Common Sense Media Review
By Sandie Angulo Chen , based on child development research. How do we rate?
age 13+
Romantic fantasy lacks magical spark; has scary scenes.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
some
Passionate kisses and a couple of love scenes, but nothing graphic (e.g., a couple in bed, embracing and hugging, with a woman's bare shoulders and legs and a man's bare chest visible). A married couple kiss at their anniversary party. Ellis is shirtless in several scenes.
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Violence & Scariness
a little
A few deaths and tense moments, such as a scene in which someone stitches a cut. Adaline nearly dies twice, including two car crashes -- she's ejected from the car. William investigates Adaline without her knowledge and borders on stalking as he obsesses about her.
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Language
a little
Brief and infrequent, including a couple of uses of "s--t," "hell," and "goddamn."
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
a little
Adults drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes at social gatherings. Main characters drink several glasses of wine on a date.
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Products & Purchases
very little
Characters drive Saab and Jeep cars.
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Positive Messages
some
Encourages living every year as if it were your last, embracing love, and following your heart. It's important to look past people's appearances.
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Positive Role Models
some
Adaline is intelligent, resilient, loving toward her daughter, and generous with her time at work. Flemming wants Adaline to be happy and worries about her being lonely. Ellis loves Adaline and learns to respect her secrets.
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Diverse Representations
a little
Written and directed by White men, with an all-White main cast, the film does offer inclusive insights by inviting viewers to look past someone's beauty and into their hearts. Adaline is a woman who has defied gender roles throughout the many decades she's been alive, maintaining her dignity and resilience with the changing times. Adaline's best friend, Regan (Lynda Boyd), is blind and falls into a slightly clichéd supporting role as a saintly best friend and the only person with whom Adaline can be her true self.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Age of Adaline is a romantic fantasy about a woman, played by Blake Lively, who has essentially been 29 for nearly 80 years. Positive messages include looking past people's appearances, living life to the fullest, and following your heart. Adaline (Lively) shows resilience, and her daughter, Flemming (Ellen Burstyn), is caring. There are some passionate kisses and a couple of love scenes (which don't show much more than a woman's bare shoulders and a man's bare chest), as well as infrequent language ("s--t," "hell," "goddamn"). Adults drink and smoke cigarettes at social gatherings. There are a few deaths and two car crashes, and the main character nearly dies twice. A man obsessively investigates Adaline, and his behavior borders on stalking. Despite an almost all-White cast, the film has inclusive insights about looking past appearances. Regan (Lynda Boyd), Adaline's best friend, is a blind person in a slightly clichéd supporting role as a saintly best friend. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
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The Age of Adaline
Parent and Kid Reviews
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- Parents say (9)
- Kids say (16)
age 14+
Based on 9 parent reviews
becca1976 Parent of 14-year-old
September 21, 2015
age 18+
Too much language for my family
I watched this with the impression that it included a couple of curse words. The language isn't as frequent as some, but does in include sh*t, d**n, G*d d**n, and h*ll. As far as the story line goes, the best part of the movie was Harrison Ford. :) It was an interesting plot that evoked different thoughts and feelings, but when the movie was over my husband and I both said out loud, "Weird."
Dan G. Parent
April 24, 2015
age 16+
Sexual activity, and pretty hokey.
The primary content that is objectionable for children in this movie involves the irresponsible sexual activity of the characters. What Common Sense Media describes as "love scenes" are more accurately described as irresponsible sexual activity between unmarried people. True 'love' does not give into irresponsible reproductive behavior, and the movie seems to present this as OK and good. The accident scene is pretty intense and uncomfortable to watch. There is a bit of crude language and profanity. As far as entertainment value, it is OK, if one can put up with the hokiness of the main premise, that of immortality resulting from weather phenomena.
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See all 9 parent reviews
What's the Story?
THE AGE OF ADALINE is about the unconventional life of a woman named Adaline Bowman (Blake Lively). As a 29-year-old widowed mother in 1937, Adaline is in a strange car accident that leaves her unable to age (it's not magic, though; the narrator explains some complicated "scientific" reasons for her ageless body). Forever 29, Adaline changes her name, appearance, and residence every decade, even if that means leaving behind someone she loves. Many years later, Adaline, who now goes by the name Jenny, is about to move again when she meets Ellis (Michael Huisman), a wealthy philanthropist who charms her into sticking around in San Francisco. But when Ellis introduces Jenny to his parents (Harrison Ford and Kathy Baker), she realizes that his dad is one of her former loves.
Is It Any Good?
Our review:
Parents say (9):
Kids say (16):
Lively is a radiant actress, and she's so lovely in her period gowns that it's easy to forgive some of the movie's many shortcomings because of her on-screen presence. Because despite her charm and The Age of Adaline's interesting premise, the execution is far from magical. First, there's a terribly heavy-handed narrator who tries to make the movie's magical realism elements sound scientific, when they would have been better left unexplained. Plus, there just isn't much of anything happening for most of the movie -- until 70 minutes in, when Jenny finally meets Ellis' parents and discovers that his father is a former lover she abandoned. At least the inimitable Ellen Burstyn is on hand to play Adaline's daughter Flemming, adding much-needed humor to the far-too-serious proceedings.
Besides Flemming, Ford's William is one of the only interesting characters in the story. His relationship with Jenny/Adaline in the present and the past (in the earlier scenes, the character is played by Anthony Ingruber, who even sounds like Ford) is more compelling than the supposedly epic romance between Jenny and Ellis. And that's the main problem with the movie. Ellis and Jenny don't have the kind of swoon-worthy chemistry that the concept requires to make the love story work. And while the costume designer deserves kudos for Adaline's frequent decade-appropriate, often breathtaking outfit changes, the script and plot are underwhelming.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the popularity of stories about eternal youth. Do you think The Age of Adaline would have been different had Adaline been less conventionally attractive? What do her looks have to do with the story?
Discuss the idea of the motto "years, lovers, glasses of wines -- these are things that shouldn't be counted." How do you feel about that adage?
When William ignores his son's wishes and investigates Adaline to find out if she's hiding something, is this an invasion of privacy or is he doing the right thing? Would you go out of your way to investigate something or someone, even if this means crossing boundaries?
Movie Details
- In theaters: April 24, 2015
- On DVD or streaming: September 8, 2015
- Cast: Blake Lively, Harrison Ford, Amanda Crew
- Director: Lee Toland Krieger
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: Lionsgate
- Genre: Romance
- Topics: History
- Run time: 110 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG-13
- MPAA explanation: a suggestive comment
- Last updated: July 18, 2024
Did we miss something on diversity?
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The Age of Adaline
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