Child's Play (2019) Movie Review - Common Sense Media

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Parents' Guide to

Child's Play (2019) Movie R 2019 90 minutes

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 37 Reviews
• Kids Say 93 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

By Jeffrey M. Anderson , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 16+

Gory killer doll/slasher reboot is unexpectedly fun.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Child's Play (2019) is a reboot of the 1988 slasher film about a killer doll named Chucky (now voiced by Mark Hamill). This version is less about serial killers and dark magic and more about the nature of friendship, but it has even more graphic, gory violence than the original,…

Why Age 16+? Violence & Scariness

Graphic slasher movie violence: dead bodies, blood sprays, pools of blood, stabb

Language

Strong language by kids and adults includes uses of "f--k," "motherf----r," "s--

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Adults kiss. A boy comes home and catches his mom with a man who's buckling his

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Brief smoking. Man drinks a beer at home.

Products & Purchases Not present Any Positive Content? Positive Role Models

Detective Mike Norris goes to visit his mother, looks after children, is friendl

Positive Messages

Not an overt theme, but movie does deal with question of how we choose our frien

• Parents Need to Know

  Parents need to know that Child's Play (2019) is a reboot of the 1988 slasher film about a killer doll named Chucky (now voiced by Mark Hamill). This version is less about serial killers and dark magic and more about the nature of friendship, but it has even more graphic, gory violence than the original, including a bloody skull, severed head/other body parts, stabbing, characters getting chewed up by lawnmowers and table saws, a woman being tied up and hanged by a rope, fighting, and general screaming and mayhem. Language includes several uses of "f--k," "s--t," "a--hole," "bitch," and more. A boy catches his mom kissing her boyfriend and spots the boyfriend buckling his belt (implying he and the mom just had sex). One character is cheating on his wife, another spies on a woman in a bathroom (she undoes her bra with her back to the camera), and there's a brief, sex-themed Chucky internet meme. Smoking and beer drinking are shown. Thanks to some humor and pathos, the movie works pretty well, but it's definitely not for younger viewers.

  To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

• Violence & Scariness

  a lot

  Graphic slasher movie violence: dead bodies, blood sprays, pools of blood, stabbings. A character's head is chewed up by a lawnmower. Bloody skull, disgusting severed head. Man sliced by up table saw; bloody limbs splat to the floor. Fall from height, with broken legs. Character killed in out-of-control car; she bashes her head against windshield. Blood sprays on a child's face. Dead cat in pool of blood. Kids fight, with punching. Woman tied up, nearly hanged. General mayhem, killing, screaming, during final showdown. Kids watch gory scenes from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 on TV. Cat scratches a child, bleeding cut. Slapping.

  Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

  Get started Close

• Language

  a lot

  Strong language by kids and adults includes uses of "f--k," "motherf----r," "s--t," "a--hole," "bitch," "dumbass," "d--k," "goddamn," "turd," and "chode."

  Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

  Get started Close

• Sex, Romance & Nudity

  a little

  Adults kiss. A boy comes home and catches his mom with a man who's buckling his belt (implying they had sex). Brief glimpse of internet meme in which Chucky makes "humping" movements. A supporting character is shown to be an adulterer. A man spies on a woman in her bathroom via a secret camera; she undoes her bra with her back to the camera.

  Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

  Get started Close

• Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

  very little

  Brief smoking. Man drinks a beer at home.

  Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

  Get started Close

• Positive Role Models

  a little

  Detective Mike Norris goes to visit his mother, looks after children, is friendly and caring -- as well as brave and heroic when the time comes. He also adds diversity to the cast.

• Positive Messages

  very little

  Not an overt theme, but movie does deal with question of how we choose our friends, what kinds of lines ought to be drawn in friendship. What is a "close" friend, and what is a "creepy" friend who gets too close/tries too hard? Movie also deals with consumerism: One huge company seems to own everything, manufactures all kinds of products meant to be linked together.

Where to Watch

Videos and Photos

• Child's PlayMovie Review 1:08
• Child's Play (2019)Official trailer
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Child's Play (2019)

Parent and Kid Reviews

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• Parents Say (37)
• Kids Say (93)

age 14+

Based on 37 parent reviews

MarkDavis Adult June 20, 2019 age 13+

Best movie I have seen in a long time

I think that the movie is not very violent and kids who are 13+ can watch the movie Show more Katherine R. Parent of 18+, 18+, 5, 8, 9 and 14-year-old February 25, 2024 age 14+ See all 37 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In CHILD'S PLAY, a Vietnamese factory worker is fired, but not before he can finish building a "Buddi" doll -- and remove all of its safety protocols. Meanwhile, in the United States, lonely Andy Barclay (Gabriel Bateman), who has a hearing impairment, and his single mom, Karen (Aubrey Plaza), have recently moved to a new town. When a defective Buddi doll is returned to the store where Karen works, she decides to give it to Andy. Named "Chucky" (voiced by Mark Hamill), the doll immediately starts acting oddly, promising lifelong friendship with Andy and showing animosity toward Andy's nasty cat and toward Karen's not-so-nice boyfriend. But at least Chucky helps Andy make some new friends: Pugg (Ty Consiglio) and Falyn (Beatrice Kitsos). But then the killings start, and a neighboring police detective, Mike Norris (Brian Tyree Henry), begins investigating.

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Is It Any Good?

Our review: Parents say (37 ): Kids say (93 ):

This reboot of the infamous "killer doll" slasher series bases its story in a good, much simpler idea that increases the emotional stakes. It then incorporates human characters with fresh doses of humor and pathos. The original Child's Play (1988) and all of its six sequels hinged on the idea of a mad killer's soul being magically transferred to a regular Chucky doll and making it try to kill everyone, while the new film is more focused on the doll longing to be friends with Andy. It's a small distinction, but Andy's regret as he tries to destroy his toy is quite affecting. (Weirdly, it echoes some of the themes in Steven Spielberg's A.I. Artificial Intelligence.)

Meanwhile, Plaza and Henry, as well as the young actors, manage to bring subtle humor to their roles, as well as real-world weight. There are actually consequences here. Hamill, who's best known as Luke Skywalker -- but is also excellent as the voice of the Joker in many Batman animated cartoons and video games -- brings a sweet, sinister tone to Chucky; perhaps he's a bit confused and angry, rather than just homicidal. The movie's pace is light and quick, and the effects seem to be largely practical; the killings are bloody but clever. A drawback is the nasty Shane character, who's shown to be nothing but a jerk and "deserves" his gruesome murder. The department store showdown also gets a little over-the-top. But otherwise, this Child's Play is actually a fun romp.

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Talk to Your Kids About ...

• Families can talk about Child's Play's violence. How much blood and gore is shown? How did you react? Shock? Laughter? How did the movie achieve this effect?

• How scary is the movie? What's the appeal of horror movies?

• Why is Chucky so compelling as a character? How does this reboot compare to the previous Chucky movies?

• Have you ever had difficulty with your friends? How did you resolve the situation?

• What is the relationship between Andy and his mother like? Is she a good mom? How does it compare to your real-life relationships?

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Movie Details

• In theaters : June 21, 2019
• On DVD or streaming : September 24, 2019
• Cast : Aubrey Plaza , Mark Hamill , Brian Tyree Henry
• Director : Lars Klevberg
• Inclusion Information : Female actors, Bisexual actors, Latino actors, Black actors
• Studio : United Artists
• Genre : Horror
• Run time : 90 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : bloody horror violence, and language throughout
• Last updated : October 12, 2023

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Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Child's Play (2019)

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