My Fair Lady – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

My Fair Lady

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

movie1964

82%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

A three-hour linguistic masterclass in how to be a snob, featuring some of the best songs and hats in cinema history.

94%

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My Fair Lady

movie

G, 1964

82%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

A three-hour linguistic masterclass in how to be a snob, featuring some of the best songs and hats in cinema history.

94%

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94%

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Screenwise Verdict

Look, it’s a masterpiece, but it’s a 170-minute masterpiece from 1964. If your kid isn't used to the slow-burn pacing of old-school Hollywood musicals, this will feel like a linguistic hostage situation. But for the right kid—especially one who likes words, theater, or over-the-top fashion—the wordplay and the spectacle are unmatched.

It’s a safe, high-brow pick that actually has something to say about how we judge people based on their accent. Just be prepared to discuss the 'slippers' ending, which has aged like milk.

Age Fit

Best for ages 8 and up. Younger kids will love the songs, but the 170-minute runtime and the heavy dialogue about phonetics and class will lose them by the second act.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

It's a lavish, polished production, but Henry Higgins is a genuinely abrasive, misogynistic protagonist who treats Eliza like an experiment rather than a person for 90% of the film.

Imaginative

The costume design (especially the Ascot scene) and the creative use of phonetics as a plot device are visually and intellectually stimulating.

Safe

Extremely safe. No violence, nudity, or gore. A few uses of 'damn' and 'bloody' which were scandalous in 1964 but are background noise today.

Enriching

A masterclass in English vocabulary, class dynamics, and the power of language. It's essentially a three-hour lesson in linguistics disguised as a romance.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Audrey Hepburn's charm is undeniable, even if her Cockney accent in the first act is a bit of a stretch.
The soundtrack is flawless, featuring hits like 'I Could Have Danced All Night' and 'The Rain in Spain' that kids will actually hum.
It provides a fascinating look at class, showing how much of our social standing is tied to the way we speak.
The Ascot Race scene is a triumph of set and costume design that still looks incredible on a modern 4K screen.

⚠

What to Watch For

The ending is frustrating. After being treated like dirt, Eliza returns to Higgins, which can spark some 'Why on earth would she do that?' conversations.
It is very long. At nearly three hours, you will need to utilize the built-in intermission or split it across two nights.
Henry Higgins is not a hero. He is rude, self-centered, and dismissive of women; make sure your kid knows he's the 'before' picture of emotional intelligence.

Conversation Starters

"Why does Professor Higgins think he's better than Eliza just because of how he talks?"
"Do you think Eliza was happier as a flower girl or as a 'lady' at the end?"
"If someone tried to change everything about how you speak and dress, would you let them?"
"Why do you think Eliza went back to the house at the very end?"

Deep Dive

The 170-Minute Hurdle

Before you hit play, let's talk about the elephant in the room: the runtime. My Fair Lady clocks in at nearly three hours. In 2026, where even adult attention spans are fractured, asking a kid to sit through this is a big ask. However, it’s structured like an old-fashioned stage play, complete with an intermission. Use it. Treat it like two separate movies.

The Audrey vs. Julie Debate

If you're a musical theater nerd, you know the drama: Julie Andrews originated the role on Broadway, but the studio cast Audrey Hepburn for her star power. The catch? Hepburn didn't actually sing most of the songs. They were dubbed by the legendary Marni Nixon. It’s a fun piece of trivia to share with kids to show how movie magic (and politics) worked back then.

Why It Still Matters

Despite the dated gender dynamics—Higgins is a 'confirmed old bachelor' who views women as a nuisance—the film is brilliant at deconstructing social barriers. It teaches kids that 'the difference between a lady and a flower girl isn't how she behaves, but how she's treated.' That’s a heavy-hitting ethical takeaway for a movie that also features a man singing about how much he likes his own face.

If your family has already seen the 'modern' versions of this story (She's All That, or even The Princess Diaries), this is the source material. It's sharper, meaner, and much more interested in the actual mechanics of transformation.

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