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Pathology

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 17, age appropriate for kids over 18; suggested age 17.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0

  • Common Sense says

    Medical thriller mixes extreme violence, sex.

Why We Rated This not for kids

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    The characters are part of a secret society of medical pathologists who challenge each other to commit untraceable murders; the group gathers around their victims to analyze one another's technique and then holds drug-fueled, sexual gatherings to "celebrate" their work.

  • Violence:

    Several murders, both on-screen and off, including smothering, murder by injection, stabbings, death by surgical procedure, and other startlingly creative (and violent) means of murder. Extensive footage of autopsy and surgical procedures, as well as post-mortem corpses and wounds, organ removal, and brute-force methodologies used to crack chests or remove skulls. Fistfights; assaults with blunt objects; slashings; stabbings. Characters literally make a game of murder as part of the film's plot. Discussion of a child molester's habits, past offenses, and predilections.

  • Sex:

    Sex and violence are frequently intermingled. Pathologists use severed heads to discuss whether or not women fake orgasm; fist fighting and acupuncture needles are part of foreplay; a woman slashes her tongue with a scalpel as a prelude to a kiss; repeated onscreen sexual activity includes a sex act at a murder scene; a woman's clothes are cut off with surgical tools. Also bisexual kissing, extensive nudity, characters tour a seedy brothel, naked buttocks and breasts visible, and extensive montages of couples having sex in a variety of positions.

  • Language:

    Extensive and pervasive, including "f--k," "damn," "hell," "s--t," "bitch," "whore," "c--t," and "p---y."

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Characters drink to excess (both beer and hard liquor); medical marijuana is abused; several characters smoke crystal methamphetamine; "whippits" (nitrous oxide inhalers) are abused.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Pathology

Parents need to know that this brutal horror/thriller is definitely not for kids, despite the presence of Heroes star Milo Ventimiglia in the lead role. It's full of calculated, ingenious, premeditated murders that are performed as an intellectual and moral exercise, which leads to lots of gory, traumatized corpses. The movie's violent and sexual content are both pervasive and extreme, as well as frequently intertwined (characters use needles in foreplay, have sex at a murder scene, and more). Language, drinking, and drug use are also frequent and excessive.

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Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the fact that the movie mixes extreme violence with sex. What's the difference between positive sensuality and fetishized mingling of sex and violence? Why would filmmakers gravitate toward the latter instead of the former? What messages does this movie send about sex and violence? Families can also discuss the ethical and professional checks and balances that exist to prevent abuse by real-life medical personnel. What are the stakes when those systems fail?
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Our Members Say

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Adult Reviewer
    PPAMom
    Lives in Georgia
    I rate this title iffy for age 17 and give it 1.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • Negative message
    • Negative role models

    You should think twice before wasting time & money on this one!

    Wow, this movie was basically soft-porn!! Not good for any age, I'm afraid. The whole plot was unbelievable in almost it's entireity, and we couldn't wait for it to be over!!!!

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate
  2. Adult Reviewer
    quaycomputer
    Lives in Virginia
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 4.0

    very fleshy

    the plot of this movie is very interesting filled with gory cuts. Of course, full nudity should be expected since the movie is mostly focus on cutting dead(or alive) bodies - autopsy. Even though, sex scenes are not neccessary.

    This review...

    Helped me decide (1) | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate

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