Why is “Him” rated R? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “strong bloody violence, language throughout, sexual material, nudity and some drug use.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes scantily clad women and some suggestive dancing, non-sexual partial nudity, a few scenes of people being stabbed to death, bludgeoned and beheaded, several scenes of violent acts that lead to bloody injuries, discussions of career ending injuries, discussions of success and failure, discussions of the death of a parent, many arguments and at least 66 F-words and other strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.

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When a young man (Tyriq Withers) sees a chance to achieve his lifelong dream of leading his favorite football team, he doesn’t realize the unusual and horrific experience he will have to endure to get there. Also with Marlon Wayans, Julia Fox, Jim Jefferies, Naomi Grossman, Norman Towns, Kiara Gomez Glad Bak and Indira G. Wilson. Directed by Justin Tipping. [Running Time: 1:36]

Him SEX/NUDITY 4

 – Two women dance together at a party and caress each other. Men and women dance at a party and some women are shown wearing skimpy bikini-type outfits revealing cleavage, bare abdomens, bare buttocks and legs to the hips and they make suggestive gestures toward a man.
► A man asks another man if he had sex with his wife (please see the Violence/Gore category for more details). A woman holds a piece of jade or crystal and talks about its properties being able to improve sexual sensation. A woman tells a man that she is a really big fan, flirtatiously.
► A man is told to remove his clothing during a physical exam and we see his bare chest, abdomen to the hip, back, buttocks and legs, and people remark about his genitals. Cheerleaders are seen in a few scenes wearing low-cut cropped tops and short skirts that reveal cleavage, bare abdomens and legs to the upper thighs. Two men with towels wrapped around their waists sit in a sauna and we see their bare chests, abdomen and legs to the upper thighs. A man is shown shirtless and we see his bare chest, abdomen and back. Several statues are seen in a room with collectibles and male genitals, bare chest, abdomen and legs are visible. Two people wearing briefs are shown and we see their bare chests, abdomens, backs and legs; the outline of a genital bulge is also evident. A man poses for photos wearing boxer briefs (we see his bare chest, abdomen, back and legs).

Him VIOLENCE/GORE 8

 – A woman swings a dagger and thrusts it into something and we later see a man’s severed head on a table (blood is evident). A woman swings a rock toward a man’s head and the man strangles her; she thrashes and falls still but revives and moves toward the man again but another man throws her against a wall and blood splatters from her head as she falls motionless. A woman with a dagger trips and falls on the blade cutting her own throat (we see blood spray). A man swings a bladed weapon stabbing and running through several other people (blood sprays and splatters); he cuts off one man’s head and kicks the severed head. A man is dragged onto an altar-type area and we hear an explosion and see blood spray.
► A man is struck in the back of the head by someone carrying a large weapon and we hear that he suffers from a traumatic brain injury (we see staples in a wound on his scalp later). A football player is injured on the field and we see him on the ground holding his leg that is very bloody and flops unnaturally. A man stands in front of an automatic ball-throwing machine and he is struck in the face by footballs repeatedly; we see the man with blood on his face and chest, a tooth is knocked out and his eye is swollen shut with a gash on the eyebrow above it. A man punches another man in the face a few times, they fight, they grapple and one man is thrown against a wall, one presses his thumbs into the eyes of the other, one man is pinned on the floor and the other man bends his arm back as he screams in pain (we hear bones cracking); one man is then struck a few times with a helmet then pounded in the face with a fist (we see mucus and blood on their faces). A man with a gun asks another man if he slept with someone (presumably his wife), he points the gun to the man’s head and then puts it in his own mouth but does not pull the trigger.
► A practice sequence contains many fast-cut frenetic movements and one man head-butts another man hard on the helmet (we see X-ray images of skulls inside the helmets) and the man collapses seizing from the trauma. Two men jog in a desert and one hyperventilates vomits (we see goo) and collapses on the ground; and sees a large figure carrying a weapon approach and swing the weapon at his head (we see blood splatter, but we do not see him struck). A man is knocked down and hits his head; he vomits blood (we see blood). A man sits in a chamber with the door closed, he pounds on the door and hits his head against the glass of the door a few times. A man is awakened by another man throwing a bucket of water on his head and yelling. A man uses clippers to shave another man’s head and he yells when he touches a scar on the man’s head; he stands up and yells at people in the room. A man throws footballs and hits the uprights causing them to vibrate and a ball on the ground spins on its end. A man hears a noise and sees something in a dark tunnel and when he approaches, he sees a man with a painted face holding out a pen (presumably asking for an autograph). A man pulls out two staples from a man’s head wound and puts another staple in (we hear the click of the staple gun). A man is injected with something in the knee (we see the needle press into the knee in close-up).
► Two men take target practice using rifles. A man walks through dark hallways, sees many people crowding toward him with flashbulbs flashing and a plastic bag is wrapped over his head (we see him gasping for air until he tears the plastic open). A group of people in an encampment outside a man’s home are referred to as a cult; they yell at a car driving by with a man inside and one says, “We don’t want you” and spits on the window. A man yells at another man during football practice telling him, “Get your head in the game.” A man yells at players when they don’t catch passes that he is throwing. Football is described as, “Sports theater with real consequences.” A father tells his son, “No guts, no glory.” A man says that he is seeing things. A man tells another man, “Don’t be no mascot.” A man describes events in the Roman coliseum and refers to people being beaten and burned and run through with swords. A man tells another man, “Your father didn’t love you.” An unidentified language is heard chanting in a voice over. A man cries when he feels he let his father down (his father died). People are shown seated at a long table (resembling the Last Supper).
► A man threatens to kill a man’s family if he doesn’t sign a contract. A man describes two men slamming their helmet-covered heads together and that one man fractured his skull.
► A man is injected with something in a few scenes and we see a flash of his bones and organs reacting with a jolt and a crack (we see a needle press into his flesh). A man receives blood transfusions in a few scenes; he pulls the needle out of his arm in one scene (we see it pulling out) and he winces in pain as he pulls himself along the floor seemingly unable to walk and injects himself with something in a syringe. A man sits in baths filled with ice in a few scenes. A man vomits (we see goo). A man is shown tanning a hide and we see skulls of animals around the room.

Him LANGUAGE 10

 – About 66 F-words and its derivatives, 6 sexual references, 15 scatological terms, 12 anatomical terms, 15 mild obscenities, 8 derogatory terms for African-American people, name-calling (real men, junkyard dog, cult, white boys, haters, real killers, intense, almost greats, crazy, beast, off-putting, dumb, you ain’t nothing, pretty boy, tin foil hat, awkward, weird, too slow, peewee), exclamations (shut-up, wow, running your mouth, whatever), 3 religious profanities (GD), 10 religious exclamations (e.g. God willing, God family and football, oh my God, team members chant Amen over an injured player that seizes on the floor, Jesus [F-word deleted] Christ, gift for the gods, Holy [scatological term deleted]). | profanity glossary |

Him SUBSTANCE USE

 – A man is injected with something in a few scenes and we see a flash of his bones and organs reacting with a jolt and a crack, and a man gives another man something (a tablet or something similar) and he chews it. People drink liquor and smoke at a party, and people drink wine at a party. A man smokes a cigar in a few scenes.

Him DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Football, dreams, sacrifice, sacrilege, retirement, GOAT, transitions of power, rituals, anonymity, nepotism, family, comradery, choice, guilt, parental pressure, coping.

Him MESSAGE

 – Greatness is about surviving the death of who you used to be.