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.
Bruce Willis is a self-absorbed image consultant who
reconnects with his childhood dreams when he's visited by his eight-year-old self (Spencer
Breslin). Also with Emily Mortimer, Lily Tomlin, Chi McBride, Nick Chinlund, Richard
Jenkins, Jeri Ryan, Jean Smart and Steve Tom. [1:42]
SEX/NUDITY 2 - A couple of kisses and mild references to an inflatable doll,
a man dating another, a boy seeing his mother naked, and a boy getting a
"hickey." During a playground scene, we briefly see a young boy lying on his
back underneath monkey bars so he can look up a girl's dress. In a non-sexual situation, a woman says she should've worn her magical bra and panties. A woman wears a cleavage-revealing top.
VIOLENCE/GORE 2 - While all the violence isn't played strictly for laughs,
it isn't completely dramatic either. A boy pushes another on the ground, then they scuffle
and punch each other somewhat lightly in the stomach; one punches the other in the face
twice, then sits on him and grabs his neck a little (one of the boys has a bloody nose). A
man and a boy spar in a boxing ring while wearing head gear and gloves; the boy hits the
man in the groin, then sits on him and punches him a bit. In a dramatic scene a man grabs
a boy's arms and face while yelling at him; a boy swings his fists in the air repeatedly,
pretending to beat up an imaginary foe; a woman grabs a man's collar and pushes him into a
chair; a man chases a boy out of a window (as he slides out, his legs appear to kick the
man); a boy trips and falls; and boys threaten to light firecrackers tied around a
three-legged dog's neck. A low-flying plane nearly hits a man in his car, a slow-moving
plane on a runway nearly hits a man, two cars nearly collide, a man in a car chases after
a boy riding a bike, and a boy rides his bike across a busy street. Several instances of
yelling, mostly involving a man and a boy. A woman playfully sticks her finger up her
nose; in another scene, a boy does the same. We see a man and a boy standing in front of
urinals. A reference to flatulence.
the review continues below...
PROFANITY 1 - A mild scatological reference, many instances of name-calling,
many "Holy Smokes!" and one "Holy Moses!". [profanity glossary]
DISCUSSION TOPICS - Adulthood vs. childhood, dysfunctional father-son
relationships, inferiority complexes, loss of a parent, psychotherapy, prescription drug
use (a man demands them from his therapist, and we see him taking several pills -- with no
visible side effects -- in a later scene).
MESSAGE - We need something or someone to remind us of our childhood dreams
and to help us become the adults we wanted to 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.
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