Story
Home is a story about aliens called the Boov who invade Earth. Under the leadership of Captain Smek (Steve Martin), the Boov want to make Earth their new home so they can hide from their mortal enemy. They relocate human beings to a desert planet millions of miles away, believing that they’re doing human beings a favour.
Oh (Jim Parsons) is a small purple alien who doesn’t quite fit in and has been banished from the rest of the Boov. During his solo adventures on Earth, he meets a human girl named Tip (Rihanna), who has evaded the relocation. When they first meet, both Oh and Tip are outsiders. They’re sceptical and distrustful, but each is willing to take a chance on the other.
Tip wants to find her mother, and Oh offers to help. As time goes by, Oh and Tip realise that they have more in common than they thought. Together, they try to save the world, and eventually they discover a new meaning for ‘home’.
Themes
Adventure and exploration; loss of a parent; friendship, love and relationships; identity and personal growth
Violence
Home has very limited violence, but there are scenes that involve characters being chased and trying to escape. These scenes are tense and dramatic and possibly scary for young children.
Sexual references
None of concern
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
None of concern
Nudity and sexual activity
None of concern
Product placement
None of concern
Coarse language
None of concern
Ideas to discuss with your children
Home is an inspiring movie about friendship and the gradual development of trust. It’s about how ‘home’ is the place where you feel you’re loved and cared about, and where you have people you love and care about.
Home highlights how people can be isolated just because they’re different. But the movie also emphasises that there is strength in difference, and that people who are willing to take a chance can often make change things for the better. The movie shows that even the most unlikely individuals can become close friends.
The movie has some tense and scary scenes involving chase and escape. These scenes might be disturbing for younger children, so we recommend parental guidance for children aged under eight years.
Home raises some interesting issues that you could discuss with your children, such as:
- the struggles that people face when they’re separated from family, friends or community
- the self-centredness of humans in thinking that they know what’s best for other species living on Earth (this is how the Boov behave)
- the dangers of getting what we think we want – for example, the Happy Humans Town that the Boov build for humans is appealing at first, but it isn’t an adequate home.