Common Sense Media Review
By Sandie Angulo Chen , based on child development research. How do we rate?
age 13+
Heartbreaking but hopeful drama about Sudanese Lost Boys.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
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Violence & Scariness
some
Very harrowing scenes when the Southern Sudanese kids witness their village being burned and families killed; later, a few of the kids die/are killed on the long, arduous journey to the border refugee camp (starvation, exposure, etc.). Soldiers execute innocent villagers, including children.
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Language
some
Infrequent language includes "a--hole," "screw," "holy crap," "pissed off," "goddamn," and "bulls--t."
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Products & Purchases
some
Several brands featured, including Nike, IGA, Waffle House, Cheerios, McDonald's, Budweiser, Ford Explorer, Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and V-Tech.
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
some
See AlsoThe Good Lie movie review & film summary (2014) | Roger EbertThe Good Lie | Rotten TomatoesAvis sur le film The Good LieReview - 'The Good Lie' Offers Truly Powerful PerformancesOne of the Sudanese men is introduced to marijuana by his co-workers. He's shown smoking or high a few times. Carrie drinks on a few occasions and is shown drinking tequila with a friend.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
a little
One scene where it's clear that Carrie has just had sex with a guy she's not really dating but considers a "sex buddy" (nothing sensitive shown).
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Positive Messages
a lot
Themes includes overcoming unbelievable odds, protecting those you love, creating familial bonds with those around you, and the importance of believing in something. Encourages those of us who are safe and surrounded by family to have compassion toward refugees and immigrants fleeing horrifying circumstances.
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Positive Role Models
a lot
The Sudanese boys form a tight-knit group that protects and looks out for each other. Young Theo saves Mamere and the other kids time and time again, to the point of sacrificing his own safety. Carrie grows to feel big sisterly toward the three Sudanese men, and Mamere eventually helps save his brother Theo the way Theo once saved him.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Good Lie is a feel-good drama that centers on the Lost Boys of Sudan, young adults who as children in Africa survived unthinkable circumstances (terrible violence, 1,000-mile treks to refugee camps, and more) and in some cases were lucky enough to win lottery visas to the United States. Expect scenes of heartbreaking tragedy early in the movie: kids who die of starvation and exposure; soldiers who burn a village and kill everyone in it, orphaning the main characters; an older brother who sacrifices himself to save younger siblings and friends. The movie (which stars Reese Witherspoon and shares an executive producer with The Blind Side) also doesn't shy away from showing just how lonely, difficult, and sad it can be to move somewhere new where you're safe but don't understand the culture. There's also some swearing, drinking, drug use (marijuana), and a scene of implied sex (nothing graphic shown). All of that said, despite the upsetting moments, The Good Lie is also hopeful and educational and will encourage audiences to do their part to help war refugees. 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 Good Lie
- Parents say (5)
- Kids say (7)
age 12+
Based on 5 parent reviews
Karen S. Parent of 9, 13 and 16-year-old
April 26, 2018
age 13+
Fictionalized story handles a serious topic well
I like this movie and my mature 12 year old was disappointed to stop watching it because it was bedtime. I was looking for something rare - a movie about a serious global issue that does justice to the issue while still being something teens might choose to watch. I love documentaries, but many teens don't, so I really wanted a fictionalized story to engage them. The first 30-45 minutes of this movie are set in Sudan and include many examples of war destroying the lives of the children and teens who star in the movie. These scenes are not graphic (no blood, no closeups of shooting) but they are frank. For instance, in the opening scene, you see soldiers arriving and hear shooting, then see all the parents and people in the village dead. Later, you see a large refugee group diverge at a river, possibly hear faint shooting off screen and soon see the bodies of the people who went one direction float down the river. The children form their own group, led by a young teen who demonstrates amazing leadership and sacrifice. It is hard (and humbling) to watch the children suffer loss, thirst, hunger, and a long uncertain walk to safety, but part of the movie's strength is its ability to get viewers to care about the characters in this situation. Also, these migration scenes are so emotional because the viewer also feels the strength, solidarity and responsibility shown by the children and teens. After about 45 minutes, the movie jumps ahead in time and focuses on the now-young adults winning a visa lottery and settling in America. I found the movie heartbreaking, uplifting, emotional, humbling, sometimes funny, and interesting. Just make sure your teens can handle scenes of wartime and death, and can take in the duality of a horrible situation that leads characters to demonstrate impressive leadership and selflessness.
cdrc Adult
April 7, 2020
age 11+
EMOTIONS
I DONT KNOW WHAT IM FEELING RIGHT NOW? IM A LITTLE BIT SAD ABOUT HOW THEY LOVED EACH OTHER AND I CANT IMAGINE HOW MAMERE GIVE HIS OWN PAPERS TO HIS BROTHER TO GO IN THE US TO SHOW HIS LOVE FROM HIM ... I DONT KNOW BUT THIS MOVIE IS VERY FULL OF EMOTION AND BEST MOVIE EVER I WATCHED
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See all 5 parent reviews
What's the Story?
THE GOOD LIE is a heartwarming (and occasionally heartbreaking) drama about the Lost Boys of Sudan -- young refugees from the Sudanese Civil War. When the movie begins, we meet young Mamere (Arnold Oceng) wrestling and playing with his older brother, Theo (Femi Oguns). As they're out in the fields, soldiers arrive in their village and start killing everyone. Theo realizes that he's now the the "chief" of what remains of his tribe -- four younger siblings and cousins -- and decides to walk more than 1,000 miles to a refugee camp in Kenya. Along the way, two of the group members die; the remaining kids meet up with two boys, Jeremiah (Ger Duany) and Paul (Emmanuel Jal), from another tribe; and then Theo is forced to join wandering soldiers to save the others. The surviving group reaches the refugee camp, where 13 years later, the four young twentysomethings (Mamere, his sister Abital, Jeremiah, and Paul) all win the visa lottery for refugee status in the United States. When the three young men arrive in Kansas, their employment officer, Carrie (Reese Witherspoon), helps them as they struggle to find jobs. Eventually Carrie, realizing they're all suffering from PTSD, helps the group reunite with Abital, who, as a single woman, was sent to another state.
Is It Any Good?
Our review:
Parents say (5):
Kids say (7):
Judging by the marketing materials, it would be easy to dismiss The Good Lie as one of those borderline-offensive chronicles of how a charming white person rescued suffering people of color. But that's not at all how this touching drama plays out -- the movie really does follow the Sudanese characters and doesn't turn the story into the Reese Witherspoon show. A star vehicle this is not. Most of the actors who play the four Sudanese refugees (both as children and adults) actually are Sudanese, and in many cases are either the children of or themselves former war survivors and child soldiers.
Director Philippe Falardeau effectively captures the horror of the characters' orphaned childhood experiences escaping Sudan and then the awe and anxiety of their move to the United States. But he and screenwriter Margaret Nagle don't dwell too long on the historical context of the war they escaped; instead, they explore the myriad ways that so much loss can strip a person down to essential needs -- the overwhelming one being a sense of family. The three men all find jobs in Kansas, but what really fuels them is their need to be with their sister (by blood or of the heart) Abital (Kuol Wiel) again. They are their own tribe, their own family, and in this country where the individual is king, recreating that family is what matters most. Witherspoon and Corey Stoll, who plays her boss, do a fine job showing how they're transformed by knowing these fragile but unbroken young men. Ultimately this is the sincere, uplifting story of Sudanese transplants who've experienced so much trauma but manage to still hold on to faith, family, friendship, and hope.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about The Good Lie's messages. Is it hard to watch dramas with violent/upsetting scenes even if you know the take away will be positive/uplifting? What audience do you think the movie is intended for?
The movie is based on a true story. How accurate do you think it is? Why might filmmakers change the way things happened in real life?
How well do you think the Lost Boys' experience is represented in the movie? What did you learn about the Second Sudanese Civil War? Do you think the movie explained enough about the context of the war and the massive refugee camps in which these young survivors lived?
Some critics have been wary of how the movie's marketing materials focus on Witherspoon rather than the Sudanese characters. Is that troubling, or do you think it's fine since the movie itself isn't just about the American character?
Movie Details
- In theaters: October 3, 2014
- On DVD or streaming: December 23, 2014
- Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Corey Stoll, Thad Luckinbill
- Director: Philippe Falardeau
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: Warner Bros.
- Genre: Drama
- Topics: Brothers and Sisters, Friendship
- Run time: 110 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG-13
- MPAA explanation: thematic elements, some violence, brief strong language and drug use
- Award: NAACP Image Award - NAACP Image Award Nominee
- Last updated: September 27, 2024
Did we miss something on diversity?
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The Good Lie
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