Parents' Guide to

A Midsummer Night's Dream

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Sumptuous version, both earthy and enchanted.

Movie PG-13 1999 116 minutes
A Midsummer Night's Dream Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 13+

Based on 4 parent reviews

Amitra71
Amitra71 Parent of 11-year-old
June 10, 2018
age 15+

Talk about consent

While this is a visually appealing version of the classic, and makes Shakespeare easy to understand, I had a problem with the rape. I had never noticed it before - maybe I did this time because I've been very carefully teaching my son about consent. The queen and Puck very clearly have sex in one scene (it is not actually *shown*, but it is pretty obvious). The queen had been given a drug, so she couldn't give consent. Bottom, of course, doesn't know this, so he's a victim as well. Puck knows, and finds it amusing. The king knows. This is all hammered home in the final scene, when the queen clearly has no memory of what happened. This is rape, played for laughs, and because it's a "magic" drug, most people don't seem to think about the parallel here to a girl getting slipped a date rape drug. I had a long talk with my son after watching this, and I hope you talk to your child as well.
Kid
SpiderMaster Adult
May 10, 2024
age 14+

NOT FOR CHILDREN!!!!

Me and my class watched it in year seven when I was twelve, and it is not, not, NOT appropriate for anyone under fourteen. It was technically a PG, but do not let kids watch it there is a lot of nudity and a decent bit of implied sex. It is pretty bad, today. I read some reviews from adults, and I agree do not show this to children. There is also some drunk fairies.
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What's the Story?

Four couples sort out their romantic entanglements in Shakespeare's most magical love story. Hermia (Anna Friel) and Lysdander (Dominic West) love each other, but her father wants her to marry Demetrius (Christian Bale). Demetrius loves Hermia, but is loved by her friend Helena (Calista Flockhart). When Hermia and Lysander run off together, Demetrius chases after them, with Helena chasing him. Meanwhile the Queen of the Fairies, Titania (Michelle Pfeiffer), and her King, Oberon (Rupert Everett), argue over custody of a changeling child. The local Duke Theseus (David Strathairn) prepares for his marriage to Hippolyta (Sophie Marceau), and a group of workmen rehearse a play to perform at the wedding celebration. With the help of the mischievous Puck (Stanley Tucci), Oberon exposes his queen to a potion that causes people to fall in love with whomever they first see after they wake up. The queen falls in love with a man who has a donkey's head. But Lysander and Demetrius are exposed, too, and fall in love with the neglected Helena, forgetting all about Hermia. But by morning, everything is sorted out, and the wedding festivities end with the workmen's remarkable play.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4 ):
Kids say (8 ):

Filmed several times before, most famously with James Cagney as Bottom and Mickey Rooney as the Puck, this sumptuous version of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM manages to be both earthy and enchanted. The cast includes Hollywood royalty (Michele Pfeiffer as Fairy Queen Titania, theater-trained performers (including Ally McBeal's Calista Flockhart and and Kevin Kline, magnificent as Bottom the would-be actor), international stars Sophie Marceau and Rupert Everett, and "new vaudevillian" and MacArthur genius grant award-winner Bill Irwin. The resulting mix of acting styles clashes at times, as does the mix of music and the switch of setting from ancient Athens to 19th century Tuscany, arias and all. Ultimately, though, it is charming, an accessible introduction to the works of that guy in the movie with Gwyneth Paltrow.

Kids will enjoy the movie more if they have some basic introduction to the plot.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about may want to talk about an era in which a father could order his child to marry the person he chose, about "the course of true love," and how people work out the problems in relationships. Older kids may like to talk about the metaphor of an enchanted forest as a place to find self-knowledge and to resolve issues.

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