Has anyone seen 8 Mile? If so.....

[TimeforMe]

is it appropriate for a 14 1/2 year old to see? I'm thinking NO since it IS rated "R", but DD is telling me I am the only parent not allowing their kid to see this this weekend. I find that hard to believe, but I'm curious as to what's in the movie, exactly, to give it that rating. Should I give in or not?

 

[swanmom]

Timeforme,
There's a website I use all the time to 'check' movies and videos before my DD sees them. It tells level of violence, nature of sexual scenes, alcohol and drug uses, etc. so you can objectively decide what you are comfortable with your child viewing. Here's the address:
www.screenit.com

Hope this helps!

 

[TimeforMe]

Thanks a bunch swanmom--I'm headed there right now. I figured there might be something like that on the internet.

UPDATE: Wow---that was really helpful and I've decided she definitely will not be seeing it. Thanks for your help!

 

[Dan Murphy]

After skimming that review, TfM, I doubt many parents of 14 year olds would let their kids go to this movie. If so, I would think they were remiss in their responsibility as a parent. Sure is not one I would enjoy seeing either. If a child does go, he/she must be accompanied by parent/guardian also, with the R rating. Thanks swanmom, for the link. Here is an additional review guide.

http://www.kids-in-mind.com/

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Thanks for the links folks!

 

[aahmom1]

My son's favorite line is "All the other Mom's let him.' When in fact, I doubt that's true.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

That is the oldest line in the book. If that is true tell her then her friends can tell her about it Monday at school. I just hope my kids never like rap (the oldest is 10 and so far, so good).
Robin M.

 

[CBRorBust]

I think it all depends. If you are trying to shelter your kid, then no don't let them see it. But if your kid is mature, has heard bad words, and has seen a sex scene *no nudity* I don't see how this movie is any different than most others.

I saw it yesterday and I thought it was great. And at 14, trust me, your kid knows what's going on.

 

[Michelle]

This is off topic, but I just looked at that site (very interesting!) and read the information about the ******* move and about lost my dinner. Why ANYone would want to see that movie is WAAAY beyond me.

 

[TimeforMe]

Originally posted by CBRorBust
I think it all depends. If you are trying to shelter your kid, then no don't let them see it.

And at 14, trust me, your kid knows what's going on.

First, yes I am in a sense trying to shelter my kid. After all, she is my responsibility to teach right from wrong, instill good morals, etc. So as a responsible parent, I will choose to "shelter" her from things I think are inappropriate for a 14 year old. From what I've read on the screenit website, which by the way lists exactly what the content of the movie was down to certain words they use, I've deemed it inappropriate.

I am not naive enough to think she hasn't heard four letter words (or said them for that matter) and that she and her friends don't talk about sex, but as far as knowing "what's going on" I'd rather her not be privy to the distorted, disfunctional views portrayed in that movie, thank you very much. She is a "young" 14 year old, by the way, and I think wanted to see the movie because everyone else was.

But I'm glad you enjoyed the movie. I've heard it's getting good reviews. Heck, I may even catch it on video when it comes out.

 

[Laurajean1014]

TIMEFORME - You go! Very well done. I admire your responsibility towards your child.

Thank you....

 

[nativetxn]

Swanmom, that is an excellent site. I added it to my favourites. Thank you for that link.

Timeforme, my son used to try to tell me "all of his friends" did things and so I would just tell him, I must really be off the mark and I would tell him I was going call some of those parents and discuss the issue with them, because I didn't want him to be the only one not seeing the R rated movie, attending the unchaparoned party, driving 8 other teenagers to Mackinac Island with no adults, or whatever was the topic of the moment. He usually would decide he might not be the <b>only</b> one not getting to do whatever it was and ask me not to call. It really seemed to calm him down when I would offer to call some of the other parents

 

[Dan Murphy]

What Laurajean1014 said.

 

[swanmom]

Glad that so many people found the site helpful. I have to add that I use this site a lot because I can't possibly see everything myself. But, I do feel that parents have a responsibility to know what they're kids are seeing. As for the argument that "your 14 year old knows more than you think" or "has already seen and heard a lot of this stuff," I say that doesn't mean that it has to get my seal of approval. I think it sends a powerful message to a kid to say "We all know that this stuff is out there but, as a parent, I don't condone it or find it to be entertainment." What you allow your kids to see (or not see) is a clear statement of the personal values you want your kids to emulate. Ok...I'm off my soapbox now!

 

[TimeforMe]

nativetxn: I, too, have done that. In fact, I happened to run into 2 of the girls' parents during the course of the day yesterday and they were unaware that the kids even wanted to see it! Another friend of DD's, who DID see the movie on Friday was allowed to go. I happen to be pretty good friends with the mom and I *thought* we shared the same values, but this kid cried and cajoled so much (she is presently a single mom) that the mom let her go. I feel pretty confident that if she had read the contents on screen.it, she would not have done so.

swanmom: I totally agree. Thanks again for the site. I, too, will be using it in the future.

P.S. They ended up seeing I Spy last night.

 

[snoopy]

I know nothing about the movie (although I will check out that link) but I can tell you when we went to see Santa Clause yesterday the teenagers were lined up to see 8 Mile. The average age looked to be about 16, and they were checking IDs.

 

[Leota]

I am actually considering taking my 14 year old to see it. Flame away, if you want, but I think there is some value in this movie - I see some excellent topics for discussion. Now maybe Max has seen some of the harsher things that life has to offer than most 14 year olds. He has come with me to do AIDS education in some very rough places. Both his Dad & I do community work in poverty stricken, violent, drug-ridden neighborhoods. Max has seen the consequences of a life out of control. He is not remotely interested in making those mistakes - I think it's because he has seen it, he has discussed it & processed it....
We have listened to Eminem songs together & talked about the issues that are raised - the background that Eminem comes from & what that has done to warp the person he became.
I guess what I'm trying to say, is that you can see movies like this with your kids & use it as a great opportunity to talk about some tough issues. I think the lack of parental responsibility would be to allow the kids to see this stuff, without the discussions to follow.
Would I let Max see it alone? Absolutely not. Would I consider myself an irresponsible parent if I took him to see it? No, as long as we discussed the issues raised & used scenes from the movie to illustrate the consequences of poor-decision making.

 

[TimeforMe]

snoops: I'm not surprised--all the teens want to see it. DS 12 even wants to see it. Eminem is very "mainstream" inasmuch as neither of my kids are into rap, but for some reason they seem to like his music (and I really like some of it myself) which brings me to........

Leota: I see nothing wrong in what you're doing (I don't "flame" people anyway ) and I consider that very responsible parenting. HOWEVER, my daughter would be mortified if I went to this movie with her and her friends. Like I mentioned previously, it was the "thing to do", but she is a "young" 14 year old and has not been exposed to movies with so much profanity, violence and sex. Your son sounds much more mature and therefore may be able to handle it better. But you've raised a good point in my mind....when she wakes up I will ask her exactly WHY she wanted to see this movie. It'll be interesting to hear her response. We live in a very white collar suburban area in Fairfield County, CT and she has very little exposure to these lifestyles. She was recently involved in a club that mixed our suburban kids with inner city kids and had them attending different social activities together. It was quite an eye opener for her.

 

[Leota]

TimeForMe-
We now live in a very suburban, semi-rural area. I see alot of kids out here emulating "ghetto" style (jailin pants, rap etc...) These kids would be so extremely lost if they ever landed in the ghetto - Yet, for some reason, they are fascinated with urban hard-core. They almost seem to glamorize it - But, they don't see the "whole picture" - Max has & has absolutely no illusions about it.
I often thought, maybe I'm wrong, that it has to do with the fact that he has seen it, talked about it & processed it.
I'm lucky, Max isn't embarrassed to do stuff with me (most of the time) & we can talk about movies & music & things that present these images to kids in a meaningful, thought-provoking way...

 

[kdibattista]

DH and I saw it yesterday and every other word was *%#! (well.. you get the idea).