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.
Anthony Hopkins stars as a mysterious man who seems to be
running from something or someone and is looking for a quiet place to hide. He arrives in
a small town, and quickly befriends a boy whom he hires to read him the daily newspaper
since his eyesight is failing. During the reading sessions the man imparts his wisdom to
his young friend who discovers some truths about his life. Based on the novel by Stephen
King. Also with Anton Yelchin, Hope Davis, Mika Boorem and David Morse. [1:41]
SEX/NUDITY 5 - A man comes into a woman's hotel room and begins forcing
himself on her by trying to kiss her and touch her; it is obvious that she is raped (see
the Violence/Gore category for more details). A young man and woman kiss in a car.
A boy kisses a girl twice and they hold each other close, a boy and girl kiss and hug
goodbye, and a girl kisses a boy as a birthday wish. A man kisses a woman on the cheek and
holds her around the waist. A woman in her slip dances in front of a mirror while trying
to choose a dress. A woman wears dresses which expose her shoulders, back and some
cleavage. A boy takes off his pants and shirt to swim (he's wearing trunks), another boy
is shirtless and a girl is in a swimsuit. A boy whistles at a girl. A man talks about a
boys preoccupation with putting on his mother's dresses. There's some sexual innuendo: men
make remarks about "don't do anything I wouldn't do, and if you do name it after
me," a woman is invited to an out-of-town conference by her boss which leads to
uninvited advances, a woman accuses a man of making sexual advances toward a girl, and a
man talks about "the first kiss."
VIOLENCE/GORE 6 - A man forces himself on a woman and rapes her: we see him
in quick-cut scenes throwing her onto a bed, tearing at her clothing while sitting on top
of her, hitting her, and we hear her screaming. We see a woman's bruised and battered
face, and a girl has a trickle of blood coming from her nose. A boy threatens another boy
with a bat, and a boy beats another boy with a bat; the beaten boy is whimpering and runs
away. A boy beats a girl with a bat and dislocates her shoulder (we see a shadow of the
boy lifting the bat over his head and we then see her bruised and crying). A man puts the
girl's dislocated shoulder back in place and she screams in pain while biting down on a
belt. A boy pulls a girl's hair and holds her by the arms while another boy touches her
chest (he talks about wanting to check for breasts). A woman slaps a man and threatens him
when she suspects he has made sexual advances toward a girl. A boy is frightened when he
walks through a dark alley and there are men standing in the shadows. A man and boy in a
taxi duck down and are fearful as a car full of seemingly menacing men passes by. A man
talks about ruthless men who will stop at nothing being after him. A boy is frightened
when a man appears to be in some kind of trance. We hear a boxing match on the radio, with
reports of how the participants are being pummeled. We see a man's funeral, a man tells a
man that a woman is dead, and a young woman tells a man that her mother is dead. There are
several references to a man being prone to flatulence. There are several scenes filled
with foreboding and threat.
the review continues below...
PROFANITY 4 - 4 scatological terms, 3 anatomical terms, 9 mild obscenities,
4 religious exclamations, 5 derogatory terms used for homosexuals. [profanity glossary]
DISCUSSION TOPICS - The death of a father, friendship, forgiveness,
betrayal, naïveté, bullies, communism, miracles, President Richard Nixon, psychics,
gambling.
MESSAGE - Hold onto the happiness of youth as long as you can, but be
prepared to welcome the future.
(Note: There are discussions about a man having psychic abilities and that he
doesn't touch people because he can see what goes on in their minds.)
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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