You Gotta Believe | 2024 | PG | – 2.3.3

Why is “You Gotta Believe” rated PG? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “thematic content, language and suggestive references.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a couple of kissing scenes, a few flirting scenes, a man dying from terminal cancer, a man suffering the side effects of cancer treatment, boys arguing and calling each other names, a few accidents at ball games leading to injuries and property damage, a coach being ejected from a game for yelling at the umpire, several arguments and some strong language and name-calling. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.

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Based on a true story about a man (Luke Wilson) whose little league coaching efforts come to an abrupt standstill when he is diagnosed with brain cancer. His young son (Michael Cash) is determined to help him live by rallying the team and winning the championship in his name. Also with Sarah Gadon, Molly Parker, Greg Kinnear, Patrick Renna, Lew Temple, Etienne Kellici, Jacob Soley, Nicholas Fry, Blake DeLong, Connor McMahon, Gavin MacIver-Wright, Brooke Morton, Josh Reich, Scott MacKenzie, Jacob Mazeral and King Orba. Directed by Ty Roberts. [Running Time: 1:44]

You Gotta Believe SEX/NUDITY 2

 – A husband and his wife kiss in a few scenes. A wife sits on her husband’s lap and he nuzzles her neck.
► A wife flirts with her husband and says, “Hey there handsome.” A woman advises another woman to keep her husband “on a regular schedule” to manage stress (implying sex). A husband remarks about his wife’s beauty in a few scenes. A boy seems smitten with a teen girl, winking and staring at her in several scenes; the teen girl dismisses him. A boy winks at a pitcher during a game and she winks at him, saying, “I think I’m in love.” A woman tells another woman about being diagnosed with breast cancer and having a mastectomy; she jokes about wearing socks in her bra.
► A teen girl wears low-cut tops that reveal cleavage in several scenes. Players are distracted by a pitcher being a girl.

You Gotta Believe VIOLENCE/GORE 3

 – A man seems to be overheated and collapses on the ground moaning, as his sons and his wife gather around him; a doctor tells him it was caused by a cutoff of blood flow to his brain from a tumor (we see an X-ray of the tumor).
► A doctor tells a man that his cancer has spread and talks about treatment including surgery and radiation, as well as doing nothing. A man is shown in a hospital bed at home where he dies with his wife and two sons by him.
► Two players slam into each other in the field when going after a ball; one ends up with a bruised ankle and the other a hurt arm (we see a swollen ankle and the other boy’s arm is shown in a sling later). Teammates fight in their dugout yelling and pushing. A boy imagines beating up another boy that calls him names, punching and kicking him. Two groups of boys shove each other, argue and call each other names. Boys argue on a pitcher’s mound during a game. A boy tells a man that he doesn’t know how to coach a little league team. A man yells at another man in an office setting, reprimanding him for a mistake he made and threatening that he will never be promoted. A player is struck with a pitch and the coach yells at the umpire causing the umpire to throw the coach out of the game; he continues to yell and throws things on the field before leaving.
► A boy tells another boy that he will “Cram that French fry in your ear hole” a few times. A boy tells his teammates that his sick father “Won’t make it if we don’t win.” A man tells his two sons that he is sick and the boys ask if he is going to die. A woman tells another woman about being diagnosed with breast cancer and having a mastectomy; she jokes about wearing socks in her bra. A man talks about debilitating fear. People talk about not trusting the press. Players worry that another team’s players are not really boys; one says, “He has a mustache.” A boy yells, “I hate you,” as he looks to the sky.
► A boy is struck in the head by a baseball and he falls to the ground (he’s OK). A baseball is thrown and it crashes through the glass of a popcorn cart. A foul ball crashes into stands and breaks a teen girl’s CD player (she yells at the player responsible). A baseball bat is accidentally thrown and crashes into a car’s windshield shattering it. A wife pushes her husband in a swimming pool and yells at him.
► A man suffers side effects from chemotherapy including vomiting and weakness; we hear retching in a couple of scenes (no goo is visible). A boy vomits from nerves and we hear retching and splattering (no goo is shown). A man coughs up blood and we see some on his shirtsleeve. A man’s hair begins to fall out in clumps after chemotherapy. A herd of cattle moves through a town and we see a large pile of dung left on the street.

You Gotta Believe LANGUAGE 3

 – 11 scatological terms (8 mild), 2 anatomical terms, 7 mild obscenities, name-calling (really poppin’ throw, old man, flickin’ a booger, big dog, scooter booter, peanut, rocket, gut-wrenching realism, uptight, old dog theory, double dog awful, fat dudes and skinny dudes, geriatrics, nepotistic fool, dork, sons of guns, jerk, fat blind mole, Eisenhoward, Peter Pan, dingleberries, hillbilly, fib, epic battle, dumb, idiot, dork, punk head, chuckle head), exclamations (come on, blowing sunshine, do rat [mild scatological term deleted] smell like cheese, shake a leg, I swear, quit fussing, dang, bummer, chill out, shut-up, zip it, rears in gear, dag gum, eat my chimichangas, 12 frickin’ years old, lost his mind, I hate you, what in the name of Baby Ruth, what in the name of Willie Mays, shoot, scared the britches out of him), 10 religious exclamations (e.g. oh my God, my God, please God, Holy cow, Lord knows, God, Jesus, oh good Lord, a pre-teen boy genuflects). | profanity glossary |

You Gotta Believe SUBSTANCE USE

 – A man is seen in an IV clinic for chemotherapy treatment. A man says that he likes “a little water with my whiskey” (he is not drinking), and a man drinks from a bottle (it is not clear if it is beer or soda).

You Gotta Believe DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Little League Baseball, terminal cancer, cancer treatment, working together for a purpose, dyslexia, miracles, fear, luck, puberty, integrity, taking risks, competition, confidence, regrets, endurance, realizing dreams, beating the odds, ignorance, ego, breast cancer, ambidextrous, a reference is made to 9/11, sarcasm, body-shaming, Satchel Paige, Willie Mays.

You Gotta Believe MESSAGE

 – Every day is a gift.