Free Willy
Acceptable with guidance. Age: 13+. A Catholic review of this movie for parents.
Our review
Jesse is a runaway boy who gets in trouble and is sent to live with foster parents. While cleaning up his mess at a sea park, he makes friends with Willy, a captive killer whale. When the owner plans to hurt Willy, Jesse and his friends help him swim free. A boy who has given up on love is won back by a whale and a patient foster family, and the climax still thrills. The one age is 13, set by the USCCB classification of A-II; Common Sense Media says 6+ and the MPAA says PG.
For parents
One age: 13, set by the USCCB classification A-II (adults and adolescents), via formationreimagined.org. Common Sense Media says 6+ and the MPAA PG for emotional intensity. Kids-In-Mind lists police throwing Jesse to the ground and handcuffing him with a bloodied nose, fistfights between adults, Willy butting his tank while children run away screaming, whales trapped in nets, and the owner draining the tank to kill Willy. Language is mild name-calling and one angry 'screw.' The harder part is the moral line. Jesse begs, steals food and sprays graffiti early on, and at the climax he and Randolph steal Glen's truck and the group takes Willy from the park (Wikipedia). The owner was going to kill Willy for insurance money, so the cause is good, but talk about it: Is it ever right to take what is not yours? What else could Jesse have done? Before the final jump Jesse says a Haida prayer Randolph taught him (Wikipedia); a good moment to say we pray to the one God who made the sea and the whales. Do praise the Greenwoods. Their patient love is what changes Jesse.