Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that Little Boy is a period drama about a smaller-than-average boy who believes that if he finishes a "magic list" of good deeds, he can miraculously bring his father back from World War II. There are some scenes of violence, including newsreel footage of WWII and sequences set during the war (including in a Japanese POW camp), plus sequences in which a group of men harass and beat up a Japanese American out of anger and prejudice. Language ranges from insults ("idiot," "midget") to WWII-era racial epithets ("Jap," "yellow hide," "Buddha head"), but the themes and messages -- from the power of family to the beauty of the father-son bond -- are positive and age appropriate for older tweens.
Sexual
Content
A doctor stares at a married woman's figure.
Violence
Gun violence during World War II (i.e. when the Japanese start shooting and killing their POWs toward the end of the war) and in newsreel footage. Photos and brief footage of the aftermath of an atomic bomb detonation. Hospital full of injured veterans. Bottle firebomb thrown at Hashimoto's house. Men harass, threaten, and eventually badly beat up a local Japanese man. A boy is bullied relentlessly for his size.
Language
Racial epithets ("Jap," "yellow hide," "Buddha-head") and insults "midget," "traitor," "tiny," "idiot," etc.
Social
Behavior
Explores the importance of faith, the power of words, and the value of getting beyond stereotypes to see people for who they are, not who they might represent. Also stresses the unconditional bond between fathers and sons and small-town community spirit.
Consumerism
Not applicable
Drugs / Tobacco /
Alcohol
Men drink while talking about the war.
