Silly Question About Taking a 10 Year Old to See "The King's Speech"

Updated on February 24, 2011
B.M. asks from Chicago, IL
9 answers

Ok - I know it's R. I saw it right when it came out and truly I was wicked distracted and was answering emails for a work crisis during the movie - I even had to get up a couple times to take quick calls so my recollection of the movie is pretty fuzzy.

My mom wants to see it and asked about taking my daughter. The only scene I can remember that is bad and really inappropriate is the scene where he says all the swear words. I can't even recall why it got an R rating except for the scene.... but I'm wondering if I missed some scenes when I was out of the theater on a call or otherwised involved with work. The war scene at the end will be over her head, but they have studied about Hitler so she'll know who that is.

My daughter is a bit on the mature side, for her age. She just watched pride & prejudice with me this past weekend, and she has expressed a desire to see it. I can't come up with a reason to say no, except for the "R" rating and the swearing scene (which isn't really enough to make me NOT take her.... I mean she goes to public school and has heard it all and she gets that it's not appropriate for her to say and all that).

I told my mom I would have to think about it.

Please refresh my memory and give me your thoughts if you have seen the movie recently (or just paid more attention than I did when you saw it)!

Thanks!

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So What Happened?

Thanks for the feedback! I probably will let my mom take her, but I like the idea of going over the relationships with her beforehand - I probably wouldn't have thought of that!
Ami - I use IMDB for cast listing but have never looked at the parent guide, so thanks for that tip - definitely will be using that in the future!
Kristina - that was a fabulous article, thanks for posting!

And I totally missed most of the Wallis stuff - that must have been when I was out of the theater, so also good mention to cover that with her!!!!!

Thanks again :-)

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T.H.

answers from Kansas City on

Well there is the main cussing scene and then there is another one later towards the end. Bertie has a bit of a blow up, and there is more, but it's much tamer than the first one. If you're okay with the cussing, I guess it's worth a try. I thought it was fabulous and super interesting, but it's a bit slow for a 10 y/o, in my opinion. But then again, if she enjoyed Pride and Predjudice then shoot, she'll probably like it! I do agree that you should probably give her a bit of background on the whos and whys before you go though.

3 moms found this helpful

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L.R.

answers from Washington DC on

Loved this movie. If you're not quite sure, do see it again yourself first -- it's worth seeing without all the interruptions. The swearing scene (and it is largely confined to one scene, I recall) is the only reason the movie got an R instead of a PG-13.

Unless she has seen a lot of British TV -- and bless you for showing her "Pride and Prejudice"! -- or is really into British royal history, you might need to explain in advance some things that she won't have studied in school yet, so she is not confused during the film:

--Who all the principals are
--Why it's such a huge, secretive deal for "Bertie" and the Duchess of York to approach a speech therapist privately as they do; and why it's so funny that the therapist insists on addressing the Duke as Bertie
--How the line of succession worked (why Bertie would have to become king even though he didn't want to)
--And especially, why it was considered an earth-shaking crisis for "David" (Edward VIII) to want to marry an American divorcee and make her queen. Your daughter might be confused about why Wallis Simpson was treated like such a nightmare by everyone around her and the king -- how you explain that is up to you!

I also have a 10-year-old who's bright (and half English!) and might let her see it in a bit, though yes, the swearing is intense for those few moments. I definitely would talk through the story and relationships in advance, though.

4 moms found this helpful
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D.B.

answers from Norfolk on

if your daughter is mature and you think she could handle the swearing, let her see it. i think it was an amazing movie, and she could benifit from it. it has a lot of life lessons in it, and was well worth it. try her out and see what happens.

3 moms found this helpful

L.A.

answers from Austin on

The cursing in one scene, he is made to say every curse word he knows..
If she is mature, even before you go in there you could warn her, but she will probably understand that he is just so frustrated.. And he is a grown up.. One of the best performances ever..

I remember going to an R rated movie and being shocked that a couple had brought their young son. He looked to be about 5 or 6. It was a violent movie (very graphic and loud.) and lots of cursing. I was appalled that he sat there watching all of that, but when a nude scene (pretty tame, just a topless woman ) came on at almost the end of the movie, that is when the dad grabbed his son and covered his sons eyes and took him out of the theater. I thought really? Just a few years ago he was drinking from his own mothers breast, but THAT was the reason they left the theater? No the violence of language, but a pair of breasts..

3 moms found this helpful
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L.D.

answers from Las Vegas on

Was it really an R rated movie? I saw it but I guess I didn't pay attention to the rating. I don't think there is anything wrong about taking a 10-year old to go see it. It's actually a great portrayal of a moment in history and how it is possible to overcome a disability. The brief moment of "naughty language" is really not a big deal and was proper for the scene that it was in. I would just tell my child that this is what this person said but we know not to use that type of language. I think most kids that age can understand that concept.

2 moms found this helpful
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J.L.

answers from San Diego on

My daughter is only four, will probably end up being on the mature side, and if she were ten I would take her to see it. I'm one who doesn't have TV in the house, think less media is better, but this movie is inspiring; and as for the swearing, I think contextually it is important and real. Also, great movie to inspire discussion, increase empathy, and is historically, emotionally, relationally relevant. I could go on and on...: )

1 mom found this helpful

A.S.

answers from Spokane on

A great place to go to about movie questions is imdb.com (Internet Movie Database). It gives you info about cast, producers, ratings, reviews, trivia, quotes, goofs, why it was given the R (there's almost always a parent guide), etc. I go there all the time if I just want to know more about a movie, to watch a trailer or to see why it has the rating, etc. if I'm not sure I should let my kiddos watch.

So, for instance, I looked this up. The Motion Picture rating just said R for language. However, the parent guide said this:

1. Sex & Nudity

The word "tits" is used in a non-sexual aspect.

Some kissing. No sexual situations, nudity, or semi-nudity.

2. Violence & Gore

King George V is shown dead in his bed.

News about Nazi-fueled atrocities is broken, but no gruesome images are shown.

3. Profanity

The f-word is used about 11 times, as with "sh**", "bastard", "tits", and "bugger". However this is in the context of the Prince's speech therapy under the supervision of his therapist, which is meant as a way of venting stammer-fueled stress.

4.Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking

Some smoking is shown. This especially applies to Prince Albert who was instructed by previous doctors to smoke to relax his throat. However, his speech therapist, Lionel Logue, is firm in that he will not allow smoking in his office and tells the Prince that any doctor who would advise people to smoke for the good of their health is a fool.

Alcohol is consumed in a party scene and also during several conversations, but not to excess.

5. Frightening/Intense Scenes

The film begins with Prince Albert having to give a speech at the British Empire Exhibition. Given the character's speech impediment and the highly public setting making him especially ill at ease since this is also his first live radio address, his resulting embarrassment at this public fiasco is painful to watch. The scene in which he discusses his difficult childhood is also very strong emotionally.

Please note also in England this film's certificate has been downgraded to a 12A (for strong language in a speech therapy context) from a 15.

Recommended for children 12 and up

Does that give you a clear picture? Considering what this is about (I've heard great things about it, what to see it but haven't yet), and based on this, I would let my child watch if I thought they were mature enough to handle it. Another thing that I've noticed, IMDB is pretty good when it comes to their star ratings. If the movies have a high star rating on their site, 9 times out of 10, it's going to be a great movie (rarely have I been disappointed in that area) and this movie has 8.5 of a possible 10.

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L.!.

answers from Austin on

If i recall correctly, there are some comments made about the sexual behavior of Wallis Simpson, multiple partners, prostitution.

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