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Stage Beauty | 2004 | R | - 7.4.5

Billy Crudup stars as a celebrated actor who plays only women on the stage in 1660's England. His world is turned upside down when the king proclaims that only women should play women's roles from now on. The actor is suddenly unemployed and unappreciated, until his ex-dresser turned actress (Claire Danes) decides to help him. Also with Rupert Everett, Ben Chaplin and Hugh Bonneville. Directed by Richard Eyre. [1:45]

SEX/NUDITY 7 - A man and a woman lie in bed together, they kiss and take different sexual positions as they discuss the male and female role in sex; they kiss, her dress falls open revealing her bare breast, we see part of her bare buttock and hip, and they caress each other. A woman climbs on top of a man in bed, she lifts the bed covers, then says she's "looking for the crown" as she moves toward his lap; he then pushes her head down, we see her moving rhythmically and we hear him moaning from outside the bedroom door. Two men kiss passionately a couple of times and it is implied that they have sex. A man and a woman kiss passionately. Two women ask a man dressed as a woman to prove that he is really a man, he lifts his skirt to the thigh, then pulls their hands toward his lap, they reach under his skirt and scream -- presumably when they touch his genitals -- and then their heads move down toward his lap. A man tries to seduce another man, but he's shunned. A man tries to kiss a woman and touches her face. A man corners a man dressed like a woman, lifts his skirt and grabs at his crotch, the man is startled when he discovers that this is a man but suggests that he might like to have a male mistress. A man approaches two women and a man dressed like a woman and asks how much their sexual services would cost. A man kisses a woman's hand. It is implied that a man has had sex with a woman and she has become pregnant. A woman opens her dress to reveal a bare breast. A man dressed as a woman lifts his skirt to reveal his private parts as a crowd cheers him on (we see a dark patch with no discernable detail). A nude woman holds a shield in front of her and we see her bare buttocks and back. A nude man lies face down on a table while being massaged (we see his bare back and buttocks). A man lies on a bed under a sheet, and the sheet is pulled down slightly revealing his bare buttocks. A woman undresses a man (she's his dresser) down to his undergarment in several scenes. A woman makes a sexual gesture with her hand and a staff. A man smacks a man dressed like a woman on the buttock. A man is propositioned by many prostitutes; they grab him and touch him. Women wear period dresses that are low-cut, sometimes off the shoulder and with tightly tied corsets that reveal cleavage. We see men undressing in a theater dressing room several times, and their bare backs and chests are shown. A man's mistress is identified as a prostitute and she talks about unacceptable clientele. A portrait of a woman in a low-cut dress reveals cleavage.

VIOLENCE/GORE 4 - A man is punched, kicked and hit with a stick repeatedly, we hear bones crunching and see his bloody face and head, and he convulses and gasps for air. A man appears to be attacked in an alley (we see this in the distance). We see many re-enactments of the death scene from "Othello" where Desdemona is smothered with a pillow by Othello, and one scene in particular is very convincing. A man tells about a man who was put in stocks, his ears were lopped off, his tongue cut out and his feet burned. A man grabs a man dressed like a woman who shoves him away. A man is startled when another man sits up from under a sheet. A man tries to caress a woman's buttock but she hits his arm. A man steps in horse feces on a street and we hear a squish.

LANGUAGE 5 - 4 F-words, 7 sexual references, 4 mild obscenities, 11 anatomical terms.

SUBSTANCE USE - People are shown drinking alcohol.

DISCUSSION TOPICS - Fame, celebrity, love, castrati, competition, jealousy, making change, progress, sodomy, humiliation, children out of wedlock.

MESSAGE - Without beauty there is nothing. A man is what he does.

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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