A guide to movies from a family perspective:
“Tower Heist”
Rated: PG-13.
Best for: Teens and older.
What you should know: This action comedy stars Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy as part of a ragtag band of blue-collar robbers looking for revenge on a Wall Street swindler who wiped out pension plans and lifetime savings accounts.
Language: Some profanity and use of the N-word, along with steady use of the stronger version of “shoot” and other three- or four-letter words that merit the PG-13 rating.
Sexual situations and nudity: No nudity, but suggestive wordplay and lewd comments about lesbians and breasts.
Violence, scary situations: There is an unsuccessful suicide attempt, a golf club used as a weapon on an inanimate object, wild car chases and heavy-duty stunts along with some generally harmless gunplay and shoplifting, done on a dare.
Alcohol and drug use: A key scene is set in a bar where one character, in particular, gets nearly falling-down drunk.
“Puss in Boots”
Rated: PG.
Best for: Kindergarten-age and up.
What you should know: The cat from the “Shrek” series gets his own animated movie that shows his earliest days at an orphanage and friendship with Humpty Dumpty. These characters, along with a second cat, end up looking for the magic beans that could lead them to golden eggs.
Language: None.
Sexual situations and nudity: None.
Violence, scary situations: Swordfights, chases, perilous falls and betrayal by a friend.
Alcohol and drug use: There’s a joke about catnip and a scene is set in a bar, but there’s nothing that comes close to this.
“Anonymous”
Rated: PG-13.
Best for: High-school students with at least a passing knowledge of Shakespeare and older.
What you should know: This drama pivots on the idea that William Shakespeare lucked into the body of work that bears his name. It was actually written by Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford, played by Rhys Ifans.
Language: Nothing objectionable.
Sexual situations and nudity: A flash of a bare bottom, discreet scenes conveying sex, talk about illegitimate children given up for adoption and Queen Elizabeth I is anything but a “virgin queen.”
Violence, scary situations: Swordplay turns fatal at one point, fires blaze, a body is discovered and a man is tortured because he won’t give up information. Also, lots of behind-the-scenes threats and machinations.
Alcohol and drug use: Characters consume what appears to be wine.
“Footloose”
Rated: PG-13.
Best for: Mature tweens and older.
What you should know: Professional dancers Julianne Hough (pronounced “Huff”) and Kenny Wormald star in a remake of the 1984 hit with Kevin Bacon.
Language: Use of an s-word and some other offensive four-letter words.
Sexual situations and nudity: A high-school senior starts to shed her blouse in a prelude to sex with an older boyfriend. Couples kiss, and some dancing gets a little hot and heavy. A teenage girl announces she is no longer a virgin.
Violence, scary situations: A truck hits a car head on and the auto bursts into flames, killing five teens. A boy talks briefly about his mother’s death from leukemia. A girl perches on a car-window frame and rides around a racing track. The same teen stands in the path of a speeding train, but is pushed out of the way in time. A girl is shoved and socked by her boyfriend. A handful of people engage in foolish school bus races on an off-road track and there are fisticuffs.
Alcohol and drug use: Underage drinking, plus the flashing or use of marijuana.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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