Review

Beautiful Boy

  • Review Date: June 3, 2011
  • R
  • Genre: Drama
  • 2011

Common Sense Media says

Agonizing, moving drama about a family torn by tragedy.
Age
16
Quality
 
  • Positive messages2
    From the wreckage of a terrible tragedy rises one positive message: Time and love can heal and bring forgiveness.  
  • Positive role models2
    Sam's parents, though broken, still find a way to be compassionate and open to what's to come.
  • Violence3
    Allusions to and brief news clips about a character who stormed around a college campus and shot innocent bystanders, killing some of them. It's not visually gory, but it's visceral. Some discussion of how he then killed himself (he's shown briefly wielding a gun). Another character has a meltdown at an office and screams at his colleagues. A married couple has a loud, brutally honest argument.
  • Sex3
    A couple has drunken sex (not much is seen, though some movements under a sheet suggest intercourse). A bare breast is briefly visible.
  • Language3
    Relatively infrequent use of words like "f--k," "hell," and "damn."
  • Consumerism1
    Some products like Yoplait and FunYuns are name-dropped or shown, but there's not a lot of selling happening.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking2
    A grieving couple gets drunk (drinking shots of hard liquor), trying to momentarily forget their deep-seated sadness.
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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this intense, deeply moving drama deals with a horrific tragedy: the aftermath of a shooting spree at a college campus. A character is shown wielding a gun, and there are plenty of references to the actual shooting, though there's little actual gore. Still, plenty of psychological wounds are on display, and the subject matter can be quite upsetting/disturbing, especially for younger viewers. There's some swearing (including "f--k") and scenes showing a couple making love (a woman's breast is briefly glimpsed) and getting drunk to forget their pain.

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