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Shirley tells the story of Shirley Chisholm, a pioneering Black politician who battled prejudice in the years following the Civil Rights Movement.

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Unlike the MPAA we do not assign one inscrutable rating based on age, but 3 objective ratings for SEX/NUDITY , VIOLENCE/GORE and LANGUAGE on a scale of 0 to 10, from lowest to highest, depending on quantity and context.

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FILTER by RATINGS Did you know you can now filter searches by any combination of ratings? Just go to our search page or use the search bar, with or without a keyword, from the top navigation menu. Move sliders from 0-10 in any combination, check and uncheck MPAA ratings and use keywords to further filter results — please let us know what you think.

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This is what we do: We enable adults to determine whether a movie is appropriate for them or their children, according to their own criteria. Unlike the MPAA we do not assign an inscrutable rating based on age but 3 objective ratings for SEX/NUDITY , VIOLENCE/GORE & LANGUAGE, on a scale of 0 to 10, and we explain in detail why a film rates high or low in a specific category; we also include instances of SUBSTANCE USE, a thorough list of DISCUSSION TOPICS that may elicit questions from children, and the MESSAGE the film conveys. Since our system is based on objective standards, not the viewer’s age or the artistic merits of a film, we enable adults to determine whether a movie is appropriate for their own children… | more | 

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Established by the MPAA in 1968, the rating system was created to help parents make informed viewing choices for their children.

Learn the facts, history, and evolution behind 50 years of ratings.

THE FILM RATING SYSTEM

4 Websites That Offer Family Friendly Ratings & Reviews On Movies

Media and entertainment are all around us. Thankfully so is education and information. As adults, we are attuned to sift the wheat from the chaff; but our kids aren’t, however precocious they might be. So, how do you decide which movies are family-friendly and which should be dealt with parental censorship?

We are getting pounded by digital blitzkriegs every day. Media and entertainment are all around us. Thankfully so is education and information. As adults, we are attuned to sift the wheat from the chaff; but our kids aren't, however precocious they might be.

So, how do you decide which movies are family-friendly and which should be dealt with parental censorship ? Perhaps, you check the reviews, watch it beforehand, or just go by your judgment.

These are good filters, but they aren't sufficient when reviews (in many instances) are biased. Movie reviews and ratings help but they are also pushed with commercial considerations.

These four movie and media rating websites can help you become responsible parents by helping you with family friendly movie reviews.

Commonsense Media

This is an independent non-partisan, not-for-profit organization that tries to communicate trustworthy information for digital consumers. The site's tools and forum tries to match content with age appropriateness. Using the rating scale available for movies (also, games, TV shows, apps, books, websites etc.) on the website, you can decide what's watchable for kids or for the entire family. The site uses established child development principles from some of the nation's leading authorities to determine what content is right for which ages. The indicators used as can be seen in the screenshot below:

The site has a few other handy tools like a minimum age rating bar if you have multiple kids; star-ratings for the general quality of the movie; reviews by age; and a very informative newsletter.

Parent Previews

Here's another site that addresses parent's concerns about sex, violence, language and drug use in movies by reviewing the latest films and home movies. The site grades a movie on violence, sexual content, language, and alcohol/drug use. An objective overall grade is also tagged to the movie. Each grade is further explained. What also helps are the conversations that happen around the movie. The ratings are applicable for US and Canadian audiences. Here's a review snapshot for Captain America:

The site also has a section called – Get The Big Picture which discusses parental issues using articles and blog posts.

The non-profit organization supports family friendly viewing by placing movies under the lens and rating them on criteria of - Sex, Language, Violence, Drug and alcohol use, Nudity, and Other. The organization says that it promotes movie reviews based on traditional Judeo-Christian values. Each movie that satisfies the guidelines gets the Dove seal of approval. Movies also get tagged with a descriptive line like Dove "Family-Approved" - Suitable for any age. Reading through the reviews, I found most of them to be on the button. Just a few were strict. For instance, here's a positive review on 'The Tree of Life'.

Rating movies based on age appropriateness is just one of the sections on this blog. Beliefnet is more on spirituality and good living. Latest movies are reviewed by 'Movie Mom', Nell Minow who tells you which movie is right for you and your family in a friendly casual tone. There are a few more interesting categories on this blog like - For Your Netflix Queue Archives, Great Movie Moments Archives, Neglected gem, After the kids go to bed, Movie Mom's Top Picks for Families, and more.

With the help of these four movie review and rating websites, you don't have to sit through a movie with a finger on the remote. You can snuggle up and enjoy a family movie without a discomforting thought. What's your take on the movie ratings published by these web services? Do you agree?

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Since 1995 The Dove Foundation has been publishing our movie reviews on the Internet.  Well over 100,000 families rely on these reviews each month to help them make informed choices about the entertainment their family can watch with confidence.  Below is a description of the different types of reviews that The Dove Foundation publishes.

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Here you will find a list of Dove approved feature length movies that are currently playing at your local theaters.  While most of these films should be available in all areas of the country, some may be designated as “limited release” and only shown in select cities.  This list contains only Dove approved titles.

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Best Things To Do In Hurghada For Family-Friendly With Kids

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Movie review websites have become an essential tool for many parents, especially those with young kids. These sites offer detailed information on new releases, including plot summaries, age-appropriate ratings, and parental guidance. With so many movie review sites available on the internet, it can be challenging to know which ones to go to. Here are some of the top movie review sites for parents with kids in mind:

• Common Sense Media

Common Sense Media is a popular website that provides comprehensive reviews of movies, TV shows, apps, and video games. The site provides a guideline on the age of kids that the content is suitable for, and it offers valuable information on topics such as violence, language, and sexual content. Additionally, the site has a “learning rating” system, which rates the educational value of films.

IMDb is one of the most popular movie review sites on the internet. It provides a wide range of information, including trailers, synopsis, user ratings, and reviews. The site is especially great for parents who want to review older films to see if they are suitable for their kids. IMDb provides comprehensive ratings on each film, including user reviews from other parents.

• Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes is another popular movie review site that offers an extensive catalog of films. The site provides a list of movies that are currently in theaters or being released soon. It also gives a percentage rating for each film, based on reviews from critics, and the site has a separate “Audience Score” rating that is based on reviews from regular viewers.

Plugged In is a Christian website that offers movie, TV, and music reviews for parents. The site provides in-depth articles outlining the content of films and the moral message behind them. With its comprehensive reviews, Plugged In helps parents make informed decisions about which movies are right for their children.

• Parent Previews

Parent Previews is a website dedicated to reviewing movies for parents. The site provides a detailed breakdown of each film’s content, including language, violence, and sexual content. The site also provides parenting advice and teaching materials related to each film.

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Find Family Movies, Movie Ratings and Movie Reviews

New movie releases.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire PG-13 Overall: C

Theaters: When ghostly forces threaten to plunge the world into a new Ice Age, Ghostbusters both new and old must unite to protect their home and defeat an ancient evil.

Immaculate R Overall: C+

Theaters: A devout nun moves to an illustrious convent in the Italian countryside, but soon discovers that her new home is hiding sinister secrets.

Shirley PG-13 Overall: B

Netflix: After becoming the first Black woman elected to congress, Shirley Chisholm begins a trailblazing campaign for President of the United States.

The Casagrandes Movie TV-Y7 Overall: A-

Netflix: When Ronnie Ann accidentally unleashes a young demigod, the two come together on their mutual quests for independence from their mothers.

Road House R Overall: D

Prime Video: An ex-UFC fighter takes a job as a bouncer at a bar in Florida and ends up caught up in more than he expected.

Knox Goes Away R Overall: C

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Snack Shack R Overall: D

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Irish Wish PG Overall: B+

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The Croods: A New Age PG Overall: A-

Digital on Demand: The Croods have found some new neighbors, a family called the Bettermans, who claim to be more highly evolved than the Croods. And you thought your neighbors were snooty.

Greenland PG-13 Overall: B+

Digital on Demand: A colossal comet is streaking towards Earth, and fragments are doing unspeakable damage across the globe. John, his wife Allison, and son Nathan now have to make a run for safety, while the sky falls around them and society collapses.

Toys of Terror R Overall: D

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‘We Were the Lucky Ones’ Is a Gutting and Thoughtful Depiction of a Jewish Family in the Holocaust: TV Review

By Aramide Tinubu

Aramide Tinubu

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The series premiere, titled “Radom,” opens in an overcrowded Red Cross office in Poland in 1945. Halina Kurc (an astonishing Joey King ), pale-faced and exhausted, receives news that leaves her breathless. Zipping back in time to 1938, we see the Kurc siblings as they gather at the home of their parents, Sol (Lior Ashkenazi) and Nechuma (Robin Weigert), for Passover. Halina, the youngest, sporting a bold red lip and an annoying naiveté, goes to collect her older brother Addy (Logan Lerman) from the train station. Though the pair are several years apart in age, a shared birthday and wanderlust make them kindred spirits. Their siblings all gather around their parents’ table. The eldest daughter, Mila (Hadas Yaron) is heavily pregnant with her first child. Jakob (Amit Rahav), a photographer, is falling in love for the first time, and Genek (Henry Lloyd-Hughes), the stoic eldest, refuses to be frightened by news from Germany. Ultimately, this holiday marks the end of an era for the Kurcs. 

Using dates and settings as markers for the war and the Kurcs’ experiences, the viewer is wholly immersed in the pain and uncertainty of this world. Lipez demonstrates how quickly lives are extinguished when others are unwilling to stand up to fascism. From depictions of the frigid cold of Siberia to horrific acts of brutal violence inflicted on the Kurcs and other Jews, “We Were the Lucky Ones” is relentless in its accurate portrayal of the anguish and terror imposed daily. However, the most moving aspect of the series is that it details circumstances not often seen in films and TV shows about the Holocaust. 

For Addy, who is living in Paris during the onslaught of the war, the lack of closure and silence from his loved ones torments him for years. Likewise, for Genek, despite finding solace in the arms of his wife, Herta (Moran Rosenblatt), rage causes him to struggle with his Jewish faith and his belief in God. Sol and Nechuma, who owned the premiere fabric shop in Radom, Poland, are forced to rely on their children for survival, causing them guilt that eats at them as the war presses on. Jakob is determined to stay alive even when his wife, Bella (Eva Feiler), can’t conceive of a future. Mila, overwhelmed by the duties of motherhood, risks everything so her daughter might live. Finally, Halina is desperate to be a part of the resistance, even though she’s constantly underestimated. Spending extended time with each member of the Kurcs allows the viewer to get into their psyche while absorbing differing perspectives and opinions instead of a monolithic overview of Holocaust survivors. 

Intense and often deeply upsetting, “We Were the Lucky Ones” is not an easy watch. By the end of the Holocaust, 90% of Jews from Poland had been slaughtered. The series unpacks the near-impossibility of finding joy in maddening circumstances, especially when others are content to ignore the atrocities right in front of them. The show’s narrative has some lighter moments, of course, but marriages, births and a scene involving egg whites used as a fake foreskin don’t exactly work as moments of levity. Instead, they provide small nuggets of hope, allowing the audience to be able to continue to watch the show. “We Were the Lucky Ones” is about what it means to resist, live and sacrifice. After all, stories of survival can be just as important as remembering those who are forever lost. 

The first three episodes of “We Were the Lucky Ones” premiere March 28 on Hulu with new episodes dropping weekly on Thursdays.

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‘Like They Do in the Movies’ Review: Laurence Fishburne Widens His Lens

In his solo show, the screen and stage star shines a light into his formative dark corners and on the people who made an impression.

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By Naveen Kumar

When Laurence Fishburne wants to get closer to audiences of his one-man show, he lowers himself into a deep squat near the lip of the stage. Hands clasped and knees spread wide, the actor — who has become an avatar of inscrutability during his half-century screen and stage career — seems to be trying to shrink himself down to life-size.

Fishburne’s indomitable presence is the muscle behind “Like They Do in the Movies,” which opened on Thursday night at the Perelman Performing Arts Center in Lower Manhattan. His vigor and gravitas are unwavering, even as Fishburne, the 62-year-old “Matrix” star, softens to reveal difficult details from his childhood and to portray others whose vulnerability made a personal impression.

Part memoir and part ethnography, the show opens with Fishburne, who played a schemer in the 2022 Broadway revival of “ American Buffalo ” and a Supreme Court justice in the 2008 one-man play “ Thurgood ,” as you’ve likely never seen him before: draped in sequins (the flowing black robes are credited to Jimi Gureje). Addressing the audience in griot fashion, Fishburne briskly sketches his early years, introducing his mother, Hattie, a charm-school matron turned abusive stage mom. Using the refrain “but more on that later,” he indicates open questions he’ll return to, including how his father fits into the picture.

These recollections have a clipped momentum, like listening to a celebrity narrate a tell-all at 1.5 speed. If the pacing makes him seem a bit guarded, it also serves a practical purpose: The production, written by Fishburne and crisply directed by Leonard Foglia, runs nearly two and half hours with an intermission. Greater economy would pack a more decisive punch, but the show rarely goes slack and Fishburne’s performance is thoroughly engrossing.

That’s especially true as he slips into the more familiar territory of playing other people, in a series of vividly drawn monologues book ended by his own reflections. The play’s title may suggest a tour through Fishburne’s own Hollywood résumé, which includes an Oscar-nominated turn as Ike Turner in “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” But here, Fishburne plays a truck packer for The New York Daily News, a Hurricane Katrina survivor and a homeless man who washes cars, among others.

Stalking Neil Patel’s sparse set — a stage with only a long table and a pair of chairs — Fishburne nimbly dons each persona with a keen and easy sensitivity. The assembly of character studies, mostly everyday New Yorker types, lacks an obvious sense of cohesiveness, though Fishburne himself emerges as the common thread.

“Like They Do in the Movies” is hard to categorize, and might have seemed like a vanity project were Fishburne not so plainly unselfconscious and willing to shine a light into his formative dark corners.

Drawing inspiration from rangy, multicharacter solo shows by Whoopi Goldberg and John Leguizamo, Fishburne spins the colorful yarns of ordinary people to position himself as an extraordinary observer. There is an organizing principle to his perspective: Every character evinces perseverance, integrity and grit; some of them articulate philosophical arguments about race, inequality and desire. The documentary-style approach is not unlike Anna Deavere Smith’s, although Fishburne’s through line is more diffuse, and his charisma as an actor is never far from the surface. (He thanks all three influences in the program.)

Fishburne has the air of wisdom of someone who, having undertaken deep self-investigation , is eager to share his findings. (The restrained undulating projections designed by Elaine J. McCarthy have a light-behind-the-eyelids feel, evoking memory and contemplation.) To the question of legacy, Fishburne seems to say: It’s not the stage and screen roles that matter, but his powers of perception — of others and of himself. It’s a skill you don’t have to be a movie star to perfect.

Like They Do in the Movies Through March 31 at the Perelman Arts Center, Manhattan; pacnyc.org . Running time: 2 hours 20 minutes.

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Spy x Family Code: White

After receiving an order to be replaced in Operation Strix, Loid decides to help Anya win a cooking competition at Eden Academy, by making the director's favorite meal in order to prevent hi... Read all After receiving an order to be replaced in Operation Strix, Loid decides to help Anya win a cooking competition at Eden Academy, by making the director's favorite meal in order to prevent his replacement. After receiving an order to be replaced in Operation Strix, Loid decides to help Anya win a cooking competition at Eden Academy, by making the director's favorite meal in order to prevent his replacement.

• Kazuhiro Furuhashi
• Ichirô Ôkouchi
• Tatsuya Endo
• Takuya Eguchi
• Atsumi Tanezaki
• Saori Hayami
• 3 User reviews
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• Loid Forger
• Anya Forger

• Bond Forger
• Franky Franklin

• Sylvia Sherwood
• (as Yuko Kaida)
• Henry Henderson
• Damian Desmond
• Becky Blackbell

• Fiona Frost
• (English version)

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Parental guidance, common sense media reviewers.

Predictable family comedy isn't deserving of its stars.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

The movie's main message is the importance of

Diane is trying to be a more attentive mother and

A grandfather is struck in the testicles with a ba

Mild suggestiveness and a couple of slow dances an

Insults like "stupid," "poopyhead,&

ESPN, the X Games, Tony Hawk, Apple products (incl

Adults drink on vacation.

Parents need to know that Parental Guidance is a mostly kid-friendly family comedy about the tension between grandparents' old-style parenting and their daughter and son-in-law's Type-A helicopter parenting. There's some rude and scatological humor -- e.g. "poopy head," "fartie…

Positive Messages

The movie's main message is the importance of staying close to your parents, especially when you're an adult with children of your own. The importance and benefits of inter-generational families are stressed.

Positive Role Models

Diane is trying to be a more attentive mother and grandmother, and she does her best to reconcile with her estranged adult child and get to know her grandkids.

Violence & Scariness

A grandfather is struck in the testicles with a baseball bat and then vomits on a kid. A boy hits his bully in the eye and is then struck in response. A famous skateboarder falls on the halfpipe after a boy pees on it.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Mild suggestiveness and a couple of slow dances and kisses between Alice and Phil. There's a running joke that a married couple occasionally role plays being an English punk lover and his girlfriend. Artie and Diane hug.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Insults like "stupid," "poopyhead," "fartie," and other silly names. A fair bit of scatological humor, such as a boy peeing on a halfpipe and an adult getting hit in the testicles and then vomiting on a boy.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

ESPN, the X Games, Tony Hawk, Apple products (including MacBooks and iPods), and the San Francisco Giants are all featured in the movie.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Parental Guidance is a mostly kid-friendly family comedy about the tension between grandparents' old-style parenting and their daughter and son-in-law's Type-A helicopter parenting. There's some rude and scatological humor -- e.g. "poopy head," "fartie Artie," a grandfather being hit in the testicles with a baseball bat, and a man vomiting on a child. A grandfather's suggestion to stick up for yourself leads to his grandson punching his bully and then getting hit in the eye in response. Several brands are mentioned, particularly ESPN, but the product placements aren't generally overwhelming. There's a little drinking by adults, some mild suggestiveness (including references to a couple's romantic role playing), and some kissing. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

• Parents say (36)
• Kids say (51)

Based on 36 parent reviews

Keep looking elsewhere

Funny- great messages—no political or woke agenda, what's the story.

Artie ( Billy Crystal ) and Diane ( Bette Midler ) Decker are slightly estranged from their only child, Alice ( Marisa Tomei ), who lives across the country with her family. But when Alice and her husband, Phil ( Tom Everett Scott ), need a babysitter in order to attend a business awards ceremony, they reluctantly turn to her parents. Desperate to see her grandchildren again, Diane convinces a melancholy Artie, who has just lost his job as a minor-league baseball announcer, to be the "A" grandparents for once. After they arrive, the Deckers quickly realize that middle-school music prodigy Harper (Bailee Madison), stuttering wallflower Turner (Joshua Rush), and rambunctious Barker (Kyle Harrison Breitkopf) could use a little of their grandparents' more laid-back approach to parenting.

Is It Any Good?

It's sad to report that the combination of brilliant comedian Crystal and the multi-talented Midler doesn't amount to much in this uninspired, "everything funny is in the trailer" family movie. All of the bats to the crotch and pee jokes only reinforce how lowbrow and predictable the humor is and how much PARENTAL GUIDANCE squanders its leads' stellar talent.

The interactions between Crystal's grumpy grandfather, Midler's overeager grandmother, and their three wacky grandkids are alternately coy and annoying. Even the one song-and-dance number Crystal and Midler break into ("The Book of Love") is too forced and unnecessary to be entertaining. There are a few Crystal-inspired laughs and gags -- one at the expense of skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, who cameos -- but there aren't enough to make you forget how disappointing it is to see such iconic actors in such a blah film.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how the movie portrays different parenting styles. Is it funny to see how the two generations differ? Is it just a generational "thing"? If not, what accounts for the differences? Is one style "right" and the other "wrong"?

Can you think of other movies that feature comical relationships between grandparents, adult children, and kids? How does this one compare to those?

Who do you think the movie is intended to appeal to most? Why? Does it succeed?

Movie Details

• In theaters : December 25, 2012
• On DVD or streaming : March 26, 2013
• Cast : Bette Midler , Billy Crystal , Marisa Tomei
• Director : Andy Fickman
• Inclusion Information : Female actors
• Studio : Twentieth Century Fox
• Genre : Comedy
• Topics : Brothers and Sisters
• Run time : 104 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG
• MPAA explanation : some rude humor
• Last updated : June 20, 2023

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