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Monster-in-Law | 2005 | PG-13 | - 4.3.4
A woman (Jennifer Lopez) thinks that she has found the man (Michael Vartan) of her dreams. Until, that is, she meets his possessive, competitive mother (Jane Fonda), who having just lost her position as a news anchor, also fears she will lose her son's affections and is determined to break up the relationship. Also with Wanda Sykes and Monet Mazur. Directed by Robert Luketic. [1:35]
SEX/NUDITY 4 - A woman sits in a bathtub, she is covered with bubbles, she talks to her fiancé on the telephone and tells him that she is, "naked and wet...and naked" and his mother interrupts the call.
► A man and a woman snuggle on a sofa, the man's mother calls and he begins to nibble on the woman lovingly and tries to undress her. A man and a woman hug and kiss and he asks her if she'd like to take a shower with him, and they run out of the room together. A man wearing a shirt and boxer shorts kisses a woman and his girlfriend comes into the room and sees them. A man and a woman kiss in several scenes.
► Two women in skimpy outfits and a bare-chested man dance on a stage while singing. We see a man in a shirt and boxer shorts while changing his clothes. A woman's top hangs open revealing cleavage and part of her bra, a woman wears low-cut negligees in several scenes that reveal cleavage and bare shoulders, and women wear low-cut dresses and tops throughout the movie that reveal cleavage, bare abdomen, bare shoulders, and several women wear very short skirts or shorts that reveal bare thighs.
► A woman tells another woman that a man is gay, and we see him sitting with another man with his arm around him; she goes on to talk about how the partners are designated (which is the "bride" and which is the "groom") and the sexual positions that they would assume.
► People discuss the fact that a woman has not been "having sex." A character talks in crude terms about someone being good at sex. Someone says to a woman that, "someone else is mowing your lawn" in reference to a man being interested in another woman. People talk about a man being "hot." A woman remarks about a young woman having, "stars on her nipples" (they are part of a costume that she wears on a TV show).
► A dog thrusts against another dog.
► A man makes a sexual gesture with his hands. A woman admires a man as he jogs by on the beach. An unmarried man and an unmarried woman move into a house together.
VIOLENCE/GORE 3 - A woman knees a woman, and hits her in the stomach with a drawer. Two women poke each other then slap each other in the face repeatedly. A woman screams and attacks a young woman knocking her back out of her chair and grabbing her around the throat. A woman has a nightmare, she flails around and punches another woman sleeping in the same bed. A woman imagines hitting a woman across the face with a large cooking pan and a woman imagines slamming a woman's head into a cake repeatedly.
► A woman faints into her plate of tripe and wakes up there in the morning (another woman has given her medication to make her sleep). A woman blows an air horn waking a woman up and causing her to roll off a sofa and onto the floor. A woman's lips and tongue become extremely swollen after she eats nuts (she is allergic to them).
► A dog bites a man on the leg (we see a woman putting a bandage on it later). A dog snarls and barks at a woman scaring her. Dogs tear up a woman's clothing and suitcases.
► A woman bumps into a man and stumbles. A woman screams and punches sofa cushions in anger and frustration. A woman tells another woman that she might want to consider getting a firearm for her house.
► Two women yell and argue in many scenes. People yell, argue and insult each other. A woman is startled when a woman yells and comes into a room abruptly. A woman sobs and weeps uncontrollably and loudly keeping another woman from sleeping. A woman threatens to serve another woman nuts knowing that she is allergic to them.
► A woman working in a doctor's office opens a bag that presumably contains a man's stool sample. A woman splatters tomato sauce on another woman's expensive outfit.
LANGUAGE 4 - 1 not fully enunciated F-word derivative, 2 obscene hand gestures, 13 sexual references, 5 scatological terms, 7 anatomical terms, 13 mild obscenities, name-calling (idiot), 1 religious profanity, 28 religious exclamations.
SUBSTANCE USE - A woman drinks cold medicine for the alcohol, two women drink wine together, a woman drinks martinis in several scenes, and people drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes at a few parties. A woman takes prescription anti-anxiety medication and is warned not to drink alcohol with them.
DISCUSSION TOPICS - Relationships, love, in-laws, letting go of our children, allowing our children to grow up, psychotic breaks, a mother's love, anxiety attacks, parental approval, sexism, wanting the best for our children, food allergies, homosexuality, dignity, age discrimination, ending a career, prenuptial agreements, mental breakdowns, promiscuity, disappointment, stress-related illnesses, demographics.
MESSAGE - When you find love, don't let it go, no matter what the obstacle.
CAVEATS
Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.
We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.
Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.
Gladiator II - 2.7.2
Wicked: Part I - 3.4.2
Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin. - 1.5.3
Emilia Pérez - 6.6.7
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