The Front Runner | 2018 | R | – 2.2.8

Why is “The Front Runner” rated R? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “language including some sexual references.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes many references to extramarital affairs and adultery, verbal arguments, alcohol and tobacco use, and over 30 F-words. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.”

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In the Democratic presidential primary of 1988 Colorado Senator Gary Hart (Hugh Jackman) seemed like the most likely candidate to win his party’s nomination. However, his campaign was derailed when it was revealed that he had an extramarital affair and he would offer no explanation, dismissing questions from the press as irrelevant and insulting. Also with Vera Farmiga, Mamoudou Athie, Oliver Cooper, Sara Paxton and Molly Ephraim. Directed by Jason Reitman. [Running Time: 1:53]

The Front Runner SEX/NUDITY 2

 – A husband and his wife hug. A man and a woman leave a group of people on a yacht and go somewhere else (we do not see if anything else takes place). A man and a woman walk out of a house and he touches the woman’s back in a familiar way.
► A man asks another man, “Have you had sex with that woman?” A woman suspected of having an affair with a politician says, “I like his positions.” Reporters quiz a man about infidelity and his character and whether he should continue his run for the presidential nomination. A woman calls a reporter and tells him that her girlfriend is having an affair with a political candidate and asks if he will pay for pictures. A comment is made about a man’s wife and that she “looks the other way” suggesting that he has extramarital affairs. The name of a yacht where a man was caught with a woman not his wife was named, “Monkey Business.”
► Women wear low-cut tops that reveal bare abdomens, backs and cleavage in a few scenes.

The Front Runner VIOLENCE/GORE 2

 - A cabin is surrounded by news trucks and reporters and a woman inside becomes anxious about getting away from the hounding press. Crowds of reporters surround people in several scenes asking questions and pressing microphones toward them.
► A woman confronts a man about his infidelities and describes the pain he has caused. Men follow a man through an alley and he confronts them about what they are doing; they then argue briefly. A reference is made to an alligator attacking and eating a child. A man tells another man, "No weapons allowed at the table," referring to the second man's camera. A woman talks about people assuming that she is not smart because she is a model.
► Men follow a woman through an airport. A plane goes through turbulence and shakes and we see that a man seems to be afraid until another man talks him through it. A man throws an axe at a target.

The Front Runner LANGUAGE 8

 - About 34 F-words, 4 sexual references, 18 scatological terms, 2 anatomical terms, 6 mild obscenities, name-calling (stupid, womanizer, nuts, scavengers, half-baked, second rate power, sleaze, broad, foolish, scratchy, bimbo), exclamations (shut-up, for crying out loud), 4 religious profanities (GD), 15 religious exclamations (e.g. Jesus, Jesus Christ, Oh My God, For God's Sake, Thank God, God Knows Where). | profanity glossary |

The Front Runner SUBSTANCE USE

 - A reference is made to a large amount of cocaine being dumped into a body of water, a man says that he "tried coke," a reference is made to a man being in jail for selling cocaine, and a reference is made to a drug bust. Men drink alcohol in a hotel room, people are shown drinking alcohol in a bar, two women drink wine in a restaurant, a man sits with a bottle of beer on a table near him, a woman sits with a glass of wine in front of her at a bar, people drink beers in a bar, people drink alcohol in a bar, people drink alcohol on a yacht, people drink alcohol on a plane, a reference is made to bourbon, and a man says that the only shot he wants is a whiskey. A woman smokes in a control room, men smoke cigarettes in a hotel room, people smoke in an airport, and a woman smokes in an office.

The Front Runner DISCUSSION TOPICS

 - Gary Hart, political campaigns, gossip, honesty, adultery, morality, judgment, Tammy Fay and Jim Baker, George Bush, mistakes, lobbyists, marriage, separation, traditional marriage, accountability, times change, personal character traits, lies, trust, respect, embarrassment, ethics, integrity, privacy, paparazzi, humiliation, the West, the Democratic Party, change, sacrifice, self-respect, disappointment, political process, challenge, peace, Theodore Roosevelt, US/Russia relations, Mikhail Gorbachev, opportunity, unemployment, human nature, idealism, public life, men with power and opportunity, political polling.

The Front Runner MESSAGE

 - Politicians cannot decide which issues are important; the press and voters do that. Idealism and intelligence are not protections when it comes to failures in judgment.