MovieChat Forums > Rango (2011) Discussion > I changed my mind... This is NOT for kid...

I changed my mind... This is NOT for kids.

posted 14 years ago by nielw
78 replies | jump to latest

When I first saw this film, I thought it was perfectly innocuous. I thought it was really well done, funny, and entertaining, not to mention the amazing CG. Then I came onto this board and saw all the people complaining about how inappropriate this movie was for kids. I thought back to the movie and only remembered a couple damns and hells. So I figured these people were Christian purists who get offended at the slightest things.

Then I checked the content guide. 21/50. The TECE says "20-25 is going to be pretty darn adult". I wondered why this would be so high for a harmless kids film. I read through it all, and realize now how desensitized I've become to all this content. Read the parents guide at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1192628/parentalguide and you'll notice all sorts of things you may not have caught during the film. Or maybe you did and didn't think anything of it at the time.

Lines like "I'm going to slice your face off and use it to wipe my unmentionables." "You missing your mama's mangos?" and "Mama had an active social life." The guide also says there are about a dozen or so uses of the word hell. I thought to myself "How did I miss all those hells? I only remember a couple." When I was a little kid, I was taught that it's a swear word, and was highly sensitive to it.

Like I said, I really enjoyed the movie. But some of the posters on this board don't understand why some parents would get so offended by this content. Remember, they're watching the movie through a kid's filter, while the rest of us don't use any filters at all.

My main point here isn't to say who is right or who is wrong, but that some of us are more desensitized to adult material than others. And we don't realize it when we come on here and complain about people sheltering their kids.

[–] nginx 14 years ago

You are being a little too overprotective if you think this movie is not suitable for kids because of a few swear words. You will be utterly surprised at the kinds of swear words kids are used to hearing at school from peers at a very early age. Compared to that this harmless movie has nothing on it.

When you got 10 year olds everywhere discussing sex, you think a few out of place words will mess them up? Sorry to say but you can't shield your kids from any of this no matter how hard you try. Its all a natural part of growing up, don't be naive. If you wanna be too damn overprotective, don't send you kids to school or movies and keep them locked up inside 4 walls.

And if you are talking about kids less than 7 years of age, well they are too young to understand any of these expletives anyway. And please for Pete's sake don't tell us what we do or don't understand. I have always been allowed to watch anything and everything as a kid without any restriction from parents and yet I am no better or worse off as an young adult now. What a surprise!

He who sacrifices freedom for security deserves neither ~ B. Franklin

[–] kb2002 14 years ago

The language is personal choice... some parents are ok with it, some are not.

The one-liner jokes you mention... I think you're assuming too much. Go back and watch some old Looney Tunes or Simpsons and there's a LOT of adult humor that we just did not get as kids.

It would be one thing if a character said, "you missin' yer mama's tits?", but no... they said MANGOES. Kids will laugh cause , especially the younger ones, are going to take that as literally MANGOES. Adults laugh cause we get it.

You're trying to apply an adult's understanding as if the child is going to understand it the same way and usually they don't.

I'm not being facetious, go back and watch a lot of those 'classic' toons and you'll see. There are things that you will stop and think, "Oh jeez, I totally did NOT get that as a kid!!". Even Disney has moments like that.

[–] guIIiver 14 years ago

You're right, I *don't* understand why a parent would get offended by lines like "You missing your mama's mangoes?" and "Mama had an active social life."

Well, I should re-phrase that. I get why a PARENT might possibly be offended by it, but I don't understand why they would think it's inappropriate for kids. A kid will not think it means what an adult would think it means.

If they were truly watching it through a kid's filter, they would probably realize that. But they're not watching it through a kid's filter, they are watching it to see what they, as an adult, are offended by.

On top of this, the movie was rated PG for a reason. There are some lines a parent might consider inappropriate or something their child shouldn't be saying, but why is that a problem in a movie? Have these people considered, I don't know, actually speaking to their children and Guiding them Parentally (PG - Parental Guidance advised! Wonder where they got that rating title from...) and letting them know that some of the conduct in that movie might be wrong, as opposed to sitting mindlessly in a theatre so the kid will shut up for a couple hours, saying "So did you like the movie? Well, good!" on the way back to the car, and leaving it at that?

I just do not see what is so destructive here. Is making your children think sometimes really a huge problem? Is having to talk to them about things sometimes really so horrible? Is guiding their morals really so much worse than just shielding them from everything?

[–] janachan 13 years ago

Words of wisdom.
Totally agree.

http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3h773EHAA1rqcoceo1_500.gif

[–] corollapilot 14 years ago

Hell is a swear word now? Only to religious kooks (and Americans) I guess....lol

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] trollomatic 13 years ago

<<<I agree that the movie isn't really appropriate for kids. If for no other reason, it's too complicated for them to understand and full of all sorts of bizarre symbolism

When I was a kid, I watched Green Acres which was complicated and full of all sorts of bizarre symbolism,

and didn't have a problem understanding any of it.

[–] trollomatic 13 years ago

<<<I agree that the movie isn't really appropriate for kids. If for no other reason, it's too complicated for them to understand and full of all sorts of bizarre symbolism

bull. Npt only Green Acres, but when I was a kid, I also watched kids shows which were full of all sorts of bizarre symbolism, such as H.R. Pufnstuf, Lidsville, Land of the Lost, Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space. etcetera.

[–] risky-russian 13 years ago

The hells and damns didn't bother me one bit. The way I grew up thinking about it is they were "Religious swears" meaning you could hear them used in a religious context, so I didn't think anything of it when people said them. Today, as an adult, I don't consider them swears. I'd still be surprised if a child SAID them but I wouldn't be alarmed at them hearing the words since I heard them in SCHOOL (Public school mind you), in an educational context (book quotes, etc.)

The line about the prostate is the one that I think is on the line for kids suitable, but at the same time, how many kids know what a prostate is?

[–] TheOneManBoxOffice 13 years ago

People need to understand that this picture is rated PG for a damn good reason. The posters that were shown in the theater, as well as the trailers, TV spots, and the DVD/Blu-Ray cover mention that it is rated PG. Let's forget the fact that Nickelodeon was behind this picture. This film was made specifically for older children, adults, and fans of the "western" genre of film, seeing as how this is more of an animated tribute to the cinematic western. Just because a movie is animated, doesn't necessarily mean that the film is made just for kids. As an animation student, I find this to be more of a stereotype than anything, because there are animated pictures out there that have gotten more than just a G or PG rating. In fact, there are some out there with a PG-13 or an R rating.

The fact of the matter is, animation is for everyone. Not every animated picture is going to be cheerful or kid-friendly. A movie genre has to have variety, otherwise it wouldn't stand up to other genres of film. Think back to when Dreamworks released "The Prince of Egypt" back in 1998. Is it a kids movie? Technically no. Why? It had drama and suspense, and it's a musical. No one even complained ONCE to a theater nor has a parent taken their kid out of the theater, and don't give me the "it's religious" excuse. A movie's a movie. So films like "The Prince of Egypt" are A-okay, but not "Rango"?

To conclude, we must remember that kids are one day going to be exposed to this. It's how life runs its course. I have nieces and they have been exposed to profanity, violence, thematic elements and drama in movies. It did not hurt them at all, because they know it's a movie. Children alone are curious all the time. Let them be. It will help them learn how to deal with things in real life, while at the same time, be entertained, just like an adult viewer. Movies are an art form because they are expressive, and they should be treated as such, no matter what age the viewer is, and "Rango" is a movie that lives up to that reputation.

[–] hmelanso 13 years ago

Have you ever watched a cartoon tv show or movie that you loved as a kid and noticed all of the "adult" content? The thing about parents freaking out about such content is that they notice it, but don't realize that kids have no idea what's going on. A reference to "mangos" or that "mama had an active social life" doesn't mean anything rude or inappropriate to children.

[–] Skibidido 13 years ago

It is for kids. Well its for all ages, Im 23 but I think its great. I remember when I was a kid. Kids dont like when grown ups act like they are idiots and treat them like they are pussies that will cry to their momma if they see something that isnt cuddley or cute. Kids can take it when its a little scary. Actually most kids like it. And if anything, its just healthy to watch.

We are talking about kids here, not babies.

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