The Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift parents guide

The Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift Parent Guide

Overall D

This infamous franchise featuring speeding cars, loose women and illegal activities is back on the road with a third installment, This time it's the streets of Tokyo that are being subjected to the criminal, recreational activity of street racing.

Release date June 15, 2006

Violence C
Sexual Content C
Profanity D+
Substance Use C-

Why is The Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift rated PG-13? The MPAA rated The Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift PG-13 for reckless and illegal behavior involving teens, violence, language and sexual content.

Run Time: 104 minutes

Parent Movie Review

This infamous franchise featuring speeding cars, loose women and illegal activities is back on the road with a third installment. This time it’s the streets of Tokyo that are being subjected to the criminal, recreational activity of street racing.

Featuring a new cast of faces, the film focuses on high school student Sean Boswell (Lucas Black), who just can’t stop himself from tearing up the pavement. After a confrontation in the school parking lot between Sean and a hot rod bully, the pair agrees to settle their differences in a race. They also decide the winner’s “trophy” will be the slick kid’s girlfriend. Minutes later, the boys and their gang break down the gate of a suburban housing development and turn it into a high-speed course. Needless to say, massive property damage results, along with a huge lack of consequences thanks to a police force easily bought off with money and cleavage.

The only fallout from Sean’s experience is his poor mother (Lynda Boyd) who sends him to Japan to live with his father (Brian Goodman). To make room for his son in his tiny flat, Dad is obliged to ask a visiting prostitute to leave. The next day, the boy is packed off to school where he immediately finds fast friends, fast women, and—only a few hours after his first day in class—fast cars.

Following his new acquaintance Twinkie (Bow Wow), the young hooligans enter the land of underground Japanese racing… and it’s literally underground. Convening in a parking lot, a huge group of young men with shiny cars and half-dressed girls offer Sean just what he was hoping to find. Before long another confrontation is in gear between Sean and a bad looking dude called DK (Brian Tee). When another girl is proffered up for the top prize—DK’s girlfriend Neela (Nathalie Kelley)—the competition is on. But in Tokyo, where space is precious and corners are tight, the art of drifting is a necessary skill for navigating through a concrete garage. Unfortunately our pompous protagonist hasn’t a clue about this method, and destroys an $80,000 car, which was loaned to him by DK’s partner Han (Sung Kang).

Of course, things get worse from there, and Sean finds himself working for the Japanese mob in order to pay back the wrecked car. By the time the movie is over he and Han develop a strange friendship, and audiences are supposed to distinguish between good crooks and bad crooks, as well as be entertained by a cast of supposed teenagers ripping through city streets.

If the plot isn’t enough to deter your kids from racing to this movie, then try this angle: The performances are pathetic, the script is contrived, and the only thing worth the price of admission are the stunt driving sequences, which Universal Studios notes at the start of the closing credits, shouldn’t be tried at home.

However, if you have a teen who is a car aficionado, you’d be better off watching some racing on ESPN, that won’t include female objectification, profanities, violence (extreme car crashes and conflicts result in bloodied injuries) and an infuriating message that illegal racing and other activities are fun and exciting.

Directed by Justin Lin . Starring Lucas Black, Zachery Ty Bryan. Running time: 104 minutes. Theatrical release June 15, 2006. Updated

The Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift
Rating & Content Info

Why is The Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift rated PG-13? The Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for reckless and illegal behavior involving teens, violence, language and sexual content.

There are many content concerns in this PG-13 movie, including a strong message that illegal racing is fun and consequences can be removed with money and powerful friends. Many scenes depict teens and young adults racing down city streets, damaging property, and putting lives at risk. Cars are destroyed and powerful collisions often result in minor injuries (although one character dies when a car explodes). Other violence occurs from confrontations between characters, resulting in fistfight beatings and guns being used in threatening ways. Various women are portrayed as “trophies” for men, or they are simply background “eye candy,” providing very negative female role models. Females are dressed very provocatively, with extremely short skirts and cleavage revealing clothing. Actual sexual situations are limited to a lesbian couple seen passionately kissing. Language includes many mild and moderate profanities, and a possible use of a sexual expletive. Secondary characters are seen smoking cigarettes.

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The Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift Parents' Guide

The lack of consequences in this film many provides starting points for many discussions, such as: What are the financial costs of street racing? (You may want to look at the price tags of the vehicles, the tires—thanks to the effect of “drifting”—and the property damage.) What other costs and risks are associated with this illegal form of entertainment? Are those who chose to race the only ones who may be affected by these dangers?

What does Sean learn from his experience in Japan? What do you think his future will hold?

How are women portrayed in this film? What stereotypes are used? What opportunities for decision-making or taking control of their destinies are the female characters given?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of The Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift movie is September 25, 2006. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift

Release Date: 9 April 2013

The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift releases to home video in Blu-ray/Ultraviolet Digital Copy.

HomeVideo Notes:The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift

Release Date: 26 September 2006

The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift crashes onto DVD with a commentary by director Justin Lin, a collection of deleted scenes, and two featurettes: Tricked Out to Drift (how the filmmakers customized the cars) and The Japanese Way (what it was like to be on location in Tokyo). Audio tracks are available in English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1) and French (Dolby Digital 5.1), with subtitles in English, Spanish and French.

Related home video titles:

This movie is part of a franchise that includes: The Fast And The Furious , 2 Fast 2 Furious, Fast & Furious, Fast Five and Fast & Furious 6

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