 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Anywhere but Here
- Review Date: May 19, 2003
- PG-13
- Genre: Drama
- 1999
Common Sense Media says
Solid story of independence for teens.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that the movie deals with parent-teen relationships, sex, and issues of single motherhood.
What's the story?
Adele (Susan Sarandon), a free-spirited teacher, takes her 14-year-old daughter Ann (Natalie Portman) to Los Angeles in a gold-colored Mercedes. Ann resents her mother for taking her away from everything she knows, and she misses her family and friends in Wisconsin. Adele dreams of a more glamorous life and wider opportunities for Ann. They struggle with each other and take care of each other until Ann leaves for college. Once Ann is ready to be on her own, she can admit to herself and to Adele how much she loves her.
Is it any good?
Adolescence begins with an avalanche of mortifying self-awareness. All of a sudden, everything is embarrassing, especially parents, in whose eyes teens can see their past more easily than their future. ANYWHERE BUT HERE does a good job of portraying that stage of life from both the teen's and the parent's perspectives. Adele's relish for more than she can find in Wisconsin is unsettling to Anne. Adele says, "I wish someone had kidnapped me back when I was your age," and Ann responds, "So do I!"
Throughout the movie, Ann and Adele do a sort of relationship minuet, stepping toward each other, and then away. Ann imitates Adele in an acting audition, and Adele sees that she appears self-deluding and foolish to her daughter. Adele often acts more like Ann's sister or even daughter than her mother. But when she needs to be the adult, to make the sacrifices necessary to help her child, she comes through.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about Ann's decision to have sex with a boy who has a crush on her, which is more a reaction to a cool reception from the father who abandoned her than a reflection of a mature and intimate relationship. When she invites him over and tells him to take off his clothes, her words are tough, even cold, but when he walks over to her she throws her arms around him and holds him as though she is desperate for human contact.
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| Studio: | Twentieth Century Fox |
| Director: | Wayne Wang |
| Cast: | Hart Bochner, Natalie Portman, Susan Sarandon |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Run time: | 114 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | November 12, 1999 |
| DVD release date: | August 27, 2002 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | language and sexual references |
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