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Parents' Guide to

Breathe In

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Midlife crises, affairs, teen drinking, sex in indie drama.

Movie R 2014 97 minutes
Breathe In Poster Image

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Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
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BREATHE IN is a slow-paced indie drama with superb acting from a talented cast. It does not shy away from attempting to show the real problems teenagers face in terms of sex and drinking or of older characters who feel as if they have reached a crossroads in their lives. Nothing is sugarcoated, and the lives of these characters are painted in full and with respect for what they're contending with.

Despite the undeniable quality in the direction, acting, and writing, the problem, ultimately, is the subject matter itself. It's hard to feel too much sympathy for an affluent-enough, middle-aged man with a nice house and loving family who is torpedoing everything because he's somewhat dissatisfied, and this dissatisfaction is heightened when a beautiful 18-year-old British girl comes to live with them. As a topic in film, the midlife crisis has been done many times, and this version doesn't really put a new spin on the subject. While clearly a heartfelt movie, and no matter the quality, the problem of how this character deals with his midlife crisis is just as likely to provoke anger as thought.

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