The Box parents guide

The Box Parent Guide

Given the more benevolent nature of the season, "The Box" is one package many parents may prefer to leave unopened.

Overall C

If there is no such thing as a free lunch, then there is surely no such thing as a no-strings-attached magic box that can grant you a million dollars. Yet when such a mysterious gift is placed in the hands of Norma and Arthur Lewis (Cameron Diaz and James Marsden), the temptation to take the money may prove greater than their concern for the consequences.

Release date November 6, 2009

Violence C
Sexual Content A
Profanity B-
Substance Use C

Why is The Box rated PG-13? The MPAA rated The Box PG-13 for thematic elements, some violence and disturbing images.

Run Time: 116 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

We all know people who do it. Maybe we are even guilty of it ourselves—being a button pusher that is. For most button pushers, it is enough satisfaction just to raise another person’s ire or frustration level. But what if the payoff for actually depressing a red-colored knob was even bigger. What if that insignificant action would net you $1,000,000?

When a small wooden box (with a red-colored knob) is left on the doorstep of Arthur (James Marsden) and Norma (Cameron Diaz) Lewis, it seems like a dream come true for the married couple. Arthur has just been rejected by NASA’s astronaut program and is making only a meager income at the Langley Research Center. Norma is also facing cutbacks at the private high school where she teaches. There is no question the money would go a long way to better their lives. Unfortunately, there is one hitch to the offer.

Arlington Steward (Frank Langella), the man behind the proposal, ensures them that pressing the button will make the cold hard cash all theirs. But it also means someone, an individual they don’t know, will die as a result.

Faced with an extraordinary moral dilemma, the couple has only 24 hours to make a decision that forces them to consider their own humanity as well as the desire they have to provide for themselves and their son Walter (Sam Oz Stone). However, Arthur and Norma soon discover that the consequences for their choice, whichever it is, are beyond their control. And what initially seemed like an answer to prayers, suddenly feels more like Pandora’s Box.

The script, based on a short story by Richard Matheson, raises a number of soul-searching quandaries, including what we are willing to do for money and how we view those with deformities or handicaps. More importantly, it questions the value we place on human life, not just ours but mankind in general.

While the movie offers some compelling moments, along with a few jump scenes, it tends to wander off into sequences that feel more like time fillers than progressive storyline. Introducing a horde of secondary, speechless characters, the film also leaves some unresolved plot holes by the time the credits roll.

Set among the tinsel and trim of the Christmas season, there is nothing jolly or joyous about this screenplay that contains depictions of murder, blood and disregard for others. Given the more benevolent nature of the season, The Box is one package many parents may prefer to leave unopened.

Directed by Richard Kelly. Starring Cameron Diaz, James Marsden, Frank Langella. Running time: 116 minutes. Theatrical release November 6, 2009. Updated

The Box
Rating & Content Info

Why is The Box rated PG-13? The Box is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for thematic elements, some violence and disturbing images.

Characters are shot and kidnapped in this film. Children are shown locked in bathrooms. A dead woman is found lying in her blood. Numerous characters experience nosebleeds. Officers descend on crime scenes with their guns drawn. A man has a gun held to his head. Two characters are involved in a violent car accident. A teen mocks adult characters. Adults drink at social events and home as well as smoke. Characters are shown suffering from mental and emotional anguish. Profanities and terms of Deity are used.

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The Box Parents' Guide

What are people willing to do for money in this movie? How do television reality programs reflect what other kinds of activities people are willing to engage in for cash?

What crimes are easier to commit because of anonymity? How does white-collar crime, home invasions and Internet fraud fit into this type of corruption?

How do our individual choices impact other people? What far-reaching effects do the characters in this story experience? In what ways can our decisions come back to haunt us?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of The Box movie is February 16, 2010. Here are some details…

Release Date: 16 February 2010

Open up the mysteries contained in The Box with the home video release of the movie.

The Box releases on DVD in widescreen, with audio tracks in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround (English, French and Spanish) and subtitles in English, French and Spanish. Bonus materials consist of the featurette, Richard Matheson: In His Own Words.

The Box releases on Blu-ray Disc in a widescreen presentation, with audio tracks in 5.1 DTS-HD MA (English) and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround (English, French and Spanish). Subtitles are available in English, French and Spanish. Extras include:

- Commentary by director Richard Kelly.

- Featurettes: The Box: Grounded in Reality, Richard Matheson: In His Own Words, Music Video Prequels and Visual Effects Revealed.

- DVD & Digital Copy versions of the film

Related home video titles:

Cameron Diaz plays a mother who goes to almost any extent to prolong the life of her dying child in My Sister’s Keeper. She also plays a woman who learns to appreciate the differences between her and her sibling after attempting to walk In Her Shoes.

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