Review

Peace, Love, and Misunderstanding

  • Review Date: June 9, 2012
  • R
  • Genre: Drama
  • 2012

Common Sense Media says

Drug use and cliches mar unoriginal indie dramedy.
Age
16
Quality
 
  • Positive messages3
    It's important to be yourself and to understand who you are and what you believe in. But it's just as important to realize that other people are entitled to be who they are and that even though you may disagree with some of their beliefs, their opinions are just as valid as yours. If you approach others with an open mind, you might just learn something important, even from people you disagree with.
  • Positive role models1
    Grace, an aging hippie/free spirit, happily encourages everyone around her to do whatever feels good (which does include smoking pot and other things that some might find iffy). Her adult daughter is more high-strung and points out the ways that self-indulgent behavior can affect others. Eventually they find middle ground.
  • Violence1
    Two characters hit a deer while driving at night and are forced to shoot the injured animal to put it out of its misery. Some arguing.
  • Sex3
    Some flirting and kissing, and two quick shots of naked men seen from behind (while skinny-dipping and posing for a painting). One couple has sex off screen, which becomes an important topic of conversation in later scenes. An aging hippie happily recounts her past sexual exploits, while her adult daughter is less pleased with her mother's endorsement of "free love."
  • Language3
    Occasional swearing includes "s--t," "c--k," and "damn."
  • Consumerism0
    The film has a strong anti-consumer message.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking4
    Just about everyone smokes pot, including teens. There are joints, roaches, pipes, bongs, and a giant hookah. One of the main characters makes her living selling pot and proudly shows off her high-tech growing operation. Some characters also drink beer or wine at parties or with meals; several smoke cigarettes. In one scene, a group of women gets smashed on tequila shots.
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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that that Peace, Love, and Misunderstanding is an indie dramedy about clashing values between a straightlaced New York lawyer (Catherine Keener) and her aging-hippie mother (Jane Fonda). The movie finds laughs in their conflict and seeks heart in their attempts to find common ground. There's occasional swearing (including "s--t"), some flirting and kissing, a few quick shots of nude men from behind, drinking, and smoking. But the biggest issue for most parents is likely to be the movie's drug use; almost everyone smokes pot, even the high school student. The movie makes light of Fonda's character's dope habit, even when she's arrested for dealing, in an effort to contrast her free-spirited lifestyle with that of her regimented daughter.

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