendly movie reviews to share with
our community.
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