The story line has a very mature theme and I would rate it as PG. Good for family watching with older children, but parents may want to discuss parts with their children/teens. The older daughter is a bit troubled and is desperate to get away from the Coal Mining town. She looks for this escape in her boyfriend Johnny (Kurt Russell). She is openly depressed about her virginity and tries to get her boyfriend to become more intimate with her. However, he tells her no, that they are going to "do things in the right way". So there is a bit of good morality there and the film might be a good discussion starter for that topic. At the end of the movie we are left with the impression that they will be getting married within the year.

The main theme is the unfairness of the managers of the mine and that they force the workers to work in unsafe conditions. Tragedy strikes and by the end the workers agree to band together to fight the unfair practices. The story is also about love and family togetherness.

Although most of the movie seemed realistic, parts did not. The younger child in the family seemed too old for that rocking horse! Also, what father would not reprimand his daughter when seeing her throw a rock through a store window, even if the store owners were "the enemy"?