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Hope Floats

(1998, Rated PG-13, Drama, Starring Sandra Bullock, Harry Connick Jr., Gena Rowlands)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 12, age appropriate for kids over 13; suggested age 13.
  • Is it any good?

    3.0
  • Common Sense says

    Redemptive drama ready made for family viewing.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 13 and Up

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Not an issue.
  • Violence:

    Birdee grabs her daughter Bernice's arm during an argument. A classmate beats Bernice up after class.
  • Sex:

    Not an issue.
  • Language:

    Not an issue.
  • Consumerism:

    Birdee works in a 1-hour photo lab.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    In one scene, Birdee gets drunk at the local bar and stays out all night.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Hope Floats

Parents need to know that this movie deals with the separation of Birdee Pruitt and her husband Bill after Birdee learns that he has been having an affair with her best friend on a national talk show. The separation is traumatic to the couple's daughter, Bernice, and the film may be difficult for children who have had to deal with their parents' separation or divorce. Characters drink and argue. Sexual activity is referenced, but neither shown nor discussed in detail. The film also deals frankly with death.

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Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the difficulty Birdee has moving home. Birdee calls her mother "the town joke" and says she was embarrassed of her mother as a child. Do other characters in the film seem to see Ramona Calvert as a joke? How does moving home humble Birdie? Families may also want to discuss Ramona Calvert's death, as it may be troubling to young viewers.

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Parent Reviewer
    Lives in Virginia
    I rate this title on for age 13 and give it 1.0

    hope floats

    bhhvb

  2. I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 5.0

    I cried so hard....it was such a lovely movie

    Get a box of tissues ready, because you'll need them when Birdee goes to visit her father's nursing home. This movie is at times funny, sad, and touching. I didn't find that there was anything that would be considered "bad" in it, although younger children might not understand some of the stuff about Alzheimers and why Birdee and her husband divorced.

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