What parents need to know about 'Jojo Rabbit'

What parents need to know about 'Jojo Rabbit'

(Kimberley French, Twentieth Century Fox)


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THE CINEMA — The satire comedy/drama “Jojo Rabbit” is now in theaters, and the film has a very strong message around anti-hate. But even with this great message, is it appropriate for you and your family?

That’s what I’m here for. I told you how much I adore this film in my review, but today I’m here to let you know what’s in the movie so you can make an educated decision about whether it is something you’ll let your kids see or something you’d like to try out yourself.

Here is what parents need to know about “Jojo Rabbit”:

Sexuality

When it comes to sex, dialogue about sex, or even sexual jokes, “Jojo Rabbit” is very tame. There isn’t really much to speak of. There are innocent things like a boy having a crush on a girl and a teenager talking about her boyfriend, but that’s it.

There is allusion to a relationship between two men but, again, there is nothing overtly sexual about it. And besides a wife speaking of her husband, that’s kind of it when it even comes to talking about relationships.

Language

There is sporadic cursing in the film with some religious epithets and one clear and distinct utterance of the so-called R-rated word.

While the language is actually quite mild when it comes to cursing, there are many racial slurs throughout the film that could be jarring for some audiences.

Violence and violent images

The actual violence seen on screen is fairly light in the film, but the idea of violence and the aftermath is quite strong. The movie takes place during World War II so there are some scenes of war violence.

The images, in particular, can and will be disturbing to many audiences. They're not particularly graphic, but they are emotional and quite real. I can think of one scene that will be hard for many audiences because of the emotional toll and realization of the actual atrocities carried out by the Nazi party.

Thematic elements

The theme of “Jojo Rabbit” is at times lighthearted and fun, but there is an overarching pall of torment, anguish and sadness throughout the film as the characters deal with racism, fascism, murder, slander, hate and genocide. Most of this is happening around the characters, but some of it is very front-and-center and would likely be too intense for younger audiences.

All of the other categories earn “Jojo Rabbit” its PG-13 rating, but the thematic material could have pushed it closer to an R rating.

Conclusion

“Jojo Rabbit” has a beautiful message I think many people should see and hear, especially youth, but you need to make sure your teens are up to the challenge and at a mature enough level to handle the horror that happens behind the story.

Granted, many of your teens learn of this in school and I do think it is a worthwhile film for them to see, but make sure they are ready to do so.

“Jojo Rabbit” is rated PG-13 for mature thematic content, some disturbing images, violence, and language.


John Clyde

About the Author: John Clyde

John has grown up around movies and annoys friends and family with his movie facts and knowledge. He also has a passion for sports and pretty much anything awesome, and it just so happens, that these are the three things he writes about. Contact him on Twitter at @johnnypclyde.

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John has grown up around movies and annoys friends and family with his movie facts and knowledge. He also has a passion for sports and pretty much anything awesome, and it just so happens, that these are the three things he writes about.

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