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Raise Your Voice | 2004 | PG | - 4.4.3
Hilary Duff stars as a young woman with dreams of making her mark in the world of music. She longs to attend a prestigious summer music program, but her father is resistant to the idea since she is only 16 and she would be going to Los Angeles alone. When her older brother dies in a car accident, the young woman refuses to sing again. Her mother, trying to find a way to inspire her, sends her off to the music program and lies to her husband about where their daughter is. Also with John Corbett, Ashlee Simpson, Jason Ritter and Rita Wilson. Directed by Sean McNamara. [1:46]
SEX/NUDITY 4 - A young man kisses a young woman, she kisses him, they kiss each other passionately while spinning around a room, knocking down musical instruments, and then they slip down to the floor and off screen. A young man and a young woman hug, they dance together, he tries to kiss her, she pulls away, and then they kiss tenderly. A young woman flirts with a young man, she caresses his face, she kisses him, and they are interrupted by his girlfriend. A young man and a young woman kiss a few times, and a young man kisses a young woman on the cheek. While singing and dancing on a stage a young woman wears a tight fitting, short dress that reveals her bare thighs. A young man and a young woman shake hands and another young woman says, "he's gonna hope that he didn't get you pregnant." A young man says about a young woman, "we had a thing." A young man talks about having "a hole in his chest" because his feelings for a young woman are not reciprocated. A young man admires a young woman as she walks by. Young women wear short skirts that reveal bare thighs, low-cut tops that reveal cleavage, off-the-shoulder tops and tube tops that reveal cleavage, bare shoulders and backs, and tight-fitting tops that reveal their figures.
VIOLENCE/GORE 4 - A truck slams into the side of a car with two people in it, we see the young woman in the hospital with bruises on her face and we hear that the driver was killed. A young woman has several flashbacks to the glaring lights of an oncoming truck, before it hit the car she was a passenger in. A young man chases a young woman, and she shoves him down stairs (he does not appear injured). A young woman kicks a young man in the leg. We see people gathered at a gravesite. A mother grieves while packing up the clothes and belongings of her deceased son. A young woman grieves over her deceased brother in several scenes. A young woman pounds on a vending machine in anger. A young woman stumbles down stairs (she is not injured).
LANGUAGE 3 - 1 scatological term, 1 anatomical term, 7 mild obscenities, 5 religious exclamations.
SUBSTANCE USE - People are shown drinking alcohol, and one underage person is intoxicated.
DISCUSSION TOPICS - Music, family, love, lying, death of a sibling, death of a child, friendship, making choices, guilt, self pity, experimentation, pressure to succeed, letting go, competition, perfection, admitting you're wrong, pride, parental love and overprotectiveness.
MESSAGE - Backing away from challenges can become a way of life unless you take a chance.
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.
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