This is Us

image for This is Us

Short takes

Not recommended under 8, Parental guidance8-13 (Lacks interest for young children; Coarse language)

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This topic contains:

  • overall comments and recommendations
  • details of classification and consumer advice lines for This is Us
  • a review of This is Us completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 9 September 2013.

Overall comments and recommendations

Children under 8 Not recommended due to lack of interest and coarse language
Children 8 to 13 Parental guidance recommended due to coarse language
Children 13 and over OK for this age group

About the movie

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: This is Us
Classification: PG
Consumer advice lines: Mild coarse language
Length: 92 minutes

ACCM review

This review of the movie contains the following information:

A synopsis of the story

This is the story of five boys, Niall, Liam, Zayn, Harry and Louis who all auditioned for the X Factor but failed to win. Simon Cowell, the producer, decided to put them together to form a band called One Direction and the rest is history. They became an overnight sensation and gained international recognition in unprecedented time.

The film follows them on a worldwide tour to European, American and Japanese cities where fans throng to see them everywhere they go. In scenes reminiscent of Beatle mania, hysterical teenage girls in their thousands fill the auditoriums. The group members themselves are likeable boys having the time of their lives.

Themesinfo

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.

Celebrity

Use of violenceinfo

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 tomfoolery amongst the boys but none of ill intent.

Material that may scare or disturb children

Under fiveinfo

Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.

Nothing of concern

Aged five to eightinfo

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.

Nothing of concern

Aged eight to thirteeninfo

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.

Nothing of concern

Product placement

The following products are displayed or used in this movie:

  • One Direction themselves
  • Nike
  • Toys 'r us

Sexual references

Harry talks about his first kiss with a girl that got 'pretty steamy'.

Nudity and sexual activity

There is some partial nudity in this movie, including:

  • The boys are often shown shirtless, getting dressed in the dressing room and once in just boxer shorts.

Use of substances

None of concern

Coarse language

There is some coarse language in this movie that younger children may imitate, including:

  • Oh my God!
  • Arse
  • Bloody
  • Piss
  • Jesus Christ
  • Crap
  • Discussion about who farted

In a nutshell

This is Us is documentary showing how five boys from humble backgrounds have reached the highest point of stardom without seemingly being affected. It features plenty of music and performances which will certainly appeal to One Direction fans. It is likely to lack interest for children under five and there is some language that may be imitated by young children.

The main messages from this movie are to be grateful for success and to acknowledge and share that success with others.

Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:

  • friendship
  • generosity