The New York Times

So, I’ve been trying to fill in some gaps in my cinematic education lately—which is a bit of a project, I suppose—and we finally managed to sit down and finish watching this particular film tonight, though it took us two attempts to actually get through it for various reasons.

I think I can finally say, with some degree of certainty, that I thoroughly enjoyed it.

It seems to me that the filmmakers successfully avoided letting the whole thing sink into that suffocatingly dark atmosphere one might expect, given—well, given what the story is actually about.

That said, certain scenes were, in my estimation, quite unsettling.

Which is why I was somewhat taken aback by a detail I stumbled upon on IMDb—apparently, in certain parts of the world, this movie carries a PG rating?!

To start things off, I’m curious if you all truly believe a twelve-year-old could grasp the nuances of this film? And, if there are any parents in the group, would you personally feel comfortable letting your twelve-year-old watch it?

And, of course, please do share your own thoughts on how the film resonated with you...

Look, a rating isn't some magic guarantee that a twelve-year-old is going to grasp every nuance of the plot; it’s really just a way of saying the violence won't be so overwhelming that they can't sit through it.

Sure, a kid that age might miss the deeper subtext, but then again, you see some incredibly mature kids these days, so who's to say?

I took a quick detour over to IMDb to see what people were saying, and honestly, I was just left stunned🙄 by how they handle these classifications. Over here in the States, this movie pulled an R rating, which basically means if you're under 17, you're out of luck unless you have an adult—someone 21 or older—with you. Give me a break.🙄

That aside, though, the movie itself is fantastic.👍

I suppose I'm not quite sure, but those scenes involving the electric chair—whether they used the soaked sponge or not—really stayed with me.

I can't say for certain how old a kid would need to be to sit through something like that without having nightmares... let alone actually grasping the weight of what was happening...

I don't know, I just don't know. It’s a beautiful movie, even if it is pretty "heavy." It just forces you to sit there and think... I guess I'm not sure how everyone else who saw it felt, but for me, it was genuinely gut-wrenching. I'm not sure how a 12-year-old would process all of this either... maybe the subject matter is a bit too intense, but hey, we aren't all the same. If a kid happens to be unusually mature for their age, then why not...?

Regarding IMDb, there’s this one thread where a father is asking if a certain movie is appropriate for twelve-year-olds—which is actually what sparked my thought on this whole subject—and some guy jumps in to claim that while there is plenty of violence, the sex scenes are mostly just implied... you know, nothing more than just hearing some heavy breathing.

And then, the original poster responds with something along the lines of, "Well, in that case, the violence isn't really an issue for us..." 😕 😕

So... I guess the question is... who exactly is being irrational here?

The movie is honestly just pure melodrama, but I actually really loved it. 😁
The only time I actually broke down in tears was when Mr. Jingles died. 😢
Though, they totally messed up Percy at the end, so I guess that made things a little easier to handle... 😁

Read the book before catching the movie, and honestly, it follows the plot pretty well. I usually find books beat out the movies, and sometimes a bad adaptation totally ruins the story for me, if you know what I mean 😁... This one is super deep though, really makes you think. Totally lost it during that chair scene at the end when everything goes south. Definitely check out 👍

Laura Fox3 said:Speaking of IMDb, there’s this one thread over there where a father is asking if a specific movie is appropriate for 12-year-olds—that’s actually what triggered my thoughts on this whole subject. So, this guy jumps in and explains that while there are some pretty violent scenes, the sexual content is basically just implied; you know, just hearing heavy breathing in the background.

And then, the OP responds with something like, "Well, okay, the violence isn't an issue for us..." 😕 😕

Now... who exactly is the crazy one here?

Honestly, I found that entire exchange hard to believe. This guy has a 12-year-old son, and apparently, graphic violence doesn't bother him because the kid watches stuff like that all the time, yet he draws the line at a movie containing actual sex.🙄
Then, about ten people jump in, and instead of just calling him an idiot, they play it safe and coddle him—you know, the usual "well, yes, there is violence, the sex is mostly implied, maybe you should watch it yourself first to judge..." routine.

Americans are truly 🙂

steelstag4 said:Yeah, I found that part pretty hard to swallow. The guy has a twelve-year-old son, so apparently, graphic violence doesn't bother him—since the kid watches that stuff constantly—but heaven forbid he hands over a movie with a bit of sex in it.🙄
And then you have about ten people chiming in, and instead of just calling him an idiot, they all play it so cautiously—like, "Oh, well, there is violence, and the sex is only implied, so maybe you should watch it first to judge..."

Americans are truly 🙂

Anyway, it’s fine. I’m starting to think maybe I’m just losing my mind...

And I’m certainly not convinced this is strictly an American thing...

Laura Fox3 said:Honestly, it’s fine, but I’m starting to think I might just be losing my mind...

You aren't alone; there are plenty of us feeling this way.😁

Laura Fox3 said:And I'm not even sure if this trend is limited strictly to Americans...

I believe there was even one instance involving The German.😁

Just kidding, mostly—it definitely kicked off with Americans, but it wouldn't take much for everyone else to follow suit.

Part of me wants to jump into this thread and tell them all that back here in the States, a ten-year-old can walk into a movie theater by themselves and watch whatever they want. Even something like "Kids". 🙂
Let them be shocked for a change. 😁

This movie was a total dud... way too much filler and the acting was just pathetic.👎If someone else had directed this, and if some actual talented actors had been cast alongside Eminem instead of him, maybe people would have overlooked his amateurish performance.🙄

Jessica Taylor3 said:Personally, I thought the movie was pretty mediocre... just far too many unnecessary details and the acting felt quite subpar..👎 if someone else had directed it—and if we had some actual heavy hitters acting alongside Eminem instead—maybe people would have been more willing to overlook the immaturity and Eminem's questionable acting choices..🙄

I think you might be confusing Eminem's work with Hank's film...

It doesn't really matter—one is green and the other is an 8 out of 10—but a mile is a mile, isn't it?

Jessica Taylor3 said:I thought the movie was pretty mediocre... way too many unnecessary details and the acting was just pathetic.👎 If someone else had directed it, and if some actually talented actors had been cast alongside Eminem, maybe people would have overlooked his immature performance.🙄

Fair enough, but I personally found it entertaining enough just seeing Eminem in a Stephen King adaptation. The whole time, I was secretly hoping that little girl they covered in pig blood would end up tossing him to a demonic clown.

Laura Fox3 said:To start things off, I'm curious if you all honestly think a twelve-year-old could actually wrap their head around a movie like that? And if you happen to be a parent, would you personally feel comfortable letting your twelve-year-old sit down and watch it?

I guess it really just comes down to the individual kid, because like someone else mentioned, there are definitely some kids out there who are way more mature than others, but overall, I think they could handle it. If I had to set a limit, I’d say fourteen is probably the lowest age you should consider. To me, there aren't really any parts that an average—or even slightly above average—twelve-year-old wouldn't be able to process, though I suppose some of the more shocking scenes might leave them feeling a bit rattled, which could lead them to miss the actual message or the heart of the story... 😉

Laura Fox3 said:I think you're talking about Eminem's instead of Hank's movie...

It doesn't matter. One is green, the other is 8, but a mile is a mile, right?

Actually, I completely missed the point of this thread, didn't I? 😬

The Green Mile rocks. 😬

Jessica Taylor3 said:Actually, I think I completely missed the mark on this one... didn't I? 😬

Ooooo, exactly. 😁
🤣 🤣
🙂

I think this movie is absolutely incredible 👍... It definitely drags in parts, but man, it’s worth every minute... It's such a heavy, heartbreaking story 🙂 and I honestly ended up sobbing my eyes out by the end....

Arthur Gray said:I thought the movie was incredible 👍... It’s quite long—definitely feels like a marathon at times—but I suppose it really pays off if you stick with it... It's heartbreaking 🙂 and I might have even shed a few tears by the end....

Do you think it's something kids could actually handle watching?

Laura Fox3 said:Do you think this is actually something kids could watch?

When I was twelve, my usual rotation consisted of Freddy Krueger, Total Recall, Robocop's, and Petkov's Friday the 13th. Honestly, every single one of those films is significantly more violent than The Green Mile. The only reason I can think of why a twelve-year-old might struggle with this movie is if they happen to die of sheer boredom halfway through.

And honestly... it never even crossed my mind to watch it. I'm not into Stephen King, I can't stand his adaptations, and I'm not really a fan of Tom Hanks either. Saw it on a bus once 🙂

What do you guys actually think would shake up a kid? Kids raised on non-stop violence and over-the-top action being rattled by some mediocre electric chair? Doubtful...

Neutrino_hr said:Do you think it's something kids could watch?

I think they wouldn't even get it. Real talk, like casualotter21 said, they'd probably just die of boredom 😁