Tarantino masterpiece is entertaining, yet violent.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
Any Positive Content?
Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
a lot
Characters constantly use drugs, including heroin, cocaine, and marijuana. They also frequently smoke cigarettes and occasionally drink alcohol. A character prepares and injects heroin; another character mistakes it for cocaine and snorts some. She collapses and nearly dies before getting an adrenaline shot to the heart and waking up.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.
Extremely strong language includes 250+ uses of "f--k," plus "c--ksucker," "motherf----r," ''p---y," "f--got," "s--t," "bitch," "goddamn," and "a--hole." White and Black characters use the "N" word many times.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.
Shootings, punching, sword-slashings, and killings show tons of blood and gore. One character shoots another in the face, blood covering the rear car window. A man throws a TV in front of his girlfriend, calls her "retarded," and threatens to punch her belly (but doesn't actually do it). A character rapes another as two people watch; the assault lasts for several seconds and the victim shows pain and distress. A character shoots a villain in the genitals with blood pooling. White and Black characters use the "N" word many times. A character overdoses on heroin and appears dead before getting revived by a shot of adrenaline into the chest.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
Characters discuss sex, including a debate about whether or not oral sex or foot massages are more sexual in nature. A person mentions having a genital piercing. A man's genitals are very briefly shown after he gets out of the shower. One character enjoys sadomasochism and inflicts it on others.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
The film was written and directed by White men and revolves around male characters. Its most important female character, Mia (Uma Thurman), is complex and has a significant amount of screen time, but she's largely defined by her cocaine addiction and dysfunctional relationships with men. Another female character, Fabienne, exists merely as a male character's docile girlfriend and serves as a motivation for his actions. Powerful crime boss Marsellus (Black actor Ving Rhames) is defined by White characters; he's raped by one and saved by another. Marsellus' complicated and charming assassin, Jules (Black actor Samuel L. Jackson), delivers iconic monologues. Various White characters repeatedly call Black characters the "N" word.
The film's extreme violence and drug use without legal consequences override any potential positive messages.
Positive Role Models
none
Main characters are members of crime organizations. They're apathetic and disillusioned. Some supporting characters are cruel and get punished with extreme violence.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Pulp Fiction is director Quentin Tarantino's iconic crime thriller with four intertwining storylines starring John Travolta, Uma Thurman, and Bruce Willis. It has lots of violence—including shootings, punchings, and sword-slicing—with graphic blood and gore. One scene has a character's head being shot open, with blood and brain matter splattered all over the car. And drug use includes heroin, cocaine, and marijuana (with characters constantly driving under the drugs' influence). A scene shows an important character overdosing on heroin (and then getting saved by an adrenaline shot). During a scene that lasts several seconds, a character is raped; the victim later shoots his rapist in the genitals, with blood pooling. Characters talk about oral sex and having piercings on their genitals. White and Black characters repeatedly use the "N" word. Language includes 250+ uses of "f--k," plus "c--ksucker," "motherf----r,'' "p---y," "f--got," "s--t," "bitch," "goddamn," and "a--hole." To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Okay let me just say something about Pulp Fiction and the rape scene, many people believe that this scene alone gives the movie an 18+, but you can really just skip it, it's quick and even if you don't skip it it's still not 18 plus it doesn't even show anything apart from the victims face as he is in pain (But I still recommend skipping it), other than that the violence is tamer than people say it is. One or two shootings (with blood) and around 6 or 7 shootings in total (many without blood). In my opinion once you hit 13 kids are mature enough to hear any amounts of language and in this film you really forget about it but yes there are 200 f-bombs. There are one or two sexual references some played for laughs and are quick and over before you know it. And now drug use, I think drug use is the main problem for kids in this film, a man injects heron in his arm as a result he gets high but this doesn't go so well for him so if anything it's a lesson to not take drugs. Same goes for the scene where Mia overdoses on cocaine, she almost dies because of this. There is also some drugs talk and characters smoke cigarettes frequently but keep in mind it's a crime movie so that's a given. Other than that I think a lot of the violence and language will be tuned out or forgotten by kids and the rape and drug use can easily be skipped over quickly. One thing often forgotten by parents watching this film is that it actually has a good message (Spoilers right here) the main character dies because he is foolish and almost plays around with crime and drugs, and the other main character (Samuel L. Jackson's) turns down continuing the life of crime because he knows it will only hurt him from there. It's a story of redemption, greed, crime and to a far and exaggerated extent, humanity. So please take your teens put on this movie for 2 and a Half hours (Skip the rape scene) and see what one of the most creatively revolutionary films is like.
They said references to “Burger King” under product placement, when in fact a “Quarter Pounder with Cheese” is a MCDONALD’S product, furthermore they stated it holds the number 1 spot for most uses for the word “fuck” when in fact it is ranked 38 on that last (source: Wikipedia)
THIS HIGHLIGHTS HOW POORLY RESEARCHED THESE REVIEWS ARE.
What's the Story?
PULP FICTION combines four intertwining storylines in a nonlinear fashion, featuring an all-star cast of characters who are connected in seemingly random ways. They include professional assassins Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) and Vince (John Travolta); their powerful drug-dealing boss, Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames); Wallace's wife, Mia (Uma Thurman); aging boxer Butch (Bruce Willis); and a host of others. The characters all encounter one another throughout the film, resulting in a chain of events that changes the course of their lives.
This movie boasts groundbreaking direction, cinematography, and screenwriting, plus a killer soundtrack and extraordinary performances (particularly by Thurman, Travolta, and Jackson). Pulp Fiction had an immeasurable impact on both mainstream and independent filmmaking in the 1990s. But despite the film's innovation and success, its extreme violence, language, and sexual content make it inappropriate for all but the most mature teens.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Pulp Fiction's popularity, despite its mature content. Do you think the film's sex, violence, drug use, and language contribute to its success? Can you think of any reasons for the film to depict so much violence and cruelty?
Which storyline of the film do you find the most interesting? Do the interconnected stories bring out any bigger themes?
Do you think this film has aged well? How does it portray female and Black characters?
MPAA explanation:
strong graphic violence and drug use, pervasive strong language and some sexuality.
Last updated:
August 24, 2024
Inclusion information powered by
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.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
