But ultimately, Les Miserables is about the redemptive power of love and faith, and there are many moments of hope and beauty amid the miserable ones. Add your rating See all 49 parent reviews. Add your rating See all kid reviews. The basic story centers on Jean Valjean Hugh Jackman , a fugitive who's wanted for breaking parole after serving 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread and then trying to escape.
The dogged and misguidedly by-the-book Inspector Javert Russell Crowe is at his heels, even though it's been years since Valjean left prison.
Meanwhile, the former convict has dedicated himself to helping others -- especially Cosette, the young daughter of doomed factory worker Fantine Anne Hathaway , who loses her job and turns to prostitution in desperation.
After Fantine's death, Valjean raises Cosette Amanda Seyfried as his own until they're both caught up in the June Rebellion of in Paris, when Valjean encounters Javert again and must decide whether to continue to live on the run or take a stand. Cosette, meanwhile, has fallen for the young revolutionary Marius Eddie Redmayne -- but little does he know that Eponine Samantha Barks , the daughter of the crooked innkeepers who had initially raised Cosette on Fantine's behalf, is enamored of him.
Love and duty are intertwined in this searing epic about faith, forgiveness, class struggles, politics, poverty, and change. From the first scene, Les Miserables is both majestic and brutal, the beauty of the cinematography and the music achingly juxtaposed against the cruelty and savagery of its characters' lives. Expect your emotions to be wrenched this way and that; the actors -- especially Jackman, Hathaway, and Crowe -- have thrown everything on the table, making for a movie you won't easily forget.
Director Tom Hooper had the actors sing live as the cameras rolled, and it was a brilliant decision, capturing the rawness of performances that sought to elevate the actors beyond warbling iconic songs in tune. You can feel them living the lyrics, sampling them as if they've never been sung before.
No wonder the film has earned so many accolades; this one's worth the buzz. Crowe's craggy, rock-star voice at times feels at odds with the rest of the cast's style, but his deeply felt Javert persuades. In the end, he seems utterly lost and broken, and we feel for him.
At times you wish the camera would pull back a little, or that the score could quiet down a little to let a moment just be -- there's virtue in the plainly staged scene, too -- but there are few of those, thankfully.
Les Miserables is a wonder. Families can talk about the movie's messages. What is it saying about faith and love? About justice and duty? Why is Javert so determined to take Valjean back to prison? Valjean clearly becomes a noble person, even though he's also a fugitive and a lawbreaker.
Does he deserve to go to back to jail, as the law requires? Why are the students so passionate about their cause? Do you agree with them that it's one worth dying for? Have you ever felt that strongly about anything?
How well do film actors perform in a movie that requires them to sing almost every line of dialogue? Why do you think filmmakers cast mostly movie stars instead of veteran stage actors? For fans of the stage musical -- which version do you prefer, and why? What was changed? What was missing -- or added? Why do you think the filmmakers made the changes they did? Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate. Streaming options powered by JustWatch. Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization, earns a small affiliate fee from Amazon or iTunes when you use our links to make a purchase. Thank you for your support. Our ratings are based on child development best practices. We display the minimum age for which content is developmentally appropriate.
The star rating reflects overall quality. Learn how we rate. Parents' Ultimate Guide to Support our work! Corona Column 3 Use these free activities to help kids explore our planet, learn about global challenges, think of solutions, and take action. Les Miserables. But singing live was a mistake. It was disappointing. But I also recommend you watch one of the concert versions on YouTube, because those are amazing.
I like the 10th one but the 25th is good, too. Many are shot, including a child, and one character commits suicide by jumping off a bridge.
I just saw this movie for the first time quite recently. That ended in This takes place from Teen, 13 years old Written by TheDalmatian September 9, Wonderfull film, and great story about the French Revolution Amazing!!!
This is a great film!! A few sad scenes yes, but as an wonderfull storyline!! I personally loved the film and thought it was a masterpiece!! Great acting and is one of the best movies of all time!! Teen, 15 years old Written by Wise-Girl August 31, So Scaring!!!!
This is a really really hard movie that has really hard things you will need to debrief your kids with! Teen, 14 years old Written by qw August 13, I watched it, and I had goosebumps at some of the songs.
I very highly suggest people watch this. I was a bit surprised at how this only has a 13 rating. It has some very mature themes that would actively happen at that time, and as everyone knows, history is commonly terrible. I would highly suggest if you are on the more mature side, but the common 13 years old im 14 had a lot of questions even while being exposed to stuff online, and it may freak them out in many ways.
I suggest watching it first, then with someone that young or watching something a little tamer. Teen, 14 years old Written by paimon June 6, The movie, an adaptation of an adaptation the stage musical , is a bit of a let down. Our two leads, Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe, are rather underwhelming.
The barricade boys all being Broadway stars and theater nerds and Aaron Tveit leading the ensemble were great casting choices. I also think Aaron would make a great Valjean. And Javert. And Marius.
He would be great as everyone. My favorite singer. There was absolutely no use in making it minutes shorter. One last point before explaining the content with some spoilers , would I recommend this generally? Of course I am. Now, onto the content, which is what brings you here in the first place. I apologize for my loud mouth. I passionately rant in my reviews. Someone commented that it sounds like celery, so if you need to distract yourself a bit when that occurs, just think of celery , scenes of intense battle and death, peril and the heartbreaking death of a child.
However, none of these deaths are particularly gory, just powerful and heart wrenching. A man cuts the tail off of a cat. A girl spits at her father, there is verbal violence though hardly profane , it is implied that a young girl is physically abused by her innkeepers, though it is apparent enough that she is both mentally and emotionally abused.
A woman has her back teeth pulled all you see is the tool go into her mouth while she shouts in fright and you briefly hear it meet her tooth, but there is no yanking sound. A sword fight ensues and a man takes a block of wood to fight back. Neither man is wounded. A woman is physically thrown in the streets and spit at. There are two very brief sex scenes with no nudity. The second is for comedic effect and also does not have any nudity.
They both last ten to twenty seconds at the most. However, what was included was tasteful. Many ensemble members are prostitutes and sing, dress, and dance provocatively. There is some drinking. There is a song called Drink With Me and Grantaire is an alcoholic though he is likely on screen for no more than five minutes and it is never explicitly stated in the film.
I know this because of the book. Are there great messages? Stand up for what you believe in, put your family first, learn from your mistakes.
I could go on and on, really! Are there positive role models? One hundred percent. Jean Valjean changing from a convict though his crime was hardly a crime. Well, rather, crimes into a better man because of the Bishop is something any child and any person could look up to. Fantine risking her life, risking everything, for her child. There is some positivity in this miserable film, believe it or not. There is quite a bit of mature content, but since nothing is all that explicit, I feel comfortable keeping it at 13 and older.
Teen, 15 years old Written by theatrekid April 20, The ending is so fantastically beautiful. Just leave the kids at home for this heavy tale. Violence: Children throw rocks at a man and badger him.
He is repeatedly hit and kicked. A man steals items from a church. Corpses are seen, along with numerous sick and impoverished people. A woman is attacked verbally and physically by other women. She is later forced to sell her hair and teeth before turning to prostitution to provide for her daughter. A woman slaps a man before being thrown in the streets.
She later scratches the face of a man. Characters engage in a sword fight. A child is subjected to cruel treatment. A character spits in the face of another. During a standoff, frequent gunfire is depicted and numerous characters are shot and killed with blood shown in the streets. An explosion is set off. A child is gunned down.
Characters attempt to escape through a sewer. A police officer is captured and threatened with death by the rebels. A man commits suicide. Sexual Content: A single mother is accused of sleeping around.
An employer makes sexual invitations to an employee. Prostitutes wear revealing clothing.
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