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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Not to expect a film with a "PG" rating have all the children leaving the cinema bawling their eyes out

132 replies

nametaken · 15/03/2009 11:06

WARNING - SPOILER ALERT - IF YOU ARE GOING TO SEE MARLEY AND ME DON'T READ ANY FURTHER

Am I the only person who thought this would be a good film to take the kids too. FFS, the bloody dog dies in the end - some of the kids were howling - it pissed me off actually.

OP posts:

boogiewoogie · 15/03/2009 14:57

That's why it's a PG rating. Parental guidance.

duchesse · 15/03/2009 15:08

Jeez, it's about the 15 year life of a dog! Fifteen years is a flipping good innings for a lab. Of course the dog dies in the end! Seeing a film like is like pet ownership, but cheaper.

duchesse · 15/03/2009 15:10

Oh god yes, the Railway Children! That bit where she faints on the track after stopping the train! And the end bit when it's her birthday and she's been kicked out of the house, and the bit where her Daddy comes back!

< Blub >

Wigglesworth · 15/03/2009 15:28

Ah the railway children was a lovely film, a big fave of mine along with the wizard of oz. I am a big daddy's girl and the ending when she runs into her Dads arms on the platform after he comes home gets me everytime.

PfftTheMagicDragon · 15/03/2009 15:43

I would like to say that just because it is a PG film does not mean it is a childrens film. There are plenty of adults films that have lower ratings, it is not simply a case of the lower the rating the lower the age suitability.

If you are taking your children to see a film, you should be finding out the storyline first and checking whether it is suitable.

KneeDeepInLaundry · 15/03/2009 15:49

Misdee - I cried at mygirl when I was about12/13 as well

15yearsyoung · 15/03/2009 18:17

I was going to see it, but maybe not now, seeing as I felt myself getting emotional in the trailer where Marley is running along the beach to "Chariots of Fire". If he dies, goodness knows what I'll be like. However, it could just be the music that set me off!
It does say in PG ratings about sensitive children but to have the whole cinema crying? It would have been gentler for Marley to die naturally rather than being put to sleep, which is more upsetting?

I think I'll exit the thread now as I have embarassed myself and probably made an irrelevant point!

AnarchyAunt · 15/03/2009 18:27

I wouldn't even have considered taking DD (6 next week) to see it, no matter how much she loves dogs.

Its based on a book that was squarely aimed at adults.

It may have been advertised on childrens' TV but really, that means nothing. So are foodstuffs that are completely unsuitable for children - its down to me as a parent to use my own judgement on what is actually appropriate for my child. In the case of junk food advertised I would read the labels to decide if it was appropriate - in the case of a film I would read some reviews and maybe look at the book it was based on.

slayerette · 15/03/2009 18:38

If you go to imdb, it's easy to find this page for most films which sets out what to expect.

Hulababy · 15/03/2009 18:43

Lots of PG films are not actually aimed at children. It just means they aren't littered with lots of sex and violence.

It is up to parents to research any film they take their child to see, esp if PG, to ensure it is suitable for them.

If it was a U then I would think perhaps you are being reasonable, but it was a PG. Always check out a PG is my advice.

ladymariner · 15/03/2009 18:43

ET gets me every time - the bit where the flowers come back to life, and at the end....in fact, lots of films make me cry. I sat with my niece to watch Dumbo with her because she was in tears, within ten minutes I was howling and she was comforting me!! God, I'd forgotten how traumatic that film is!!!!

chegirl · 15/03/2009 18:44

I assumed the dog would die because the publicity says it follows 15 years of the couple's relationship and they get the dog at the beginning.

Sorry about your kids though

KingCanuteIAm · 15/03/2009 18:47

I have been thinking about this thread all afternoon. I am not sure exactly what has got my goat but I think it is that people seem very smug. I am upset that my children were upset by something we were unprepared for, even though I did take steps to mitigate this occurance. Saying things like "well it was obvious that was going to happen" and "oh a bit of pain and suffering is good for kids etc" is so unbelivably smug I can't even begin to explain how angry it has made me feel. My children are not sensetive, they are not sheilded from death of animals or humans I do not need a lesson in "what is good for my kids".

I sent my children to a movie advertised as a good fun family movie about the escapades of a dog. Nothing gave me any clue that it would be sad, even the trailers showing JA being upset or something would have been enough but there was nothing, nadda. If a movie is advertised in a certain way then it is perfectly reasonable to be cross when it doesn't turn out that way.

The fact I am annoyed abut it does not mean I am some kind of idiot who needs to wake up to life or anything else. So when you have all stopped being smug and feeling clever because you read a book once or saw a cow being turned into a burger at some point, perhaps you could accept that not all of us are happy to have our children upset on a fun family day out. Sorry if that is unacceptable but hey, tough.

LindenAvery · 15/03/2009 18:49

My video( if you remember these!) of Jaws is a PG.

And no my kids are too young to see it.

A PG means you should check it out first if you are unsure it will be suitable.

nooka · 15/03/2009 18:53

I think this is more to do with our cultural taboo about death. My dd gets very emotional about both books and films (as does dh) it doesn't do her any harm, and the fact that she is inclined to wail rather than sob IYSWIM is to do with the way she expresses herself, not the inherent sadness of the situation. Actually I think being free with your emotions is generally quite a good thing. We were a bit surprised when we went to see A Bridge to Terebithia and the girls dies, but it was very abrupt. I wasn't angry about it though. I dislike saccharine films way more than upsetting ones.

LindenAvery · 15/03/2009 18:54

oops just checked and it is now rated a '12' - I think my old copy is pre-12 rating.

Canute sorry your DCs were upset but maybe people are just suggesting if a movie is rated PG you need to do your homework first.

Morloth · 15/03/2009 18:58

Dogs have a much shorter lifespan than humans. Sounds like this one had a pretty good run - how come this is hard to explain to children?

Pets die, its the way it goes, not all movies have a "happy ending". And its OK to have a good cry at the movies, geez I hopes it OK, I do it all the time!

Once again WHY do people bother with AIBU, when they really really don't like it when people tell them they are!

nooka · 15/03/2009 19:03

But KingCanute if you really feel that way then you do need to know more about the films you send your children to. I've just looked at the Wikipedia entry and it is clear that the dog is euthanized at the end, and if you look at the reviews for the book the eulogy the author wrote for Marley is specifically mentioned. There are also sites for childrens film reviews that you could use. But then my dd is always wanting to go and see films that have been advertised on the TV and I am always checking them out as her taste is fairly dreadful and I'm not about to sit through 2 hours of awfulness just because I love her

Kimi · 15/03/2009 19:10

As a PG it will have some content that may not be suitable for small children,

pinkyp · 15/03/2009 19:25

urm, i dunno i'd expect pj to have a happy ending really so i dont think u are being unreasonable

SugarBird · 15/03/2009 19:29

Sorry you're feeling upset KingCanute, but maybe AIBU was not the place to post as people will generally tend to disagree a bit, um, vigorously whatever your OP is about.

I didn't realise it was being touted as a kids' film (mine are teens so don't watch kids' telly) but if I'd taken my kids to see something on the strength of ads on children's TV saying it was a children's film, I'd be annoyed too.

Having said that, as everyone's saying, PG doesn't equal children's film... I'd picked up from the advertising that it was a story aimed at adults that young children probably wouldn't be very interested in.

Original poster

nametaken · 15/03/2009 19:45

I was the OP here, not KingCanute, she was the OP on a different thread. I agree with everything she says though.

And, thanks, but I don't wish to look up a film on wiki before I go to see it, I'd quite like to enjoy the film myself, without knowing what happens in every frame.

However, nobody is more cross with myself than me - if nothing else, it has taught me that, yes, you do have to check a PG rating first.

OP posts:

LackaDAISYcal · 15/03/2009 19:47

PG means parental guidance which if you look at the BBFC site it says you should check the suitability for your children but that children over 8 shouldn't be disturbed by it.

and as for it being advertised on the children's channels, they advertise toilet cleaner on those channels as well, but I'm under no illusion the advertisers are expecting that the children are the ones doing the toilet cleaning!

YABU

Original poster

nametaken · 15/03/2009 19:49

thanks for telling me off Lacka - as you can see from my post directly before yours, I blame no-one but myself.

OP posts:

LackaDAISYcal · 15/03/2009 19:51

lol that was a bit of an unfortunate cross post wasn't it?

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