WISE Score
Avg. Tomatometer
A Korean American family moves to an 1980s Arkansas farm, dealing with crop failures, a heart murmur, and a foul-mouthed grandmother who brings minari seeds.
7.498%
89
Minari is a quiet, stunning drama that hits hard because it feels completely real. It skips sanitized fairytale tropes in favor of dirty boots, financial anxiety, bad decisions, and real love.
For families with middle schoolers or teens ready for subtitle-heavy cinema, it's a magnificent watch. Just don't drag younger kids into it expecting a fast-paced plot. They'll get bored fast, and the heavy arguments plus the scary barn fire at the end will just stress them out.
Best for ages 12 and up. The emotional complexity, marital arguments, and subtitle reading make this a slow burn for younger kids, but it's a stellar watch for teens and parents.
Grounded portrayal of family loyalty and intergenerational bonding, offset by realistic parental stress and conflict.
Thoughtful, atmospheric storytelling about building a new life, though rooted in realistic historical drama rather than high fantasy or invention.
PG-13 for mild profanity, adult smoking, emotional tension, and a frightening barn fire late in the film. No graphic violence or sexual content.
Offers deep empathy, rich cultural perspective on the immigrant experience, and meaningful reflections on sacrifice and home.
Lee Isaac Chung's Minari isn't an action movie, and it doesn't try to hook kids with flash or frantic pacing. Instead, it offers a grounded, deeply human look at a Korean American family trying to build an Ozark farm in the 1980s.
What makes the film land so well for older kids and teens is its refusal to talk down to them. The story unfolds largely through the eyes of seven-year-old David, who has a heart murmur and an endearingly skeptical view of his eccentric grandmother newly arrived from Korea. Their evolving bond provides real warmth and humor without feeling engineered by a marketing department.
"Minari grows anywhere... like a weed. It doesn't matter where."
The film is rated PG-13 for a reason. The tension between parents Jacob and Monica over money and security is realistic and occasionally uncomfortable to watch. There is also persistent anxiety regarding David's heart condition, mild profanity, adult smoking, and a late-stage barn fire that creates genuine panic.
If your kid is at least 12 and open to reading subtitles, Minari is a powerful family viewing experience that invites real conversation about sacrifice, roots, and what actually holds a household together.
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