THE IMITATION GAME | FAMILY MOVIE REVIEW INFORMATION FOR PARENTS AND KIDS

"THE IMITATION GAME"
(2014) (Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley) (PG-13)

QUICK TAKE:: Drama: A socially awkward but brilliant mathematician leads a team trying to break the German enigma code during WWII.

PLOT:

It's 1951 and Alan Turing (BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH) is a British man under the watchful eye of Inspector Nock (RORY KINNEAR). He's suspicious that Alan doesn't seem to have any discoverable past, something that has the detective wonder if he might be a Soviet spy. To deal with that and after being brought in for questioning, Alan tells his tale that goes back to 1939 when he is a brilliant but socially awkward British mathematician who applies to work for Commander Denniston (CHARLES DANCE) in hopes of breaking Germany's seemingly impenetrable Enigma code.

A team is finally assembled for that task, with Hugh Alexander (MATTHEW GOODE) leading the effort, much to the consternation of Alan who'd rather work alone anyway. A letter to Winston Churchill results in Alan being put in charge and the firing of two team members he views as useless. He eventually forms his final team that includes Hugh, along with Joan Clarke (KEIRA KNIGHTLEY), John Cairncross (ALLEN LEECH) and Peter Hilton (MATTHEW BEARD), all under the eye of MI6 official Stewart Menzies (MARK STRONG). As Alan continues telling his tale, we also see flashbacks to Young Alan (ALEX LAWTHER) and his interaction with classmate Christopher Morcom (JACK BANNON) with whom he becomes close, a relationship that would mold his later behavior.

With the enigma machine possessing 158 quintillion different combinations, and the code changing each day, Alan and his team race against time to break the code and hopefully shorten WWII, something Alan believes his prototype computer will help accomplish.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: Older teens might be, especially if they're intrigued by the story, Oscar buzz surrounding the film, or if they're fans of anyone in the cast.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13: For some sexual references, mature thematic material and historical smoking.

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