Unlike the MPAA we do not assign
one
inscrutable rating based on age, but 3 objective ratings for SEX/NUDITY, VIOLENCE/GORE
and PROFANITY on a scale of 0 to 10, from lowest to highest,
depending on quantity and context.
In this portrait of a tumultuous mother-daughter
relationship, a woman with big dreams moves herself and her daughter from a small
Wisconsin town to Beverly Hills. With Susan Sarandon, Natalie Portman, Eileen Ryan, Ray
Baker, John Diehl, Shawn Hatosy, Bonnie Bedelia, Caroline Aaron, Hart Bochner, Ashley
Johnson, Mia Korf, Heather McComb, Faran Tahir, Alicia Leigh Willis and Rachel Wilson. [1:54]
SEX/NUDITY 4 - Several instances of sexual innuendo (including a veiled
reference to cunnilingus and teens mildly talking about sexual encounters) and a kiss
(also, in one scene, a man kisses a woman's fingers in a close-up shot). A boy talks
about girls' breasts and a boy tells a girl he wants to kiss her (he describes the
act in detail). A girl tells a boy to undress; he does, down to his boxers, and then they
embrace as the scene ends. We see a woman in several cleavage-revealing outfits, many
people in bathing suits at the beach, a woman wearing only a sweatshirt (we glimpse her
panties a couple of times) and a photo of a girl wearing an undershirt and panties.
VIOLENCE/GORE 2 - We briefly see two kids shoving each other. A slap and a
scuffle. A girl repeatedly slams her purse against a wall in anger. We learn someone died
and see people crying at the funeral. Several scenes of yelling; a man walks toward a
woman while he's yelling at her and another man holds him back.
the review continues below...
PROFANITY 3 - An anatomical reference, a few scatological references, some
mild obscenities (plus some wordplay with the word "dam") and an insult. [profanity glossary]
DISCUSSION TOPICS - Mother-daughter relationships, abandonment, sacrifice,
neurotic behavior, death of a loved one, teen smoking, teen sexuality.
MESSAGE - Mothers can be irrational and unpredictable, but in the end
they'll do anything for their daughters; parents have to let their adult children
make their own decisions, no matter how painful that may be.
A CAVEAT: We've gone through several editorial changes since we
started covering films in 1992 and some of our early standards were
not as stringent as they are now. We therefore need to revisit many
older reviews, especially those written prior to 1998 or so; please
keep this in mind if you're consulting a review from that period.
While we plan to revisit and correct older reviews our resources are
limited and it is a slow, time-consuming process.
Become a member: You can subscribe
for as little as $1 per month and gain access to our premium site,
which contains no ads whatsoever. Think about it: You'll be
helping support our site and guarantee that we will continue to
publish, and you will be able to browse without any commercial
interruptions.
2.
Tell all your friends:
Please recommend kids-in-mind.com to
your friends and acquaintances; you'll be helping them by
letting them know how useful our site is, while helping us by
increasing our readership. Since we do not advertise, the best
and most reliable way to spread the word is by word-of-mouth.
3.
Alert local & national media:
Let major media know why you trust our ratings.
Call or e-mail a local newspaper, radio station or TV channel
and encourage them to do a story about our site. Since we do not have a PR firm working for us, you can
be our media ambassadors.
"This is an excellent resource for
families. Merits two thumbs up...[Finally] movie ratings that actually
work"
