Why is “The Last Rodeo” rated PG? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “thematic elements, language and violence.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a brief kissing scene, many scenes of people being thrown off the backs of bulls as they buck and spin violently and often ending with some injuries, a bar fight, many discussions of surgery on a young boy with a brain tumor, discussions of a woman’s death and grief, and several arguments and some strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.

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After an injury leaves a middle-aged man (Neal McDonough) unable to compete in bull riding any longer, he faces seemingly insurmountable odds when he goes back for one last ride in order to raise money to pay for medical bills for his young grandson (Graham Harvey). Also with Mykelti Williamson, Sarah Jones, Christopher McDonald, Daylon Swearingen, Irene Bedard, Matt West, Gabriel Sousa, Kamen Casey and Ruvé McDonough. Directed by Jon Avnet. [Running Time: 1:56]

The Last Rodeo SEX/NUDITY 1

 – A man and a woman kiss at their wedding. A husband and his wife dance and he caresses her head. Men and women dance a slow dance in a bar.
► A woman describes a man that she is seeing as being “too clingy” and “serious.”
► A shirtless man is seen in a few scenes and we see his bare chest, shoulders, back and abdomen. A man’s shirt hangs open in a few scenes revealing his partial bare chest. A woman wears a low-cut wedding gown that reveals cleavage and bare shoulders. A statue of a man seems bare-chested and we see his chest and abdomen.

The Last Rodeo VIOLENCE/GORE 4

 – A rider is thrown off a bull and lands hard on the ground, the bull continues to buck and spin around the ring slamming into another man puncturing his back (we hear that he is bleeding heavily) and the bull steps on the rider’s leg injuring his knee (we hear that he has nerve impairment). A bull spins a rider ferociously in the ring and slams him against a metal guardrail; we see the man’s badly bruised ribs later and hear that they are broken. A man confronts another man in a bar when he takes his seat; they fight with a few punches landing and others join in leading to people being thrown on a table and glasses shattering; we see the police on the scene later and a few of the participants have bloody wounds on their faces. A man is thrown from a bull and moans loudly before passing out; he imagines seeing his wife in the stands when he revives.
► A private plane flies through a heavy storm and passengers are jostled slightly as thunder cracks outside. Many scenes show men and women riding bulls and being bucked, spun and thrown; a few throws leave riders injured with broken bones and we hear that one broke his neck. Several riders jump off bulls after their time is up and they land in the dirt, get up, run away from the bull and out of the ring. A young boy rides a bull as it bucks and spins around; he jumps off the bull and lands in the dirt unharmed. A boy hits a baseball and it spins around and hits him below the ear knocking him to the ground; he moans but gets up and continues playing. A man punches his truck in frustration. A man punches a wall and makes a hole in the plaster in frustration. A training sequence shows a man doing push-ups, punching hay bales and jumping rope (awkwardly) before riding a mechanical bull and falling off into dirt a few times. A young boy is shown in the hospital in several scenes and we see him with bandages on his head and oxygen tubes at his nose.
► We hear that the tougher the bull is considered, the more points the rider will earn. A woman confronts her father about his plan to compete again and yells at him for making her relive a nightmare, recalling her nursing him back to health after a bad injury; she accuses him of riding a bull drunk. A woman reminds a man that he used to beg her to kill him when his pain meds would wear off. People talk about not seeing a man since his wife died. Two men talk about driving tanks in Afghanistan and hitting IEDs. A man tells another man that if he rides in a competition, “You’ll get yourself crippled or worse.” A man tells another man, “I thought you were gonna die.” A man says that another man “could die out there.” A man talks about his young daughter fighting with another girl and says, “She decked her.” Doctors talk to a woman and a man about a young boy suffering from a brain tumor and that the prognosis of surgically removing the tumor is guarded. We hear that doctors were unable to remove all of a brain tumor and will need to do more surgery. A woman says that her young son could end up with paralysis, brain impairment and speech loss after surgery. A doctor recommends that a young boy be seen by a neurologist because he has some weakness on one side and his balance is off. People discuss a woman dying from a brain tumor. A man and his adult daughter argue about her son bull riding; she expresses her concerns about injuries. A woman talks to her father about blaming him for her not finding her footing. People discuss how they will be able to pay a large medical insurance bill. A man kneels at a grave and talks to the woman buried there.
► A boy calls for his mother and tells her that he got dizzy and threw up (we see goo on the floor). We see a long scar down the back of a man’s neck in a few scenes and hear that a metal rod was implanted after he broke his neck. A scar is seen on the back of a young boy’s head. A woman’s ear bleeds.

The Last Rodeo LANGUAGE 3

 – 1 scatological term, 6 anatomical terms, 11 mild obscenities, name-calling (old fart, crazy fool, asinine, stupid, stubborn old goat, touchy, slow, ornery, sloppy, older but not dumber, disruptive, meanest, crazy, tricky, fearless, old timer, old man), exclamations (you’re just showing off, have you lost your mind, have you lost your wits, wow, are you kidding me, dang, what was I thinking, goodnight blue cheese, no excuses, screw everything up, dang sure, dangit), 8 religious exclamations (e.g. ain’t no way in God’s green Earth, thank God, people in an audience are led in prayer before a bull riding competition a couple of times, only God knows what she’s going through, God, a man holds and kisses a crucifix around his neck). | profanity glossary |

The Last Rodeo SUBSTANCE USE

 – A woman remarks about a man having been on “so many pain meds,” a young boy’s pain meds are said to be wearing off, and a man was described as being “hopped up on morphine.” We understand that a man used to drink a lot, we hear that a man rode a bull while drunk and ended up badly injured, people in a bar drink beer and whiskey, and a man says that he could use a stiff drink.

The Last Rodeo DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Bull riding, life-threatening injuries, death of a loved one, brain tumors, anger, miracles, luck, time, mistakes, disappointment, legends, depression, finding faith, medical bills, friendship, father daughter relationships, family.

The Last Rodeo MESSAGE

 – The support of family and friends can help when facing insurmountable odds.