Death Defying Acts (2007) Parents Guide: Is the movie OK for kids?

Bontent's parent guide suggests Death Defying Acts is best for ages 12+. It's rated PG. Death Defying Acts depicts a fictionalized period in the life of magician Harry Houdini, focusing on his complicated entanglement with a Scottish psychic. The film is rated PG primarily for brief sexual content…

Death Defying Acts is officially rated PG. Bontent's independent parent guide recommends it for ages 12+.

Death Defying Acts depicts a fictionalized period in the life of magician Harry Houdini, focusing on his complicated entanglement with a Scottish psychic. The film is rated PG primarily for brief sexual content, moderate intensity in dramatic scenes, and some coarse language. Parents should be aware of a scene…

The film contains brief instances of intimacy. This includes passionate kissing, shots of a man's bare chest while practicing magic, and a scene showing a woman's bare back with a partial side shot of her breast. There is an implication of sexual relations…

Violence is infrequent but includes a pivotal, aggressive encounter. A man is punched in the stomach, which leads to a later scene where he is seen spitting out blood as a result of internal injury.

Language is mild and limited. It includes one use of the word 'shit,' as well as various insults such as 'strumpet,' 'hussy,' 'tart,' and 'frigid.'

There are passing instances of characters smoking and drinking alcohol in period-appropriate settings throughout the film.

The narrative is driven by heavy thematic elements including profound grief, the pain of unresolved loss regarding parents, and the moral ambiguity of con artists using grief for financial gain.

Death Defying Acts runs 97 minutes, directed by Gillian Armstrong, released in 2007.

Create a free Bontent account to unlock the full scene-by-scene notes, filter by your kids' ages, and save titles to your personal watchlist.