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Boundaries
By Jeffrey Anderson,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Indie road-trip dramedy has pot dealing/smoking.

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What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
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Boundaries
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Based on 2 parent reviews
Very Few Bright Moments, Mostly Tedious and Too Many F-Bombs
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Will require discussions about scoff laws
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What's the Story?
In BOUNDARIES, single mom Laura Jaconi (Vera Farmiga) is in therapy, learning to set, yes, boundaries. She loves to adopt stray animals and is having trouble with her sensitive teen son, Henry (Lewis MacDougall); he likes to draw graphic naked pictures and has been expelled from school. Though Laura has been avoiding calls from her 85-year-old father, Jack (Christopher Plummer), she reluctantly decides to ask him for money for a private school for Henry. Unfortunately, Laura discovers that Jack, too, has been expelled -- from his nursing home, for dealing pot. While trying to figure out what to do next, Jack secretly enlists Henry for a plan: They must get Laura to drive them from Portland to Los Angeles, to the home of Laura's sister, JoJo (Kristen Schaal), where Jack will live. While on the road, Jack will sell the rest of his stash and raise $200,000. But spending all that time together will test the family in ways they never expected.
Is It Any Good?
Though blessed with outstanding performers, this indie dramedy/road movie never really sparks to life; it's a little too aware of its plot and character components and comes off as mechanical. Written and directed by Shana Feste (Country Strong, Endless Love), Boundaries frankly has too many boundaries, too much material that seems cobbled together from other screenplays or learned in screenwriting class, with too little room to breathe. Even more distressing, Laura comes across as high-strung, screechy, and irreversibly damaged. She's not much fun and not very appealing, and her character doesn't do much to advance the quality of female representation on-screen.
The main male characters are the ones who get to have fun and be silly. But they're both defined, simply, by a single character trait: Jack by his pot dealing and Henry by his drawings of naked people. These traits are meant to be humorously shocking, but the movie's muted tone -- it's trying to be a touching drama as well as a comedy -- dampens all the laughs. Fortunately, cheerful, squeaky-voiced goofball Schaal elevates the movie in her few scenes. JoJo is the only character who seems to have any kind of humorous self-conflict; she's unflappably happy despite her cramped living conditions. It's too bad the rest of Boundaries couldn't have cut loose a bit.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Boundaries portrays drugs and drug use. Is pot glamorized, and made to look cool or enticing? Are there consequences? Why does that matter?
How are sex and nudity depicted? Why do you think Henry is interested in making nude drawings? How do other characters feel about them?
Is Laura a compelling character? Are there any moments that are about her? Does she make her own choices? How does she compare to JoJo?
What is the family relationship like in this movie? Do the family members communicate? Are they honest? Are they supportive or critical?
Movie Details
- In theaters: June 22, 2018
- On DVD or streaming: October 16, 2018
- Cast: Vera Farmiga , Christopher Plummer , Lewis MacDougall
- Director: Shana Feste
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
- Genre: Comedy
- Run time: 104 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: drug material, language, some sexual references and nude sketches
- Last updated: August 2, 2022
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