Why We Rated This Appropriate for Ages 10 and UP

What to watch out for

• Sex:

  Some suggestive dancing and plenty of Jackson's signature crotch-grabbing during choreography/dance scenes. Some dancers are scantily clad in a few sequences, but it's mostly for the sake of ease of movement.

• Violence:

  The "Thriller" segments include some potentially scary images (people dressed up like decaying corpses/zombies, actors coming out of buried graves, floaty ghosts, etc.). It's not as intense as it would have been in 3-D (which was the plan f... More

  The "Thriller" segments include some potentially scary images (people dressed up like decaying corpses/zombies, actors coming out of buried graves, floaty ghosts, etc.). It's not as intense as it would have been in 3-D (which was the plan for the concert), but young kids could easily be frightened. Another segment includes images of a destroyed rainforest burning and a young girl being threatened by a large tractor-like machine. Close

• Messages

• Consumerism:

  Not an issue.

• Drugs:

  Not an issue.

• Language:

  A couple of uses of the word "booty."

What Parents Need to Know

About Michael Jackson's This Is It

Parents need to know that this hugely anticipated Michael Jackson concert movie is age-appropriate for King of Pop fans in the older tween range and up. Expect a few of Jackson's standard suggestive dance moves (there's plenty of crotch-grabbing, for instance) and some potentially scary images (especially during a new, over-the-top "Thriller" sequence), but there's no swearing, drinking, smoking, or violence. Although the film chronicles the singer's rehearsals in the weeks and months before his death, the event itself (and the surrounding media circus) isn't specifically mentioned. Directed by High School Musical's Kenny Ortega, it's a compelling and even surprising look at Jackson's final days; any hint of exploitative ghoulishness is quickly dispelled by scenes of a talented performer who was still very much on his game.