On the Basis of Sex | 2018 | PG-13 | – 3.2.5

Why is “On the Basis of Sex” rated PG-13? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “some language and suggestive content.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes an implied sex scene, some evident cleavage, descriptions of violent court cases, arguments regarding gender and equal rights, and 1 F-word. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.”

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The story of how the “Notorious RBG,” aka SCOTUS Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Felicity Jones), who as a young attorney teamed up with her husband (Armie Hammer) to bring a sex discrimination case to the Supreme Court, which overturned centuries of gender inequality. Also with Justin Theroux, Sam Waterston, Kathy Bates, Cailee Spaeny, Jack Reynor, Stephen Root and Chris Mulkey. Directed by Mimi Leder. [Running Time: 2:00]

On the Basis of Sex SEX/NUDITY 3

 – A husband unzips his wife’s dress and removes it (we see her wearing a slip that reveals cleavage and bare back), he kisses her shoulder and chest, they kiss and lie on a bed (sex is implied). A wife climbs into a hospital bed with her husband and they kiss and hug. A wife kisses her sleeping husband on the forehead.
► A man looks at a woman’s chest during a job interview and tells her that he can’t hire her because the wives would get jealous. A woman asks which dress she should choose to make her look “like a Harvard man.” A man asks a woman, “Would it kill you to smile?” A woman refers to the repeated use of the word “sex” (designating gender) in a legal brief is making her think of the steamy backseat of a car.
► A billboard shows a woman wearing a bikini and a shirtless man resting his head on her lap (we see her cleavage, bare abdomen and legs to the hips as well as his bare chest and upper abdomen). A woman wears a robe that reveals cleavage and the top of her full slip. A woman wears a low-cut dress that reveals cleavage. A teen girl wears a short skirt that reveals her legs to the mid-thighs. A woman wears a short skirt that reveals her legs to the mid-thighs.

On the Basis of Sex VIOLENCE/GORE 2

 - A man collapses to the floor clutching his abdomen and we see him in the hospital with an IV as he is told that he has testicular cancer and that treatment will require many surgeries and radiation therapy; he is told that there is a 5% survival rate.
► Descriptions of legal cases are heard that include a man suffering from electrocution burns on his hands and having a skin graft, details about a woman beating her husband's head in with a baseball bat, and a description of a woman being choked and stripped by her husband.
► A woman and her teenage daughter argue in a few scenes and one time the teen is reprimanded for forging a note and skipping school. A man cuts a woman off in the middle of her introduction and she sits down embarrassed. A husband and his wife argue while walking. A few male construction workers catcall to a woman and her teen daughter on a street and make crude remarks until the teen yells at them to stop. A man threatens to "rip a man's throat out." Several men tell a woman to get her emotions in check. A man says that a woman broke up with a man for not being good at charades. A woman is told that "women are too emotional." Several references are made to a woman being Jewish in a derogatory manner. A man is accused of cheating on his taxes. An argument is made that "men are better at math." A man argues that the American family is at stake if equal rights are granted to women.

On the Basis of Sex LANGUAGE 5

 - At least 1 F-word, 4 scatological terms, 10 anatomical terms, 5 mild obscenities (repeated in a protest chant by hundreds of people), 1 derogatory term for Jewish people, 1 derogatory term for African-Americans, name-calling (idiot, angry, demanding, relentless, schmuck, you're so short, ball-buster, cheat, cockamamie case, bully, totally nuts, bitter unlikable shrew), 5 religious exclamations (e.g. Thank God, Good God, For God's Sake, I Swear To Christ, Jesus Mary and Joseph). | profanity glossary |

On the Basis of Sex SUBSTANCE USE

 - Men and women drink at a function, people are shown with glasses of wine at their places at a dining table, a man and a woman drink champagne, a man pours two glasses of wine, a man and a woman drink glasses of wine in a few scenes, people drink at a party, and several people drink beer in a bar. Many people are shown smoking cigarettes as they walk and enter a building, a man smokes in an office, several men are shown smoking in offices as well as restaurants and party scenes, and a few women are shown smoking in restaurant and party scenes.

On the Basis of Sex DISCUSSION TOPICS

 - Discrimination under the law based upon gender, cancer, prescient, disappointment, cultural change, gender roles, equal rights, Vietnam, tax law, anti-war protests, privilege, morality, status quo, sequester, responsibility, the rule of law, ACLU, Civil Rights, Richard Nixon, desegregation, contraception, reproductive rights, stereotypes, legal ethics, "To Kill A Mockingbird," words matter.

On the Basis of Sex MESSAGE

 - Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has devoted her career and life to fighting for equal rights for women under the law.