Why is “Ella McCay” rated PG-13? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “strong language, some sexual material and drug content.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a couple of implied sex scenes, discussions of a man’s infidelity at the workplace, discussions about a teen boy and a teen girl having sex, a woman being struck by a door and suffering a concussion, a woman struggling with the political machine, many arguments, a family becoming estranged, a woman inadvertently using marijuana when she drinks a beverage and eats a cookie laced with the drug, and at least 2 F-words and other strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.

---

An ambitious young woman (Emma Mackey) finds herself trying to balance family and her lifelong wish to help people, as she is forced to face some uncomfortable truths. Also with Woody Harrelson, Kumail Nanjiani, Spike Fearn, Ayo Edebiri, Jack Lowden, Rebecca Hall and Albert Brooks. Directed by James L. Brooks. [Running Time: 1:55]

Ella McCay SEX/NUDITY 4

 – A man and a woman lie in bed together breathing heavily and caressing after having sex (we see the man’s bare chest and shoulders and the woman’s bare shoulders and cleavage).
► A woman asks her teenage niece if she has had sex with a teenage boy and she does not deny it. A woman yells while outside asking her teenage niece if she used a condom when having sex with a teenage boy. We hear that a man and a woman had sex in a government-owned property and that it would be considered “wrongful use.” A teenage boy climbs down a trellis from a teenage girl’s bedroom window and the girl is seen inside nervously trying to clean something from a bedsheet (sex is implied). A young woman talks about having “been with other people” since the last time she and a young man had been together. A young man asks a young woman if she will be his girlfriend and she accepts. We hear that a man was accused of having inappropriate sexual relationships with people at his work and was forced out of his job. A man makes a comment about dating a friend of his daughter and she becomes upset. A woman worries that her husband doesn’t really love her.
► A man and a woman hug and the woman caresses his clothed buttocks. A husband dances with his wife in front of reporters when it is announced that she has been appointed governor and she seems embarrassed.
► A woman wears a low-cut top that reveals cleavage in a few scenes.

Ella McCay VIOLENCE/GORE 3

 – A woman is knocked to the floor when many reporters press against a door and she hits her head; a man suspects that she has a concussion. A man grabs another man by the collar and yells at him about posting a health department notice on his restaurant window; two police officers approach the man and he pushes one officer; they arrest him for resisting. A woman chases a teenage boy in the street after seeing him climb down a trellis from her teenage niece’s bedroom window. A woman yells about a reporter extorting her over information about something she did and using it to get special access. A man admits to paying a reporter for holding a story about his wife. A woman tells another woman that she needs to resign from her job as governor immediately.
► A man grabs another man by the collar and yells at him. A man jumps off a sidewalk and hits his head on a sign hanging from a shop (he does not appear injured). A man grabs a woman by the arm during an argument. A man walks across a street and his security detail stops traffic; we hear tires screech as cars stop.
► Mourners gather at a woman’s funeral and the two young children of the deceased cry. A woman visits her brother and he seems to be anxious and uncomfortable while working on his computer, and she makes a remark about him being agoraphobic.
► A husband and his wife argue and he says that their marriage is not working for him. A man yells at a woman about his wife. A woman yells at several people in a meeting room when they applaud her as she enters the room. A man and a woman argue in several scenes. A man tells a woman that she will become governor when he moves to a different government position; he tells her that she couldn’t have gotten the job any other way. A man talks about “needing to make dumb people feel less dumb.” A woman tells her adult son that he needs to make demands on his wife to get what he wants. A man talks about needing to own all of his misdeeds. A man says that he had avoided his daughter because she scared him. A young man talks to a young woman awkwardly. We hear that a man was accused of having inappropriate sexual relationships with people at his work and was forced out of his job.
► A woman yells in frustration about a man watering his tomato sauce in his pizza restaurant. A woman becomes upset about having had lemonade and a cookie that, unbeknownst to her, contained marijuana. A man complains about his divorce forcing him to work overtime to make enough money to be able to see his children. A woman is upset with her teenage niece when she confronts her about lying to her. A young man remembers how his relationships with a young woman ended and he developed anxiety. A teenage girl talks to her younger brother about suffering emotional trauma from something their father had done.

Ella McCay LANGUAGE 5

 – At least 2 F-words, 2 sexual references, 10 scatological terms, 3 anatomical terms, 8 mild obscenities, name-calling (dumb, annoying, nothing, zero, roadkill do-gooder, little miss nooner, screwy, unbearable douchiness, moron, dumb people, nuts, persistent, weird, ticking time bomb), exclamations (shut-up, oh gosh, we’re in a jam, for crying out loud, oh, give a hoot, oh wow), 19 religious exclamations (e.g. God, Lord help me, thank the Lord, good Lord, dear God, for God’s sake, God bless you, Jesus, oh my God, God no, oh God). | profanity glossary |

Ella McCay SUBSTANCE USE

 – A woman drinks lemonade and eats a cookie that we understand contain marijuana, and a man tells a woman not to take Ambien more than three nights in a row.

Ella McCay DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Transparency, the 2008 economic recession, “normal families,” infidelity, traumatic experiences, success, embarrassment, divorce, patronizing, family estrangement, forgiveness, bribery, hope, legal aid, political scandal, compromise, shame, anxiety disorders, sports betting, Healthy Start programs.

Ella McCay MESSAGE

 – It can be hard to always make the right choices, but it’s worth striving to do so.