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Lincoln poster

Is Lincoln OK for Kids?

HistoryDrama
13+
PG-13⭐ 7.3 / 102012 · 2h 30m
Steven Spielberg

Where to Watch

United States

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What's In It

Based on the actual screenplay
🗡️Violence
Extreme▼
Moments in the script, mildest → most intense
0
Cartoon / Comedic
1
Action & Peril
1
Injuries & Death Shown
3
Graphic & Disturbing
  • The opening battle at Jenkins' Ferry shows graphic hand-to-hand combat between Negro Union soldiers and Confederate soldiers using rifles, bayonets, pistols, and fists in an intense depiction of mayhem
  • Robert Lincoln discovers severed limbs, arms, and hands piled in a wheelbarrow behind an army hospital while workers shovel quicklime over the remains
  • Lincoln rides across the Petersburg battlefield past numerous corpses in both Union blue and Confederate grey, described as twisted, burned, headless, limbless, torn in two, and charred
  • An artillery bombardment of Fort Fisher and Wilmington is referenced, with 17,000 shells fired and heavy casualties described
  • Extensive army hospital scenes show numerous amputees as Lincoln visits wounded soldiers, making the human cost of war visually and emotionally present throughout the film
💬Language
Extreme▼
Moments in the script, mildest → most intense
0
Mild Words
(damn, hell)
6
Moderate
(ass, b**ch)
22
Strong
(sh*t)
8
Extreme
(f**k)
  • The racial slur 'nigger/niggers' is used 8 times, reflecting the era's prejudice and used in historically accurate but harsh dialogue
  • Characters say 'da**/godda**' 15 times and 's**t' 6 times throughout political and wartime discussions
  • Milder language includes 'hell' (4 times), 'a**' (2 times), and 'p**s' (1 time)
  • No f-words or c-words are used, but the combination of slurs and frequent strong language is significant for a historical drama
👻Scary Scenes
Extreme▼
Moments in the script, mildest → most intense
2
Mildly Tense
1
Startling Moments
0
Genuinely Scary
2
Deeply Disturbing
  • Robert has a panic attack after seeing severed body parts at the hospital, shown through uncontrollable crying and shallow breathing that may be upsetting to watch
  • The entire House floor debate builds sustained tension as it remains unclear whether the amendment will pass
  • A startling scene at the theater shows Leonard Grover announcing that Lincoln has been shot, causing audience pandemonium and Tad screaming in horror
  • Lincoln is shown lying mortally wounded at Peterson's Boarding House, with a doctor pronouncing his death in the early morning hours
  • Mary Lincoln has an emotionally raw scene in Willie's room expressing her grief and fear of losing Robert to the war
💕Romance
Moderate▼
Moments in the script, mildest → most intense
0
Crushes & Holding Hands
2
Kissing & Dating
1
Suggestive
0
Sexual Content
  • Lincoln and Mary share an intimate scene in her boudoir where he unlaces her corset and both are shown in partial undress
  • Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Smith are shown in bed together, kissing and holding hands intimately
  • Mary and Lincoln have a conversation about their marriage with undertones of both conflict and affection
  • There is no explicit sexual content, but the undress and intimacy go beyond simple kissing
🍺Substances
Mild▼
Moments in the script, mildest → most intense
1
Mentioned in Passing
2
Shown Casually
0
Featured Prominently
0
Glorified or Abused
  • Secretary Seward is shown smoking Cuban cigars multiple times throughout the film
  • Lincoln and other characters are shown drinking brandy, whiskey, and beer casually in social and political settings
  • There is a passing mention of bootblack in relation to Lincoln's barber, which is not substance-related consumption
  • Substance use is depicted casually as part of period-accurate social behavior, not glorified or a focus of any scene
⚡Stimulation
Extreme▼
Moments in the script, mildest → most intense
0
Gently Engaging
0
Exciting
4
Intense
1
Overwhelming
  • The extended House debate sequence builds rising tension through dramatic speeches, surprise votes, and emotional revelations
  • A rapid-cut vote counting sequence jumps between the House, Grant's headquarters, and Lincoln's office as the amendment nears passage
  • Lincoln's nighttime activities show him walking halls alone, meeting operatives, and juggling peace negotiations with the amendment vote in a tense, layered sequence
  • Bells pealing and cannons firing throughout Washington upon the amendment's passage create an overwhelming sensory celebration
  • Lincoln's ride across the Petersburg battlefield is an intense, slow-building sequence confronting the scale of wartime destruction
Lincoln — Heads Up for Parents

Despite being a serious historical drama, the film uses the racial slur 'nigger/niggers' 8 times in period-accurate dialogue, and includes a graphic scene where Robert Lincoln discovers severed limbs in a wheelbarrow behind an army hospital — content that may catch parents off guard given the film's dignified, prestige-drama tone.

About Lincoln

Lincoln follows President Abraham Lincoln in the final months of the Civil War as he fights to pass the Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery through a divided House of Representatives. The film is a serious historical political drama blending intense legislative maneuvering with the personal toll of war on Lincoln's family and the nation. It is somber, talky, and emotionally weighty, culminating in the amendment's passage and Lincoln's assassination.

👨‍👧
Best watched together
The dense political dialogue, use of racial slurs in historical context, and graphic war imagery (severed limbs, battlefield corpses at Petersburg) benefit from a parent present to provide historical context and discuss the weight of the content, especially for viewers under 15.

Family Takeaways from Lincoln

What it gets right

  • ✓The film shows Lincoln genuinely listening to Black soldiers' concerns about equal pay and treatment, humanizing the stakes of the amendment beyond abstract politics
  • ✓It portrays George Yeaman and Clay Hawkins choosing to vote their conscience despite threats and peer pressure, modeling integrity under pressure

Lincoln Cultural & Values Guide

Cultural & Values Guide

Faith & Religion
●Christian themes

Lincoln frequently invokes divine providence and God's will throughout his speeches about ending slavery. The film presents his faith as a driving force behind his moral conviction to pass the 13th Amendment.

Cast:Daniel Day-LewisSally FieldDavid StrathairnJoseph Gordon-LevittJames Spader

Is Lincoln Appropriate for Your Child's Age?

✗Age 5: Not recommended for 5-year-olds
✗Age 8: Not recommended for 8-year-olds
✗Age 10: Not recommended for 10-year-olds
✗Age 12: Not recommended for 12-year-olds
✓Age 13: Generally appropriate for 13-year-olds
✓Age 15: Generally appropriate for 15-year-olds
✓Age 17: Generally appropriate for 17-year-olds

Individual children may vary — use your judgment.

Parents also ask about Lincoln

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