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JFK

(1991, Rated R, Drama, Starring Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman, Sissy Spacek)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 14, age appropriate for kids over 16; suggested age 15.
  • Is it any good?

    4.0
  • Common Sense says

    Politician makes case for JFK murder as conspiracy.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 15–16

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Some of those in whom we trust (law enforcement, government officials) are shown to be dishonest and self-serving. There are scenes of sordid homosexual behavior without any moderate gay characters to balance that portrayal.

  • Violence:

    Footage of President Kennedy's assassination from many angles repeatedly; Lee Harvey Oswald's killing is re-created; woman thrown from car, elderly man being beaten; rough arrests by police officers, dead bodies shown in a variety of poses, quick glimpse of machete used as a weapon; some domestic violence.
  • Sex:

    Kissing and playful sexuality between husband and wife; some passionate kissing; suggestively dancing strippers with pasties in club scene, homosexual revelry bordering on deviant in several sequences.
  • Language:

    Rough language throughout: continuous use of all forms of "f--k,"" bastard," "hell," "assh---," s--t"; many derogatory terms for homosexual; racial epithets, including the "n" word.
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Social drinking throughout; some scenes of heavy drinking, drunkenness, hints of drug use, particularly as part of homosexual partying. Smoking in many scenes as was more prevalent in 1960s: cigarettes, cigars, pipe.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About JFK

Parents need to know that in its attempt to convince the audience (and the world) that President Kennedy was not killed by Lee Harvey Oswald acting alone, this film shows disturbing footage of the actual shooting over and over again, sometimes close-up, sometimes in slow-motion, heightening the effects of the bullets. Other scenes show brutal beatings, dead bodies, and a re-creation of the shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald. Language throughout is coarse, filled with sexual expletives and racial and homosexual insults. There are party scenes that show licentious gay behavior. A stripper is briefly seen dancing suggestively while nearly nude.

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Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about an art form, in this case filmmaking, used as a powerful political tool. Was JFK successful at provoking thought about President Kennedy's assassination? What tools could you use to further verify or invalidate the film's point of view? Have you seen other movies that advocate a particular cause, or present a controversial issue? Other works of art (i.e. music, painting, literature)?

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