Parents' Guide to

Spaceballs

By Paul Trandahl, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Goofy '80s parody has cursing, violence, innuendo.

Movie PG 1987 96 minutes
Spaceballs Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 11+

Based on 28 parent reviews

SuhhDude
SuhhDude Adult
August 18, 2022
age 14+

I truly do not know what people were thinking with these other reviews. This movie, while very funny and enjoyable, is not appropriate for young children. There is excessive swearing which is not suitable for more sensitive audiences. Most of the humor in this film is adult. By today’s rating it could never be PG. Again, this movie is fun to watch, just keep in mind that it was not made for little kids.
Marko Dash
Marko Dash Adult
September 12, 2020
age 8+

There isn't anything truly objectionable in spaceballs, though half the humor will fly right over most kids heads.
See all 28 parent reviews

What's the Story?

When spoiled Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga) is kidnapped by President Skroob's (Mel Brooks) evil regime in SPACEBALLS, it's up to scruffy hero Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) and his faithful companion, Barf (John Candy), to rescue her.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (28 ):
Kids say (108 ):

Brooks' Star Wars parody isn't particularly sophisticated, but older kids and teens should have fun with the goofy humor. Like most Brooks fare, Spaceballs revels in crude, sometimes infantile gags. For example, when the Darth Vader-inspired character, Dark Helmet, first appears, he approaches the camera, breathing heavily through his face-obscuring mask. Suddenly he flips up the front of the mask to reveal a nerdy-looking Rick Moranis, who exclaims, "I can't breathe in this thing!"

One of the great virtues of Brooks' masterwork, Young Frankenstein, was its beautiful re-creation of the look of the horror films of the 1930s, which added punch to all the ensuing silliness. Here, you don't really get the impression of watching a Star Wars movie gone mad: Many of the cheap-ish looking sets wouldn't look out of place on an episode of Saturday Night Live. Nevertheless, there are moments when the movie shines. Excessive merchandising is taken to task in a very funny scene in which Yogurt (Brooks again) hawks everything from Spaceballs the toilet paper to Spaceballs the flame thrower ("the kids love this one!"). And the movie's most memorable gag pays tribute to both the Alien series and the classic Chuck Jones cartoon "One Froggy Evening." Another good bit manages to work in a re-creation of the famous conclusion of Planet of the Apes.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about other film or TV parodies besides Spaceballs that they enjoy. For example, The Simpsons is one of the best examples of parody used as social commentary. What can funny imitations point out that serious analysis may render too boring?

  • Which movies is Spaceballs specifically making fun of? How can you tell?

  • Mel Brooks has a distinctive style of comedy movies, movies filled with puns, sexual innuendoes, silliness, and slapstick. Who are some other examples of directors and actors who have their own distinct and well-known style?

Movie Details

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