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"THE BOOK THIEF"
(2013) (Sophie Nelisse, Geoffrey Rush) (PG-13)


Alcohol/Drugs Minor
Blood/Gross Stuff Moderate
Disrespectful/Bad Attitude Extreme
Frightening/Tense Scenes Heavy
Gun/Weapons Extreme
Imitative Behavior Heavy
Jump Scenes None
Music (Scary/Tense) Heavy
Music (Inappropriate) Moderate
Profanity Minor
Sex/Nudity Minor
Smoking None
Tense Family Scenes Extreme
Topics to Talk About Extreme
Violence Extreme


QUICK TAKE:
Drama: A formerly illiterate girl uses books to help her and others cope with the spread of xenophobia in her Nazi controlled German town at the onset of WWII.
PLOT:
It's the late 1930s and Liesel Meminger (SOPHIE NELISSE) is a young, illiterate girl whose younger brother has just died onboard a train as they were headed to a small German town to live with their new foster parents, Hans (GEOFFREY RUSH) and Rosa Hubermann (EMILY WATSON).

While the latter is the stern breadwinner of the family via her laundering of locals' clothes, including those owned by Ilsa Hermann (BARBARA AUER), the wife of the local Burgomeister, Hans is a quieter painter who treats Liesel with respect and helps her learn how to read and write. Her illiteracy initially brings about ridicule from the likes of a bully classmate, Franz Deutscher (LEVIN LIAM), but neighbor boy and fellow classmate Rudy Steiner (NICO LIERSCH) befriends the newcomer, although his desire to be like African-American runner Jesse Owens doesn't sit well with his father or others.

As time passes by, Liesel -- who's found something of an unlikely ally in Ilsa who has a similar love for books -- gets to put her new literacy to work in the form of telling stories and later reading books to Max Vandenburg (BEN SCHNETZER). He's a young Jewish man who's taken refuge in the Hubermann basement where he hopes to avoid detection by the local Nazis. With the onset of WWII and the ever-increasing xenophobia among the townsfolk, it's uncertain if he or those harboring him will be safe.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
Despite starring a bunch of kids (as well as adults), it's unlikely considering the subject matter and setting (unless they're fans of the source novel and/or anyone in the cast).
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13
For some violence and intense depiction of thematic material.


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tting (unless they're fans of the source novel and/or anyone in the cast).
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13
For some violence and intense depiction of thematic material.


I have subscribed to ScreenIt for more than a decade. I check in every week to take advantage of their amazing services. Not only does their site provide a glimpse of exactly what content a movie offers, I've found the “Our Take” reviews and ratings for each movie to be right on the money every single time. I've referred dozens of friends to this service because my #1 resource for deciding whether or not to show a movie to my kids, or to see one myself, is ScreenIt.com!

Josh Nisbet
Director, State of CA Public Sector

I signed up to get Screen It weekly reviews a long time ago, when my kids were young and I wanted to know more about movies before we went to a theater or rented. Now one child is in law school, other in undergraduate, and I still read the weekly Screen Its! It helps me know what my husband and I want to see or rent, and what to have waiting at home that we all will enjoy when my "kids" come home. I depend on Screen It reviews. They usually just present the facts and let me decide if the movie is appropriate or of interest for my family and me. Thank you for providing that service, Screen It!

Patti Petree
Winston Salem, NC

I have 4 children who are now in college. I signed up for Screen It when my children were pre-teenagers. Often my children would ask to see a movie with a friend and I wished I could preview the movie prior to giving permission. A friend told me about ScreenIt.com and I found it to be the next best thing to previewing a movie. The amount of violence, sexual content, or language were always concerns for me and my husband as we raised innocent kids with morals. We constantly fought the peer pressure our kids received to see films that in our opinion were questionable. With the evidence we received at Screen It, our kids couldn't even fight us when we felt a film may have been inappropriate for them to watch. Thank you, Screen It. Continue to make this helpful service available to everyone, but especially the young parents.

Christine Doherty
Machesney Park, IL

Screenit.com is an amazing resource for parents, educators, church groups or anyone who wants to make an informed decision whether a movie is suitable for their viewing. The reviews and content descriptions are so detailed I am mystified how the reviewers can put them together.

Scott Heathe
Vancouver, BC

I love screen It! I don't know what I would do without it. It is well worth the membership. Before we take our son to the movies we check it out on screen it first. Thank you SO much for making it. Keep up the good work & keep 'em coming!!!

Patrina Streety
Moreno Valley California

Other new and recent reviews include:

[Around the World in 80 Days] [Family Camp] [Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness]

Privacy Statement and Terms of Use and Disclaimer
By entering this site you acknowledge to having read and agreed to the above conditions.

All Rights Reserved,
©1996-2022 Screen It, Inc.