Goodfellas is definitely among the greatest movies ever made. Everything about it is pure poetry. Absolutely a masterpiece, is not to be missed... by adults. I'm not going to absolutely forbid this for older teens, because I saw it and it didn't bother me too much, but I am going to say that the R rating means business here. Violence is at the forefront of the film. The first thing you see is three gangsters opening up a car trunk with a struggling victim inside then brutally stabbing and shooting him to death, and from there it only stays violent. Numerous beatings, shootings, and all their disturbing aftermaths are shown prominently on camera. The sex isn't quite as bad as the violence, but it is still there. There are a few close-ups of a married couple initiating foreplay, as well as an implied offscreen fellatio (the camera changes scenes as the woman goes down and unzips the man's fly) between that same couple. Adultery is considered a part of the mob lifestyle and there are a few uses of sexually charged phrases such as "bang this broad." The language is extraordinarily foul, even though it is accurate. Easily over 100 uses of f--k and all its variants (Joe Pesci's character, Tommy, has an especially foul mouth). Numerous uses of other, more minor swear words like s--t, d-mn, g-dd-mn, hell, d--k, pr-ck, and a few others. Drugs are all over the half of the movie. Massive piles and bags of cocaine are displayed. Henry and one of his girlfriends both snort cocaine as well... a lot. As far as messages go, they couldn't be worse. The mob life is glorified throughout the entire movie, and, needless to say, this life involves bribery, extortion, murder, theft, assault, usury, adultery, and numerous other unsavory things. The role models, needless to say, are some of the worst I've seen in any movie. Tommy is an out of his mind, hot headed, brutal murderer. At one point in the movie, he shoots someone brutally and suddenly after the victim tells Tommy to go f--k himself. Jimmy, by contrast, is just a cold blooded killer. He murders and tortures with a cold detachment that will send chills down your spine. Henry, while not as brutal as Tommy or Jimmy, is no role model, himself. He is also a murderer as well as a drug dealer/abuser. Henry also hits his wife occasionally. Overall, this movie is morally reprehensible and not okay for children. However, adults and older teens should not miss out on this. Goodfellas is everything a movie should be.