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.
A naïve group of three very talented young women find out the hard way about the music industry and the pain of success. As The Dreamettes, and accompanied by their songwriter, they travel to New York to compete in a talent show at the Apollo Theatre, and although they lose the contest, their talent attracts an ambitious manager. With Beyonce Knowles, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Danny Glover and Jennifer Hudson. Directed by Bill Condon. [2:11]
SEX/NUDITY 4 - A man and a woman kiss in bed. A man and a woman kiss in several scenes. A husband and wife kiss. A man kisses a young woman's neck. A married man kisses a young woman's neck. ► A man caresses a young woman's clothed buttock. A man caresses a young woman's hand and asks what he can do for her, in a suggestive manner. ► We see bare-chested male bartenders. Four young women sing onstage and wiggle their hips while wearing low-cut dresses that reveal cleavage and bare shoulders. Several women wear low-cut dresses that reveal cleavage in several scenes. A man sings suggestive lyrics and unbuttons his pants while singing on-stage (we see him in his boxer shorts). ► While singing a man thrusts his hips toward an audience in a suggestive manner. A man tells a woman, "You are a fox." ► A man makes a remark about a woman performing oral sex on a man. A woman tells a man that she wants to have his baby.
the review continues below...
VIOLENCE/GORE 3 - We hear that a man died from a drug overdose and see a body being carried away on a stretcher. ► One fighter is knocked out during a boxing match (blood spurts from his mouth). ► Two young women argue bitterly. ► We see fires and looting during the Detroit riots. People gather together at a wake.
PROFANITY 5 - 1 F-word, 24 scatological terms, 5 anatomical terms, 5 mild obscenities, 1 derogatory term for African-Americans, name-calling, 1 religious exclamation. [profanity glossary]
SUBSTANCE USE - A man smokes a marijuana cigarette, a man cuts cocaine (we do not see him take the drug but it is implied that he does), and we hear that a man died from a heroin overdose. People drink alcohol in a club scene and a bar scene, and a man drinks alcohol. A man smokes cigarettes and drinks alcohol in several scenes, and a man smokes a cigarette.
DISCUSSION TOPICS - Music industry, unfairness of the music industry toward African-American artists, Detroit riots, R&B, racism, Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech, responsibility, betrayal, friendship, family, regret, broken hearts, disappointment, dreams, success, failure, infidelity, love, greed, regret, celebrity.
MESSAGE - Success breeds greed and sometimes lack of good judgment.
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.
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