And the Winner Is…
With the Academy Awards coming upon February 24th, we’d like to share our reviews for the nominees for Best Picture.
Of all the Best Picture nominees this year, the highest rated one from a family perspective is Black Panther. This superhero movie has positive lessons about responsibility, courage, cooperation, sacrifice. It also features the first African American super hero – the titular Black Panther.
Also rated for family viewing is Green Book. Although this movie comes with significant profanity and a brief scene of partial nudity, it also tells a story of a man’s transformation from racism to acceptance. Starring Viggo Mortenson as a racist bouncer who gets employed as a driver cum bodyguard for an African American pianist played by Mahershala Ali, this road movie cum buddy pic is a feel good story for teens and adults.
Another one of this year’s nominees that tackles racism, BlacKkKlansman tells a powerful story. But this film is marred by excessive levels of profanity (230 swear words in a 135 minute production) and is only suitable for adults who are willing to put up with this much cursing in a movie.
If your family enjoys movies filled with music, you might enjoy Bohemian Rhapsody. This biopic recounts the life and career of Freddie Mercury, the lead vocalist for the 80s glam rock band Queen. Suitable for teens.
Also nominated this year is another musical movie – A Star Is Born. Its soundtrack and strong lead performances by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper keep the film moving along. But 100 uses of a sexual expletive and frequent scenes of substance abuse make this unsuitable for families.
Political junkies who enjoy dark humor will get a kick out of Vice, a biopic of Dick Cheney, Vice President to George W. Bush. Whether or not parents approve this film for their teens will depend on their tolerance for profanity.
Roma is director Alfonso Cuaron’s meditation on his childhood in 1970s Mexico City. Beautifully shot in black and white, this slow moving film is drenched in nostalgia. But its plot takes a long time to develop and not all viewers will be willing to wait. Parents will also be concerned by full frontal male nudity and a detailed childbirth scene.
We do not recommend The Favourite for family viewing – or for adult viewing, for that matter. This historically inaccurate biopic of Queen Anne features a lesbian love triangle which is so selfish, calculating, manipulative, and transactional that it will concern all parents, whether or not their views on sexuality are traditional or contemporary.