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 bittersweet comedy, Michael Keaton gets a second
chance to see his family when he comes back to life as a snowman. Also with Kelly Preston.
SEX/NUDITY 2- Some mild sexual innuendo and a few kisses, some passionate. A
man lies on top of a woman and kisses her. Some humor regarding (snow) balls. We briefly
see a woman in a midriff-bearing shirt, and in one scene, a woman wears a tank top and
tiny shorts (we mostly see her top). A snowman gets hit with two snowballs that stick to
his chest and look like breasts; he briefly feels them.
VIOLENCE/GORE 4 - In one scene, it's suggested that a man has a fatal
car accident -- from his perspective we see a bright light and a guard rail and then we
hear a loud noise. A few snowball fights, during which some kids are hit pretty hard on
the head and torso. Bullies throw giant snowballs with a slingshot and hit a few kids.
During a chase scene, kids on snowboards and sleds lose control and fall into large snow
drifts; one boy slides into a tree with his legs spread. Two kids are sandwiched between a
drift and a huge, rolling snowball. During a hockey game, players are knocked down, pushed
into the wall, etc. A boy dangles from a tree branch over a drop-off; he starts falling
after the branch breaks. A snowman is hit and dragged by a snow plow, then pushed into a
snow drift. A kid threatens to melt a snowman with a hair dryer. A snowman's head and
torso comically fall apart at times. In one scene a snowman skis through two narrow trees
and temporarily loses the sides of his head and body.
the review continues below...
PROFANITY 1- A few mild obscenities and one anatomical reference. [profanity glossary]
DISCUSSION TOPICS - Grieving, death of a parent, getting a second chance.
MESSAGE - The movie's stated message is that you never lose a loved one
as long as you keep him or her in your heart; the implied message is that you might get a
second chance to actually see and spend time with a deceased loved one.
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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