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.
Ellen Barkin, Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio star in
this film adaptation of Tobias Wolff's much-acclaimed memoir, about growing up with an
abusive step-father and a flighty, but loving mother.
SEX/NUDITY 4 - No actual nudity. There are two sex scenes, though: one
involves dirty talk, and groping and kissing while a bed is shaking. The other is rather
more explicit, as one character talks about unorthodox sexual positions. There's lots and
lots of sex talk, and some hint of homosexual attraction between adolescents (a tentative
kiss on the cheek from one boy to another).
VIOLENCE/GORE 6 - One fight between two boys involves punching and rolling
around in the mud. The result is a few welts on one of the boy's face. More serious is the
violence between a boy and his stepfather: when the stepfather tries to show his stepson
how to box, a fight erupts. In another scene, the two go at it with fists, dishes, a mop,
a bat, and all manner of home-furnishings. In yet other disturbing scenes, the stepfather
pinches, punches, bites, kicks or tries to strangle the boy. He even grinds a near-empty
mustard jar into his stepson's eye. Gore consists of a bloody finger.
the review continues below...
PROFANITY 7 - A lot of profanity, especially among teenagers. There are
approximately 20 F-words, as well as several references to the male and female anatomy. [profanity glossary]
DISCUSSION TOPICS - Premarital sex, homosexuality, child abuse, family violence
and neglect, forgery, lying, smoking at a very young age, vandalism and truancy.
MESSAGE - You can change your life, and it may be as easy as just walking
away from a troubled situation. You don't have to settle for less than any human deserves.
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"
