Lassie (2006) parents guide

Lassie (2006) Parent Guide

Overall A-

Lassie comes home to the big screen in this UK, Ireland, and France co-production. This time the classic collie makes an incredibly difficult journey to be reunited with her young master (Jonathan Mason), after his financially strapped family is forced to sell her to a rich Duke (Peter O'Toole).

Release date August 31, 2006

Violence B-
Sexual Content A
Profanity B
Substance Use B

Why is Lassie (2006) rated PG? The MPAA rated Lassie (2006) PG for some mild violent content and language

Run Time: 100 minutes

Parent Movie Review

With the film industry continually digging for recognizable and classic “brands” to turn into new material, it’s no surprise that Lassie has come home… once again. Her last big screen romp was in a 1994 US movie. Now—twelve years later—she’s moved back to the time and setting in which her creator, novelist Eric Knight, originally introduced her.

In the days leading up to Britain’s involvement in World War II, this beloved pet belongs to the Carraclough family. Their only child, Joe (Jonathan Mason), depends on the beautiful dog to be the one bright spot in his otherwise dreary existence of attending school under the tutelage of a physically nasty teacher. Getting whacked three times on each wrist for not hearing a question, the boy has had a particularly bad day, which only gets worse when he discovers his hard working Yorkshire father, Sam (John Lynch), is out of a job after the local mine is shut down.

Scraping together a meager living, Sam and his wife Sarah (Samantha Morton), succumb to a request from the wealthy Duke of Rudling (Peter O’Toole) to purchase Lassie for his granddaughter Cilla (Hester Odgers), a young and lonely transplant from London, who has come to the countryside to avoid the perils of the impending war. But while the parents are happy to have the money, Joe and Lassie are heartbroken, and the pooch determines to run back home—even after being transported to the Duke’s residence in the very north of Scotland.

A UK, Ireland, and France co-production, this film dumps Hollywood flair for some refreshing foreign simplicities. Special effects are nearly non-existent (save for a glance at an odd creature swimming in Loch Ness) and the script never stoops to the typical silliness that pervades far too many products aimed at young audiences. Instead, this is an intelligent story in which nothing is too far fetched to be unbelievable. Each character has realistic motivations for their actions, and while the ending is a tad sentimental, the movie never pulls heartstrings in a manipulative way.

Young children may be saddened by the inclusion of the death of a pup and the often perilous circumstances the hero canine faces. These situations also contain violent moments, with the most intense scene involving a nomadic dwarf (Peter Dinklage) who is assaulted by two thugs brandishing sticks. A few profanities and British colloquialisms also sneak into some conversations.

Thanks to a cast of seasoned adults and fresh young faces (Jonathan Mason being particularly compelling and perhaps able to express the saddest emotion of any young actor in recent memory), as well as scenery that will be novel to North American viewers, this solid family film is a rare breed, indeed.

Starring Peter O'Toole, Samantha Morton, Peter Dinklage. Running time: 100 minutes. Theatrical release August 31, 2006. Updated

Lassie (2006)
Rating & Content Info

Why is Lassie (2006) rated PG? Lassie (2006) is rated PG by the MPAA for some mild violent content and language

This film offers a script that provides reasonable outcomes and consequences for the characters’ decisions. Moments of conflict present the greatest concern, with a young boy being slapped on the wrists by a teacher and a dog being whipped by a handler. Another scene involves a dwarf who is assaulted by two large males carrying clubs. The men also make derogatory statements about the man’s size and try to steal his money. During the confrontation, they kill his small dog. Other scenes show Lassie in perilous situations. Language includes mild profanities typical of this geographic area. A couple of characters are briefly seen smoking—although a main character speaks of his need to stop using tobacco.

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Lassie (2006) Parents' Guide

In two different scenes, a young boy is shown being hit on the wrists with his teacher’s ruler and in another it is implied—but not directly seen—that a cruel handler is whipping Lassie with a belt. Why do you think the director made this decision to depict the boy’s abuse, but not the dog’s? Are we more tolerant of violence against humans than animals? If so, why?

You may be interested in knowing that every “Lassie” dog seen in the movies or the television series, is a direct descendent from the original Lassie, whose name was actually Pal. In this film, the main dog is played by a ninth generation Lassie.

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Lassie (2006) movie is November 13, 2006. Here are some details…

Lassie has enjoyed a long and illustrious film career. This incarnation of the famous canine comes to DVD on November 14, 2006.

Related home video titles:

You can find Lassie in a 1994 movie of the same name. Other lost animal stories include Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey and Far From Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog.