Parents need to know that some critics have claimed that this is an anti-feminist movie, but that is a very superficial perspective. There's a flashback to Sean's professional boxing career, in which he accidentally killed another boxer, the reason he is reluctant to fight in Ireland. References to ability of married couples to hit each other. Some prejudice against Sean as an American and an outsider. ery nice depiction of religious tolerance, as the Catholic priest tells his parishioners to pretend they are congregants of the Protestant minister, so he can impress his bishop with how many members he has in his congregation. Brief references to a (non-violent) IRA.

Families can talk about how Sean and Mary Kate loved each other very much, but had a hard time understanding each other. Why was Mary Kate's dowry so important to her? How did Sean show he understood that? Why did they burn the money? Was that a good way to solve the problem of the dowry for both of them? How did Sean's friends persuade Mary Kate's brother to let Sean marry her? Was that fair? Why did Sean and Will like each other better after fighting each other?