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I Saw the Light | 2015 | PG-13 | - 6.3.5

The story of the successful, and tragically short, singing and songwriting career of Hank Williams (Tom Hiddleston) who suffered from spina bifida and died at the age of 29. Also with Elizabeth Olsen, Bradley Whitford, Cherry Jones, Maddie Hasson, Wrenn Schmidt, David Krumholtz, Josh Pais, Wes Langlois, Joshua Brady, Casey Bond, Michael Rinne and Will Beinbrink. Directed by Marc Abraham. [2:03]

SEX/NUDITY 6 - A married man lying on a bed opens a fur coat worn by a woman (not his wife) to reveal her bare breasts; she climbs on top of him and they kiss. A shirtless husband (his bare chest, abdomen and back are seen) climbs into bed with his wife who is wearing a negligee (cleavage and a part of her bare breast are seen) and they kiss; he lies on top of her then she lies on top of him (sex is implied).
 A woman wears a low-cut dress that reveals her bare upper chest. A woman wears a low-cut dress that reveals cleavage.
 A husband and his wife kiss and hug. A wife tells her husband that she is having a baby and they kiss and hug in bed (they are both clothed). A young woman leans over a seated man and they kiss. A husband and his wife hug and kiss.
 A married man is heard singing in the shower (we do not see nudity) as a clothed woman leaves the room (it is implied that they have been having sex and she is not his wife). A husband and his wife are shown sleeping in bed together (they are fully clothed). A married man puts his arm around a younger woman and acts flirtatiously (she leaves). A young woman flirts with a married man. A man talks about someone being pregnant at 16.

VIOLENCE/GORE 3 - A man in an audience rushes the stage and tackles the singer to the floor; the singer hits the man on the back with a metal bar as the attacker is dragged away by other men (the singer has a scratch on his face and is seen with a bandage later).
 A man with a gun shoots beer bottles in his backyard scaring his wife and her houseguests; he then shoots some furniture and his wife threatens to leave him. Two men with guns walk through woods and shoot birds; one man falls to the ground and complains of back pain (we see him in the hospital).
 A man drives drunk and we see him sweaty as his head bends forward to rest on the steering wheel (the car is stopped). A man is shown going through withdrawal from alcohol and he shivers and sweats. A doctor tells a man that he has spina bifida. A man hyperventilates and complains of pain in his back and pressure in his chest.
 We hear that a man died at the age of 29 of severe heart damage. A man says of his wife, "I'm gonna beat the [mild obscenity deleted] out of her." A husband and his wife argue in several scenes. A wife argues with her husband and threatens to divorce him before leaving. Several men tell another man that his wife's singing is awful and they argue briefly. A woman says to her husband that he would, "Squash me like a bug." A wife describes her husband as having a violent temper and that he has struck her. A wife tells her husband that he could not handle having another child (implying that she had an abortion).
 A man talks about his father's war injuries and a truck accident. A man appears to be ill while riding in the back seat of a car and we see him sweaty and with his eyes closed. A man on a stage has trouble keeping his balance and his skin is grey-tinged (he appears ill or drunk). A reporter asks a man about rumors that he has a problem with alcohol; the man becomes angry and leaves the room). We see news reel footage of a funeral procession and many mourners are gathered.
 We hear woman gagging and coughing and see her leaning over a toilet (presumably vomiting); when asked if she had had too much alcohol, she says no and then says that she is pregnant. A man crushes a bug with his hands (we do not see the remains). A man smokes and coughs in several scenes.

LANGUAGE 5 - About 2 F-words, 3 sexual references, 15 scatological terms, 6 anatomical terms, 49 mild obscenities, name-calling (billy goat, skinny, demon, vengeful), exclamations (darn, jeez), 1 religious profanity (GD), 7 religious exclamations (e.g. I Swear To God, My God, God Awful, Lord, God Bless, Oh My God, Jesus).

SUBSTANCE USE - A man takes a pill and snorts something from an inhaler (it's not clear what either contains), a man takes pills for pain (it's not clear what kind), a man who identifies himself as a doctor (but was not trained) prepares a hypodermic needle (we understand that he injected a sick man with a dangerous chemical), and a doctor tells a man in the hospital that he has been given morphine for pain. Many people gathered in a bar drink alcohol and beer, a man singing on-stage drinks from a bottle (implied to be alcohol), a woman says of a singer on-stage that he is drinking like a fish, a man drinks a beer, a man is seen sitting on a porch and he is surrounded by empty beer bottles, and many people drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes in several house parties. Many people in a bar scene smoke cigarettes and the scene is smoke-filled, a man singing on-stage smokes cigarettes, a man smokes cigarettes in many scenes throughout the movie, a man smokes in an office, a man smokes a cigarette in a hospital, and other men and woman also smoke cigarettes throughout the movie (including a pregnant woman).

DISCUSSION TOPICS - Success, spina-bifida, alcoholism, addiction, marriage, divorce, abortion, parenting, Grand Ole Opry, dreams, aspirations, pride, obligations, business.

MESSAGE - Success and over indulgences can lead to severe health issues.

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.


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