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Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that although star Lindsay Lohan is still very popular among kids, this definitely isn't a teen flick (remember, director Garry Marshall is the man behind Pretty Woman as well as The Princess Diaries ...). Lohan's character lies, takes drugs, has sex indiscriminately (she's called a slut several times), and is basically without any inhibitions or common sense. The movie also tackles serious family issues like alcoholism, religion, fractured mother-daughter relationships, promiscuity, and sexual abuse. Teens too young to deal with dysfunctional sexual issues are probably too young to handle the mature themes of this "comedy."
Families can talk about whether stars' off-screen lives affect how you perceive them on screen. Did what you know about Lohan's personal life distract you from her performance? Is it hard to separate actors' real-life shenanigans from their movie personas? Why? Do you think the media's coverage of celebrities' lives is balanced? Families can also discuss the need for rules and boundaries. How did Lilly's lack of rules affect Rachel? Are Georgia's rules helpful or silly?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Sandie Angulo Chen
Septuagenarian director Garry Marshall has made many a woman-centered film, most of which are perfect for mother-daughter time -- Beaches, The Princess Diaries, etc. But GEORGIA RULE isn't the light-and-fuzzy Mother's Day picture it's being marketed as in TV ads. (Don't forget, Marshall is the man behind the funny-but-prostitute-focused Pretty Woman, too.)
Lindsay Lohan is Rachel, a spoiled, highly sexualized San Francisco 17-year-old who's simply out of control: She lies, drinks, does drugs, and sleeps around without giving it a second thought. Her recovering alcoholic mom, Lilly (Felicity Huffman), realizes that her laissez faire parenting has created a narcissistic, manipulative monster, so she packs Rachel up and sends her to live with grandma Georgia (Jane Fonda) in small-town Idaho.
Surrounded by rural Goody Two-shoes and her titular, rule-bound grandmother, Rachel gets her kicks by befriending handsome townie Harlan (Garrett Hedlund) and tempting sweet widower Simon (Dermot Mulroney), who happens to be her mom's high school boyfriend. Rachel can't help coming on to men; it's what she does best. With an endless wardrobe of gauzy dresses made to accentuate her buxom figure, Rachel parades around daring anyone to look -- and, in Harlan's case, touch.
Rachel is the kind of girl who actually laughs when asked if she's a virgin. Harlan is a faithful Mormon and doesn't condone premarital sex, so Rachel takes off her panties and invites Harlan to at least play looksie. Then she demands "a turn" and performs a little off-screen fellatio. Sex is a game, and Rachel knows exactly how to win.
Just when you begin to wonder how much of Lohan's wild-child character is informed by her tabloid-cover-girl persona, the movie adds a shocking backstory when Rachel alleges that she's the victim of years of sexual abuse at the hands of her seemingly loving stepfather, Arnold (Cary Elwes). Is it true, or is it yet another lie from a proven liar? Either way, it's a horrifying subject to casually toss in two-thirds of the way through the movie. And later, when the truth is revealed, it's still hard to feel any empathy for Rachel.
Despite her off-screen reputation, Lohan has real acting chops. And Fonda and Huffman are clearly gifted actresses. But even their dramatic pedigrees can't save this melodramatic mess from devolving into quick-fix sentimentality.
Families who appreciate dramas about dysfunctional teens should try these far-better films: Thirteen, Mysterious Skin, and Cruel Intentions.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentRachel takes off her panties, spreads her legs, and invites a guy to look and touch (though no nudity is shown). She then says it's his turn and gives the guy oral sex. In nearly every scene, Rachel is wearing either skimpy or cleavage-outlining (to put it mildly) outfits. She tries to seduce an older man and threatens to "f--k" a bunch of girls' boyfriends if they don't stop bothering her. Rachel's sexual history and the possibility of sexual abuse are discussed repeatedly throughout the film. Rachel calls Harlan's belief to wait until marriage for sex "retarded." Lilly kisses two different men. |
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ViolenceLilly frantically pushes and slaps Arnold, who violently shoves her to the floor. |
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Language"F--k," "s--t," "goddamnit," "ass," "slut," "blow job," etc. Frequent, but not constant. |
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Social BehaviorRachel is known to lie, and she can't seem to tell the difference between right and wrong. But in the end she and her mother make amends -- albeit very painfully. |
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CommercialismCars: Ferrari and Mercedes. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoRachel drinks and does drugs. Lilly is an alcoholic, and she goes on a couple of drinking binges, consuming many, many bottles of hard liquor. |
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