Brian Banks | 2019 | PG-13 | – 4.5.5

Why is “Brian Banks” rated PG-13? The MPAA rating has been assigned “for thematic content and related images, and for language.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a kissing scene that ends abruptly, accusations of rape and sodomy, and a few cleavage revealing outfits; a prison stabbing with some blood, a punch that leads to a broken jaw, solitary confinement, a few football action sequences with tackling, and a list of over 20 wrongful convictions that have been overturned; and 2 F-words and other strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.”

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Based on the true story of a high school sophomore and football hopeful (Aldis Hodge) in Long Beach California, who was convicted of rape and found his dreams and life derailed. After serving his sentence, he continues to fight to prove his innocence. Also with Greg Kinnear, Sherri Shepherd, Melanie Liburd, Tiffany Dupont and Matt Battaglia. Directed by Tom Shadyac. [Running Time: 1:39]

Brian Banks SEX/NUDITY 4

 – A man describes going to a building on a school campus with a girl (they were both teenagers at the time) and we see a flashback: the teen girls wears a low-cut top and shorts that reveal cleavage and bare legs to the thighs as the man says that people go to the building to make out; the teen boy and the teen girl kiss and lean against a wall, and they unzip each other’s pants until they are interrupted by someone coming down stairs nearby and they leave. A man and a woman hug.
► A teen girl talks about another teen saying that she was raped because she didn’t want her mother to know that “she was getting with boys.” A woman talks about getting “touchy-feely” with a teen boy when they were younger. A woman asks, “Can I get my virginity back?”
► A man is shown shirtless and we see his bare chest, abdomen and back. A woman wears low-cut tanks tops that reveal cleavage in a few scenes. Men are shown in a locker room and a few are undressing (we see them wearing T-shirts and football pants).

Brian Banks VIOLENCE/GORE 5

 – A man in prison kneels over another man lying motionless and pulls a blade out of his abdomen (we hear the blade and see blood on the man’s shirt). A teen boy in prison witnesses an inmate stab another inmate and the attacker later approaches the teen in a threatening manner; the teen later goes to the man’s cell and punches him hard in the face (we hear that he broke the man’s jaw).
► A teen boy is placed in solitary confinement for 60 days and we see him feeling the effects (he laughs uncontrollably, he hallucinates and imagines people being in his cell and talking to him, and he punches the cement floor). Several police officers enter a teen boy’s bedroom and handcuff him while two others hold the teen’s mother in another room as they both yell and the teen is led out of the house and taken to jail. A man is slammed onto the hood of a police car and handcuffed as a young boy watches.
► A teen boy is convicted and sentenced to 6 years in prison with 3 years of parole. A teen boy is accused of forcible rape, sodomy and kidnapping. A man talks about a woman having been given the death penalty on a plea bargain. A woman and her teenage daughter are escorted by police into a school building as they report an alleged rape. A woman tells a man that something happened to her during college (she was raped), that the police insinuated that she was overreacting and that the school did nothing so she left. A man panics when the woman that accused him of rape invites him to be friends on Facebook.
► A man pounds on his steering wheel and yells in frustration. Several hard tackles are seen on football fields and we hear crunching (no injuries are seen).
► A lawyer tells a teen boy that he should take a plea deal because he has no chance with an all-white jury and that he could end up with probation; she refuses to let him speak to his mother and tells him that he has 10 minutes to decide. A man tells a woman about his background and she becomes uncomfortable and leaves. A man on parole is called by his parole officer and told that he has to leave his work because he cannot be near a fairground where children might be (the man loses his job after leaving). A man on parole from prison is unable to find work and we see him having several interviews but being turned down when the employers realize that he has served time in prison. Several men are told that a new rule requires all parolees to wear GPS tracking devices at all times. A man is told that he is not allowed to be near a school or a park and that he is classified as a sex offender. A man tells another man that it is almost impossible to overturn a conviction in California.

Brian Banks LANGUAGE 5

 – At least 2 F-words, 11 scatological terms, 3 anatomical terms, 5 mild obscenities, name-calling (baddest, stupid), 2 religious profanities (GD), 3 religious exclamations (e.g. Voice Of God, God-Given, God). | profanity glossary |

Brian Banks SUBSTANCE USE

 – Young men are shown on a street smoking marijuana cigarettes as a young boy passes by and police officers search a car for drugs (none are found). People in a bar are shown drinking alcohol and a man drinks a glass of beer.

Brian Banks DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Rape, lying, false accusations, wrongful conviction, dreams, the criminal justice system, California Innocence Project, freedom, sex offenders, plea deals, habeas petition, recantation, credibility, coercion, regret, embarrassment, flexibility, choice, truth, murder, happiness, shame, guilt, parole violations, perspective, DNA evidence, distractions, despair, passing judgment.

Brian Banks MESSAGE

 – Never give up. The path to happiness begins in the mind.