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Love Happens

(2009, Rated PG-13, Drama, Starring Jennifer Aniston, Aaron Eckhart, Dan Fogler)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 11, age appropriate for kids over 14; suggested age 14.

  • Is it any good?

    2.0

  • Common Sense says

    Dramedy about grief and love likely won't interest kids.

Themes in this movie include:   dating/crushes, honesty, loss

Why We Rated This on for Ages 14 and Up

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    The main messages seem to be about moving past grief toward acceptance. This is an important take away not only for those who are grieving but to anyone who has experienced disappointment.

  • Role models:

    Burke functions as a positive role model by motivating others to help themselves heal. Although he doesn't help himself until the end of the movie, he has a selfless need to propel his grieving clients to move forward with their lives. Eloise has a fiery personality. She owns her own business, which she says was a dream come true, and she tries to help Burke.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Conversations about how loved ones died in accidents and of sickness.

  • Sex:

    Although there's only one big kiss in the movie, the dialogue contains sexual innuendo and several references to dating and relationships, with comments like "did you get laid?" and "either head of yours" etc. Eloise also discusses her ex-boyfriend's infidelity, and a widow talks about how she made a mold of her husband's "you know" so that they could "you know" even after he died. At a poetry slam, people recite poems about "phalluses" and sex.

  • Language:

    Fairly regular use of words like "s--t," "ass," "hell," "damn," and "bitch," as well as "stupid," "pissed off," "oh my God," etc. One character always says his name as "Lane 'Goddamn' Marshall."

  • Consumerism:

    Apple products are on display in a few scenes -- Macbook, desktop computer, and iPod -- as well as Grey Goose vodka, which is Burke's signature drink.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Burke drinks (vodka, mostly) regularly, especially before his seminar talks. Adult characters drink in bars and restaurants and in one scene smoke from a hookah pipe at a Middle Eastern bar.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Love Happens

Parents need to know that this romantic dramedy centers on the topic of grief (and moving past it). There are plenty of tearful references to how characters' loved ones died, so teens dealing with loss or other separation-related issues may find the movie upsetting. While nothing more than kissing is shown, there are several conversations about relationships, as well as allusions to sex and "getting laid." The protagonist drinks regularly, and several scenes take place in a bar where adults are drinking (and, in one case, smoking from a hookah pipe). Language includes "s--t," "ass," and "pissed off."

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the movie's message about moving forward past grief and disappointment. How do the various characters come to terms with their anger and heartache?
  • Although Bryce pretends to alcohol, he secretly consumes it. How is drinking depicted in the movie?
  • What genre does this movie belong to? Is it a romantic comedy, a black comedy, a drama? How is it different than most romantic comedies?
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