I'm thinking of taking my 10.5 year old dtr to the Lincoln movie. She and I are both very interested in everything Lincoln. She is mature for her age. I hear there are some military scenes that might be the reason for the PG 13 rating. Have you seen the movie and if so, would you take your 10.5 year old dtr to see it?
Thanks everyone for your comments.
I would let her see it. I saw "Glory" when I was about her age, and the violence was significant, but not gratuitous. I think it helps drive home the idea that "war is hell," as Sherman said. I don't think that's a bad lesson for 10 year olds to learn early on.
The Washingon Post's excellent "Family Filmgoer" column always gives very specific details of what might be considered tough for some kids, so that parents can judge. Here is what the column said about "Lincoln":
"Three scenes make “Lincoln” problematic for some middle-schoolers. One shows soldiers fighting intensely but non-graphically with bayonets; another shows Lincoln riding through a battlefield seeing endless dead bodies; the third shows Robert watching as a wheelbarrow full of severed limbs is dumped near an army hospital. Characters smoke, drink and curse. The N-word is heard often, along with other racial insults. A marital fight between the Lincolns is upsetting."
Pretty specific and helpful, I thought. My 11-year-old wants to see it and I think it likely will be fine for her, but I will go see it myself first. If there is ever any doubt, I go see a film before she does -- that's truly the only way to know whether you want your child to see it, because you, not we or reviewers, really know your child best.
Here's a site I use for basic information, so I can make my own decision about taking the kids http://www.commonsensemedia.org/
"The most sensitive issues in the movie are its depiction of war (severed limbs and bloody battlefields filled with dead soldiers are seen) and occasional strong language, including many era-accurate (but hard to hear today) racial epithets."
Below is a direct link to the review on common sense. Our family has found that site to be a great resource for age appropriate movie reviews. We do however find them a bit more "careful" than we are so if they say it's OK for 13 we might allow our 11 year old to see it.
I am even considering letting my Abe Lincoln OBSESSED 10 year old see it. If the message and history are strong enough I think the violence and language are not pointless. She memorized the entire Gettysburg Address, for FUN, after I told her it was an assignment for me in the fifth grade. Honestly she's not a weird kid just extremely goal oriented and a little task master.
Her enthusiasm is infectious, I think that alone deserves a little rule bending when it comes to a PG-13 movie!
Per IMBd's website and review, the reason is:
"Rated PG-13 for an intense scene of war violence, some images of carnage and brief strong language."
Once the movie is actually released and folks can go on and review it, they will list the exact details I'm sure. I checked for Skyfall last weekend before we took the kids. It gave every single detail, so much so that it made me fell iffy about taking them. (Daughter is 11). But, we went, and there was really nothing to have been the least bit concerned about.
"A man naked from the waist up" turned out to be Bond sitting on the side of a pool, lol.
I don't know if www.screenit.com is still free. It has very good guides for movies if still free.
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/lincoln
This will tell you in detail what you need to know. :-) Mouse over categories such as Violence, Sex, etc to see exactly what the deal is.
Check out the website: www.kids-in-mind.com. They will go into detail about sex scenes or situations, language, violence, and more. This is an awesome website. It doesn't go into too much detail to ruin the movie for you though.
We had an early screening here in Chicago and my husband took our 10.5 yo son last weekend. He has always had a big interest in presidents and history. He mostly enjoyed it, but it is looong. No matter the content, 2.5+ hours is long for anyone watching a movie. My son said some parts got a little boring, lots of long scenes of talking, talking, talking. Sometimes talking in a way that was confusing/hard to follow. I think the violence is acceptable considering the context (war related and not gratuitous or excessive). My son knows how awful the N-word is but understood its use in the movie. In the end he is glad he saw it, not sure if you have made your decision or seen it yet but I say it is worth taking her.
