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The Lucky Ones

(2008, Rated R, Drama, Starring Tim Robbins, Rachel McAdams, Michael Pena)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 15, age appropriate for kids over 99; suggested age 15.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0

  • Common Sense says

    War/road trip dramedy is cliched but affecting.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 15–18

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Strangers are either awkwardly supportive or derisive of soldiers' experiences in Iraq. In one scene, women make fun of a character who has a limp because she's been shot during combat. A wife isn't interested in letting her deployed husband rejoin her life now that he's back -- for no apparent reason, it seems, other than that she liked being alone. Characters are clearly affected by their time served in Iraq -- they're besieged by nightmares, fears, and insecurities. But they also display empathy for one another's experiences and are generous with their time and help even though they don't know one another that well.

  • Violence:

    A soldier has a quick trigger finger -- she talks about missing her weapon and gets into fights quickly (no guns are drawn, though a bar fight almost turns into a melee). A husband and wife have a big argument in front of guests. Soldiers are injured on the battlefield; close up of a bullet wound in a thigh.

  • Sex:

    A married woman propositions a virtual stranger; later, they're shown having sex (though there's no nudity), and her husband walks in on them; two characters listen as a couple engages in sex; conversations about how a man can get an erection and please a woman without one. A character is on a mission to find prostitutes who can help him with his sexual problem.

  • Language:

    Regular use of words like "p---y," "s--t," and "f--k."

  • Consumerism:

    Nothing excessive. Signs for Dollar car rental, McDonald's, etc. Mentions of Porta-Johns.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Soldiers drink and carouse while on leave. One of them pops pills.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About The Lucky Ones

Parents need to know that this fairly unsentimental dramedy about what life is like for soldiers on leave from war deals with themes and subjects that may be overwhelming for younger teens. It doesn't pull any punches, depicting civilian life as being just as fraught as fighting in Iraq. Some scenes show the soldiers in battle and getting injured, and there are frank discussions about the aftereffects of war. There's also a fair amount of strong language, some drinking, liberal use of sexual innuendoes, and a moment in which a couple is caught in the middle of having sex (though not too much skin is shown).

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about how the media typically depicts war and its consequences. How is this film different from other movies about war? How is it similar? The filmmakers have said they made a point of not actually using the word "Iraq" in the script -- how can you tell that this movie is about that war anyway? Families can also discuss soldiers' homecoming. Does it seem less than spectacular? Why? Why is the film titled The Lucky Ones? What makes these characters lucky -- or unlucky?
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