Wait, they didn’t go ahead and make the PG-13 version because
of that online petition?? I thought that was a sure bet.
Deadpool is now available for home viewing and I’m sure many
eager young boys and girls have found ways to sneak watching the R rated comedy
super hero film. “Cool” parents might have even let many of their children
watch the film within the last few weeks. Many parents went ahead and took
their kids to see the film in the theatre from what I read and heard online.
When should kids get to watch this film? Each child is different and should be
evaluated on a case by case basis, but I’ll try to break it down for when I
will let my boys view this raunchy comedy.
Deadpool received its R rating for numerous reasons. The
first being is gratuitous violence, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I’m not sure
it’s graphic nature is going to really affect a young pre-teen or teenager, but
any younger than that and I can see the visuals having a negative impact. You
do have Deadpool blowing the heads off of five or six guys in one shot, then
cutting off his own hand. It still is all framed in a comical light, which
takes the seriousness out of him brutally murdering multiple bad guys. The
violence is perfect for the film, but younger children would be affected by the
visuals. I know I can still vividly see violent acts in films that I saw too
young. I try to remember how those scenes affected me before I let one of my
kids watch a particularly violent scene.
Along with the violence comes the sex and language. There are
a plethora of both. Language being the most prevalent throughout the entire
movie. It seems every other word is a curse word within the movie, but it never
gets old because of the way it is used for the character in the film. I usually
have no issue with exposing my older child, who is almost twelve, to language
at this point. I know by the time I was his age I had already heard and probably
used most of the word used in the film. However to fully appreciate the
artistry Deadpool employs with his use of foul language you have to be a little
bit older to understand it’s brilliance, but also still be bit juvenile in your
thinking.
Most of the sex jokes and references are going to go over
young kids head, but that still doesn’t mean they should be exposed to it. I
think seeing strippers dance and sex scenes are probably less damaging to kids
than violence, and it’s easier to explain, but that’s my personal opinion.
There isn’t a ton of nudity, but enough that you notice, and the sex montage at
the start of the film is great, but you probably don’t want to explain some of
the things that happen to anyone younger than fourteen, but I don’t find it
awkward like many do. It’s a matter if they should be exposed to those types of
sexual ideas before they have even dreamed about experiencing them. This again is
the age of the internet and they can have access to things ten time more
explicit with a key word search, but framing sex in the right context is what I
at least try to do for my kids.
The context of the film is the real reason kids should wait
to watch. A twelve year old isn’t going to understand much of the humor found
within the film because they haven’t experienced enough of life to get the
references. Wait a couple of years and yes they will get everything, but they
are going to miss out if they see it earlier. The jokes in the movie can still
be seen as juvenile, but for older juveniles, and still perfect for my sense of
humor. To fully appreciate this movie you need to be older, because most of the
jokes and references will fly over younger kids head. I’ll let my kids watch
somewhere in the age range of 13-15 years old, and hopefully I don’t have to
explain too many of the 90’s references.
When you let your kids watch the violent action comedy superhero
film? Did you take them to the theater and watch? Is it okay to expose them to
the movie if they aren’t going to get the references mentioned? Comment and let
me know. Like, share, subscribe, and all that fun stuff. Thanks for watching.
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