Rated R Rated R for violence, language and sexuality/nudity.
Directed by Harold Ramis (Caddyshack, Vacation, Groundhog Day, Analyze This…)
Starring John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, Oliver Platt, Randy Quaid…
Take a quick peek at the fine print next to the R-rating. Let me warn you…they forgot to add the word “extreme” before “sexuality/nudity.”
Believe me… I was disappointed. I love other works from Harold Ramis like Groundhog Day and Multiplicity. And I love John Cusack. When I saw the preview for this film…it was a no-brainer…I was looking forward to it.
But when my buddy and I started watching it…uh…“Hey…those are naked girls!” Okay…maybe it will be just that one scene. “Nope. More naked girls.”
The lead characters frequent strip bars throughout the film and there’s plenty of skin throughout. Throughout the beginning anyway…my buddy and I gave up and left. (Sorry, my wife’s pretty enough…I don’t need to sell out to anything else!)
Too bad. Because the storyline seemed creative. A lawyer (Cusack) attempts a Christmas Eve crime, hoping to swindle the local mob out of some money. But his partner (Thornton), a strip club owner, might have different plans for the cash.
Funny, sure, a little. But pretty dark and full of the world’s grime.
Skip this one…and make sure the kids do too. Or at least wait until the TV version.
Side Note:
As said above, we recommend you skip this film. But on the occasion that your teen actually has already seen it, you may want to dialogue about the film with them. These questions below may be a help to you.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
