Can Roger Ebert's 'Kick-Ass' Movie Review Protect America's Youth?

By Amber James Posted Apr 16th 2010 03:00PM

As 'Kick-Ass' opens in theaters, critic Roger Ebert warns movie fans in his one star review that the action flick is "morally reprehensible." Despite the film's R rating, the famed movie critic is fixated on the effect its 11-year-old main character Hit Girl will have on younger audiences.

In the film, Mindy (Chloe Grace Moretz) and her father (Nicolas Cage) try to become superheroes. During one scene, the young girl kills a gangster mob by shooting, stabbing and kicking them all to death. The knife-carrying child has quite a dirty mouth, too, uttering words even adults would be embarrassed to say. While the satire likely won't birth a new group of gun-slingers in America, Ebert stands by his review. "Say what you will about her character, but Chloe Grace Moretz has presence and appeal. Then the movie moved into dark, dark territory, and I grew sad," he wrote.

It's no secret Ebert has been an outspoken opponent of the Motion Picture Association of America's film rating system when it comes to which movies are "suitable for children." Ebert often attacks films featuring a diluted message that bad behavior can bring happiness -- especially when young characters are involved in the controversial, adult-themed plots.

(Warning mature audiences only: watch the red band trailer.)

Earlier this year, Ebert gave 'The Lovely Bones' a scathing review and pondered the psychological effects the film may have on young female audiences. "It is a deplorable film with this message: If you're a 14-year-old girl who has been brutally raped and murdered by a serial killer, you have a lot to look forward to," he wrote. "Sure, you miss your friends, but your fellow fatalities come dancing to greet you in a meadow of wildflowers, and how cool is that?"

"The murder of a young person is a tragedy, the murderer is a monster, and making the victim a sweet, poetic narrator is creepy. This movie sells the philosophy that even evil things are God's will, and their victims are happier now. Isn't it nice to think so. I think it's best if they don't happen at all. But if they do, why pretend they don't hurt? Those girls are dead," he wrote.

In the past, Ebert has challenged the MPAA Code and Ratings Administration claiming, "The bottom line is not much of a surprise: The board is much more lenient towards violence than toward sex," he said. "In turn, America's youth has more exposure to violence in these PG-13 rated films and are becoming desensitized to the lasting effects of crime and violence."

In 1998, Ebert called out 'Small Soldiers,' saying it was "a family picture on the outside, and a mean, violent action picture on the inside... It's rated PG-13, but if the characters were human, the movie would be a hard 'R.'"

Interestingly, Ebert urged that PG-13 films like 'School of Rock,' 'Whale Rider' and 'Bend It Like Beckham' were actually perfect for the family with inspiring messages and appropriate story lines. "There is a vast difference between movies for 12-year-old girls and movies about 12-year-old girls, and 'Whale Rider' proves it," Ebert wrote in his 2003 review. "So many films by and about teenagers are mired in vulgarity and stupidity; this one, like its heroine, dares to dream."

On the flip-side, Ebert gladly applauded Dakota Fanning's role in 'Hounddog,' a controversial, independent film in which Fanning, then 14, played a troubled 12-year-old who is sexually abused by her father. Although Fanning's character is raped by an older teenager, she eventually learns how to make people treat her with respect. Ebert admits Fanning's "impressive step forward in her career" reminded him of Jodie Foster in 'Taxi Driver,' who played a twelve-year-old prostitute. Perhaps it is all about the final message (and it's effect on youth) that can make or break a film for Ebert.

While some critics say Ebert needs to lighten up on 'Kick-Ass,' it's obvious he has an agenda against violence and doesn't want movies to sensationalize an onslaught's "cool" factor. All moral stances aside, Ebert is passionate about his message -- even if it comes in the form of a 'Kick-Ass' movie review.

Video: PopEater asked New Yorkers -- generally of the parental persuasion -- for their reactions to the red-band trailer featuring Hit Girl. Check it out:

Tell us what you think about 'Kick-Ass.'

Tags: Kick-Ass, Roger Ebert

Comments

(82)

Saturday 17 April

By solomeeo

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Tell it like it is Mr. Ebert! I have to say, Mr Ebert is braver than I. If I had the illness Ebert does and knew I was going to have to go through all of that, I would not have let them touch me!

By fymayawf

It's a movie, be a parent, don't take or let your kids see it if you think it's not appropriate for them, while you're at it teach them the difference between fantasy and reality. Don't expect schools or anyone else to do that for you...and stop whining...or your kids may grow up to be whiners as well...now THAT'S obscene!

By Kay

High Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Honestly, this is a bunch of fuss over nothing.

There's a rating system for a reason people, do try and follow it. This movie is obviously made for young adults, not tweens. If it were made for tweens it would be PG-13, not R.

But if you insist of making a difference, try doing something worthwhile; like I dunno, starving kids, child abuse, relief organizations. Because to create this much fuss over a movie seems undeniably pathetic, and really immature.

The funny thing is that the people who are getting all wound up about this, are the very same people who would never see it. Seems interesting to me...

By Babs

My 13-year old daughter wants to see this movie and when I saw the preview I said no way! Something about an 11-year old being portrayed this way is just...well, wrong. Movies are just getting ridiculous now, (not to mention too expensive to see which is another issue entirely), and they aren't even good on top of it.

By cairnhowff

Get real.....Hollywood gave us the fantasy of the American Dream...and Broadway hasn't done anything much since the 1950s with the sickeningly sweet Rogers and Hammerstien tripe. This is a movie..you don't have to watch it if you don't want to.

By Vecter

This is all about mooonnneyyyy.Who made it? Who owns the studio's? Who owns the cinema's where it will air? Who sells the over priced popcorn,candy and soft drinks? Who makes money off of the viedeo coin machines in the lobby? Bottom line, they don't care about your kid's,just as long as they are making mooonnneeeyyy.

By lexy newsom

i think the film & the young girl's character are absolutely silly and ridiculous. i work in the inner city but live in Chicago's upscale northshore and i can't imagine any of our kids taking an interest in this film much less pay to see it. it's a little girl playing dress up who is also allowed vulgar speech but she just can't pull it off enough to hold anyone's interest. she's buffoonish. who'd take her seriously? i think our young people would roll their eyes at this. they've seen & lived worse than anything this film can conjure up. perhaps Ebert is worried about toddlers & pre-teens being influenced but they shouldn't be in the audience in the first place.

By Cody

As someone who has given the highest possible marks possible to movies like Steven Soderbergh's revisionist glorification of Che Guevarra, Michael Moore's disinegnious (and deliberately misinformative and manipulative) propaganda and Oliver Stone's conspiracy theorizing in JFK, Ebert has NO PLACE WHATSOEVER to lecture anybody else on the moral reprehensibility of film.

By orlandomaurice1

The only reason I'd see it is just to see what everyone is whining about. Its not the first time kids have said and done surprising things on film. The kids in the original Bad News Bears said some very adult things and in one scene were drinking beer given to them by Walter Matthau's character Budermaker. In the film "Granma's Boy" theres a scene where a boy is happily sucking on a woman's boob at a party. So kids being depicted doing unchild-like things aren't unprecedented in film. I got a feeling that if I saw this film that I would not be as shocked as the critics are by "Hit Girl"....but of course I have to see it first. I could be wrong.

By John F.C. Taylor

Why should I even care what Roger Ebert thinks about this movie? I've almost never agreed with any film critic. I do recall that Siskel & Ebert both liked Star Trek IV. Almost skipped the film because they both gave it a thumbs up. Other than that, there isn't one movie I can remember that the critics and I agreed on.

By Wyioughta

What everyone is missing is the point of where we are as a nation right now. We are separated by do gooders and not so good.As Americans it is our duty to stand up against oppression no matter what age. The dawn of technoogy brought on the age of lost innocence. The world is full of devastating news and we idly sit back in our decadent mindset and think it wont happen to us. Give me a break, we have raised our children in the last twenty years to question a spanking let alone any type of corporal punishment and where has that left us? With children blind or in fear of violence, and the first wave of those children are at war right now in the real world (Iraq)struggling to find the answer we so carefully guarded them against.All in all I agree with Mr. Ebert and I'm sure Mr. Siskel wouldve backed him up but I also think he would have disagreed about the age of which these movie need to be accessable to kids, and I believe he would have told Roger PG-13 IS the new R. One last note,if you were backed down in a foxhole and your 13 yr.old daughter or son were the only one close to the rifle,what would you feel?

By Augustnites

I would certainly never take a child to this movie.BUT as an adult going to a R rated movie is my choice.Worry about yourselves and your affairs.Last i looked,there are more important things going on in our world than child actors with nasty potty mouths,and Nick Cages choice of movie roles.

By Huss

I guess Nick Cage has to find some way to pay for his spending habits .. Whoops, there goes another mansion!

By Santa

I know the movie did not live up to his masterpiece...Beyond the valley of thd dolls...But they tried

By Allegra

I think people are missing the message of this movie. Much like the story of Lolita, Mindy's plot arc is about a little girl who loses her childhood because a man tries to turn her into his own ideal person. Children shouldn't watch this movie anymore than they should read Nabokov, but adults might actually learn something from it.

By Holly

This movie is yet another example of the decaying morals of our society. It's bad enough that many of our nation's children get zero guidance at home (both parents at work, latch-key kids) and teachers aren't allowed to teach morality (we might step on someone's toes and get sued), but the glorification of violence as a solution is repulsive. Teen girls have been brainwashed into thinking rape is an every day, "OK" thing and laugh at the victims, teen pregnancy is flaunted at school as a badge of honor ("hey, look at me, I've been screwing!") and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
I'm sorry to sound old fashioned folks, but we need a return to REAL traditional values to stabilize our society. It's way too much like Sodom and Gomorrah out there, and I'm not even religious.
Mr. Cage is far to fine an actor to be participating in this garbage.

By Would NC-kevin

This is an adult film. Adults can appreciate and enjoy the themes and scenes of this movie. In that sense, it is an adult movie along the lines of "A Clockwork Orange" and "Midnight Cowboy". Excellent movies both, but definitely not for children. The move was rated "R", so the MPAA clearly found some things in it that shouldn't be part of a childrens' movie. Would NC-17 be more appropriate? Perhaps. My youngest child is 17, so my kids tend not to take me to movies, but we have watched some pretty intense movies together in the past - and then we talked about them.

By GRAMPA SKOMSKY

ARNOLD STANG RULES!

By Ish

This from the man who brought you (i.e. wrote) "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls."

Apparently, degrading women and scenes of absolute decadence are okay but little girls PLAYING at being violent superheroes not.

And all you nimrods who think this movie is going to cause our youths to run violently rampant in the streets in purple wigs need to put down your "Child Psychology for Dummies" handbook and pick up "Getting a Life for Dummies." It will definitely do you much more good.

This was a fun, action packed, new take on the superhero genre. Please save your critique and moral outrage until you've actually seen the movie.