Parents' Guide to Paint Your Wagon

Sex, Romance & Nudity

A Mormon man comes to town with two wives and one is sold to another man in the town. She then marries another man and they all live together. The all-male camp gets excited to see a woman. A man rips open a woman's top assuming they'll have sex, but she refuses with strong words and a gun. Some innuendo younger viewers might miss include a reference to "maladies" caught from "low women." Mention of a character being "horny." A pious pastor calls the townsfolk "fornicators." Nude breasts are visible on a statue. A young man is bought time with a sex worker and says it's the best thing he's experienced.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Main character Ben lives with an alcohol addiction. He regularly swigs from a bottle of whiskey and appears very drunk, often to the point of passing out. His drunkenness isn't glamorized and his friends are sympathetic. Even though it is played for laughs, there is a sadness to the character. A character drinks for the first time and passes out. When saloons reach town, the sign reads, "Population: drunk." A young character is taken to a bar and given their first drink and cigar, both of which they enjoy. Background characters smoke cigars and pipes.

Violence & Scariness

Some rough and tumble Western violence, with fistfights used by people to make their point. A character throws a dagger at another but misses and a barkeeper points a gun at a person who owes them money. Someone dies when their wagon falls down a hill and smashes. A character proposes they kidnap someone but the plan is dismissed. No overt animal cruelty but some moments for animal lovers to be aware of, including a distressed chicken being grabbed and shoved into a coat and a caged bear at a "bull and bear fight." The bull rampages through narrow tunnels, which leads to a worrying scene as a stand packed with people collapses, followed by many buildings in the town.

Language

Infrequent language includes "who gives a damn," "peckerhead," "hell," "bloody," "horny," "whore," "bastard," "tarts," and "floozies."

Products & Purchases

Positive Messages

Male friendship is celebrated with an open affection and willingness to talk about feelings displayed. Compassion, gratitude, kindness, and respect are all shown.

Positive Role Models

Ben Rumson is an older man living with alcohol addiction. He is kind and loyal but can sometimes lose his temper. When he is drunk he makes rash decisions and is prone to feeling sad. He sacrifices his own happiness for others. "Pardner" is traveling with his brother when a wagon crashes and his brother is killed. Gold is discovered at his funeral and Ben shares the claim with Pardner. He is loyal and honest but under the pressure of chasing gold, starts to drink and gamble, leading him to become unhappy. Elizabeth Woodling is bought by Ben and becomes his wife. She falls for Pardner and they also marry and the three live together. She is confident, stands up for herself, and calls out bad behavior from others.

Diverse Representations

Some diversity within the cast, with Native American and Chinese actors having speaking roles. However, within the film, Native Americans are referred to by the offensive term "Injuns." The camp is multicultural, with people from China, Germany, and Britain. The latter are referred to as "limeys" and are performed by American actors with dodgy accents. The camp begins as all-male. A woman is sold to be a wife and the camp plans to increase the female population by starting a sex workers industry. Women employed for this are called "tarts."