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Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this adults-only movie (which co-stars teen favorite Justin Timberlake) is first and foremost about Rae, a young woman with an insatiable desire for sex. Her urges are so absurdly strong that they cause a literal, overpowering itch that only subsides when she finds a willing partner (and there are many). Rae spends almost the entire film in panties and a cutoff top, and her heaving breasts make many appearances. The man who finds her half-dead decides to "cure" her of her lascivious ways by chaining her up to his radiator. Since the film takes place in the South and follows a black man chaining up a nymphomaniac white woman, the film abounds with racial and sexual stereotypes and tensions.
Families can talk about the reasons for Rae's promiscuity and Laz's unhappiness. How does their unorthodox relationship help them? The film explores many racist and religious themes. What are some examples of each? Is the pastor judgmental or understanding? What is his influence on the characters? What do you think happens to Rae and Laz? Will they continue in their destructive behaviors, or is there a sign that there's hope for them each to be happy? What do you think drew the actors to this movie?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Sandie Angulo Chen
Writer-director Craig Brewer follows his stand-out 2005 debut Hustle & Flow with yet another Southern tale about broken souls in need of mending. Like Terrence Howard's hard-working pimp in Hustle, Laz (Samuel L. Jackson) is a hard-working farmer nursing a broken heart -- his wife has run off with his brother -- when he stumbles across a "half-naked, half-dead white woman" (Christina Ricci) left on the quiet road next to his farm.
But Ricci's young character, Rae, is no ordinary woman. She's got "the sickness" -- a burning yearning for sex that no one man can sate. Her widely known sluttiness is what landed her in the bloody state she was found in, and now Laz, a God-fearing bluesman, is ready to exorcize her of her "wickedness." Just how is he going to keep her from "getting up under" every man within county limits? By chaining her to his radiator until she repents -- or at least until his best friend, the town pastor, convinces him that it's not his Biblical duty to "fix" her.
Many viewers will undoubtedly be offended by Brewer's representation of a still-segregated, racist South in which mentioning a black man's "size" to a white man will get you beaten to a pulp -- not to mention Ricci's personification of a promiscuous woman who just can't get enough.
But Brewer has a genuine affinity for portraying Southern and African-American culture. Interlacing the drama with blues music (including footage of the legendary Son House) and necessary doses of humor (Rae's memorable encounter with a young teen looking for butter beans at Laz's farm is particularly amusing), Brewer creates a clever (im)morality tale about an unlikely (OK, ludicrous) way to heal an ailing heart.
If envelope-pushing indies like this are your kind of films, you'll also enjoy Hustle & Flow, Pulp Fiction, and Requiem for a Dream.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentThe entire film is about sex. From the opening shot of Rae and Ronnie having sex (there's only partial nudity, but it's so naturalistic that it seems more graphic) to Rae baring her breasts and basically attacking a young teenager, the plot revolves around the notion that she's a young nymphomaniac "in heat." The girl can't stop getting it on -- whether it's with the local drug dealer or random guys at a drug-and-booze-filled house party. Rae has flashbacks of being abused by a shadowy man in her past. She spends the majority of the film chained to a radiator in small white panties and a midriff-baring cutoff top. Laz flirts sweetly with the local pharmacist. |
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ViolenceAn acquaintance nearly rapes Rae but instead bloodies her face (so hard she loses consciousness for two days) and then leaves her by the side of a road. Laz holds a broken beer bottle against a man's throat. Two men get in a bare-knuckled fight. A character points a gun and threatens to use it against two different men. Rae attacks her mother with a broom. Laz chains Rae but doesn't actually hurt her. |
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LanguageSamuel L. Jackson stars, so expect many, many utterances of "motherf----r," "f--k," "d--k," "s--t," and the like. Even the town pastor curses. Both white and black characters say the "N" word. |
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Social BehaviorDepending on how you look at it, the message is either that extreme promiscuity is an evil sickness or that broken people (in this case the town's insatiable slut and bitter, drunk bluesman) can help heal each other. Lots of racial and sexual stereotypes and tensions. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoLaz drinks a lot -- at a local bar and in his own home. Rae not only gets incredibly drunk at a party, but she also asks a dealer to give her enough pills to get "f---ed up." Laz and Rae do shots of moonshine. |
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