Not suitable under 12; parental guidance to 14 (adult themes, drug taking)
This topic contains:
Children under 12 | Not suitable due to adult themes and drug taking. |
Children aged 12–14 | Parental guidance recommended due to adult themes and drug taking. |
Children over the age of 14 | Ok for this age group. |
This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines. Other classification advice (OC) is provided where the Australian film classification is not available.
Name of movie: | Elvis |
Classification: | M |
Consumer advice lines: | Mature themes and coarse language |
Length: | 159 minutes |
This review of the movie contains the following information:
Elvis is a biographical story of the King of Rock and Roll. Elvis was born in Tupelo, Mississippi and, as a young boy (Chaydon Jay), he is seen trying to get his dad (Richard Roxburgh) out of prison. Elvis takes solace in the company of black gospel church services, at a time when blacks and whites were still segregated, and he is very much influenced by the music. As a young man, Elvis (Austin Butler) begins his singing career which features his famous hip wiggling and blatant sexual appeal. He is approached by Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks), who realises the potential Elvis has as a money-making concern, to become his manager. Elvis exudes sexuality on stage and his adoring female fans fawn all over him. This attracts the condemnation of the moral majority who try to curtail Elvis and change him into a more wholesome act. Elvis is a rebel, however, and refuses to conform. He is drafted into the army and sent to Germany to serve, where he meets and falls in love with Priscilla (Olivia DeJonge) and they later marry. Tom Parker commits Elvis to a five year contract to perform at Las Vegas, which Elvis finds increasingly difficult to fulfil. He turns to drugs to sustain his heady lifestyle and becomes bloated and temperamental. Priscilla leaves him during this difficult time and Elvis sadly dies at the age of 42, leaving a legacy that will continue forever.
Children and adolescents may react adversely at different ages to themes of crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependence, death, serious illness, family breakdown, death or separation from a parent, animal distress or cruelty to animals, children as victims, natural disasters and racism. Occasionally reviews may also signal themes that some parents may simply wish to know about.
Biography; Financial abuse; Drug taking; Racial tensions.
Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.
Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.
There is some violence in this movie, including:
Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.
In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children under the age of five, including the following:
Children aged five to eight will also be frightened by scary visual images and will also be disturbed by depictions of the death of a parent, a child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.
In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes and scary visual images, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children aged five to eight, including the following:
Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.
In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children aged eight to thirteen, including the following:
Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.
The following products are displayed or used in this movie:
There are some sexual references in this movie, including:
There is some nudity and sexual activity in this movie, including:
There is some use of substances in this movie, including:
There is some coarse language in this movie, including:
Elvis is a biopic musical about the famous King of Rock and Roll, which is set in a period of civil unrest and segregation of blacks and whites. The telling of the story moves at a fast pace and glosses over a lot of the worst of Elvis’s life but it still tells a sad tale of a young man manipulated and abused by a predatory manager. The film will appeal to a wide audience, however, due to the adult themes in the movie and the presence of drug taking, it is not suitable for children under 12 and parental guidance is recommended for children aged 12 – 14.
The main messages from this movie are that popular figures have great influence on many people and this can be used for good or bad; and the importance of Elvis’s family to him.
Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:
This movie could also give parents the opportunity to discuss with their children attitudes and behaviours, and their real-life consequences, such as:
Tip: Leave out the first A, An or The
Selecting an age will provide a list of movies with content suitable for this age group. Children may also enjoy movies selected via a lower age.
Content is age appropriate for children this age
Some content may not be appropriate for children this age. Parental guidance recommended
Content is not age appropriate for children this age
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