Gran Torino
Acceptable with guidance. Age: 18+. A Catholic review of this movie for parents.
Our review
Walt is a grumpy old man who does not like his new neighbors. Slowly he becomes a friend and mentor to the boy next door. When a gang hurts the family, Walt finds a way to protect them without more killing. This is a rough, moving story of a hard man's conversion, his return to confession, and a death that saves others from revenge. But its language and racial slurs are constant, and the violence is real. The one age is 18, set by the USCCB's L classification. Expect nonstop profanity and slurs, beatings and shootings, the aftermath of a rape, and heavy drinking and smoking.
For parents
For adults. The USCCB's L classification sets the age at 18; Common Sense Media says 17+ and the MPAA rated it R. If older teens see it elsewhere, talk it through. Walt's slurs are sin, not humor, and his growth is the point. Talk about Father Janovich: he is young and mocked, but he keeps coming back, and in the end Walt goes to confession. His confession is real but small. He never tells the priest about the boy he killed in Korea; he tells Thao instead. A good confession names every grave sin we remember (CCC 1456). Ask: why does Walt choose to die unarmed instead of taking revenge? How is that like Christ laying down his life? Note that he does not seek death for its own sake; he gives his life to protect others and break a cycle of violence. Still, ask a fair question: is it right to provoke men into killing you, even to save others? Our lives belong to God (CCC 2280), and greater love lays down its life for friends (John 15:13).