Roe v. Wade
Roe v. Wade
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Roe v. Wade is a drama that makes no attempt to hide its anti-abortion stance or to explore the issue with any kind of balance. Violence includes lots of disturbing images of blood, including buckets of viscera implying large numbers of aborted fetuses, blood on clothing, and gloved surgeon's hands covered in blood. Footage of a fetus implies that it reacts in fear and screams as surgical instruments approach to kill it. There's one punch in the face. Police brandish guns, break down a door, and shove a man into a wall. The only strong language is "damn" once. There's no sexual content, but reproduction, pregnancy loss, and adoption are briefly explored. Adults drink alcohol in bars, on tropical beaches, and with meals; no excess is shown.
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The truth about the worst SCOTUS decision in the history of the US
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What's the Story?
ROE V. WADE tells the story of Dr. Bernard Nathanson (Nick Loeb), who spent most of his career performing abortions in the mistaken belief that he was helping women who found themselves in impossible situations. He establishes a clinic in New York and builds a successful and lucrative career performing abortions. He becomes involved in the movement to legalize abortion throughout the United States, where he gains an insider's knowledge into exactly how those who shared his agenda helped put the controversial issue before the Supreme Court. But after an epiphany he finds he can longer deny the fact that fetuses are people, and begins working just as hard to argue publicly against abortion. Now he's using his insider's knowledge to tell the story of how a group of greedy, manipulative liars conspired to pressure the Supreme Court into its decision that abortion is protected by the Constitution and therefore legal throughout the United States.
Is It Any Good?
Setting the controversy surrounding abortion aside would make this movie barely worth talking about. The script and acting in Roe v. Wade are so mediocre that there's nothing else to grab onto except the controversy, so the filmmakers don't hold back on that score. It shows its anti-abortion bias in so many emotionally and factually manipulative ways that there isn't space to catalog them all. The complete lack of substance drags the project down to an anti-abortion brow beating. Instead of promoting discussion and compromise, the film spends its time dividing the issue neatly into good versus evil, apparently more interested in fanning the flames of political division than anything else.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the filmmakers' bias in Roe v. Wade. How do they make their point of view obvious? Do they present opposite points of view, and if so, is it in the same way? Is this movie likely to change anyone's mind about abortion? Why or why not?
How much violence is OK in movies, TV, games, and other media? How does this movie use violence to influence viewers' emotions?
Talking about emotional and political issues can be difficult. Does this movie help promote reasonable discussion and finding common ground? Ask a librarian, educator, or other trusted adult for resources that promote open dialog that doesn't put anyone down for their views or feelings.
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: April 2, 2021
- Cast: Nick Loeb, Jon Voight, Tom Guiry, Stacey Dash
- Directors: Cathy Allyn, Nick Loeb
- Studio: Quiver Distribution
- Genre: Drama
- Topics: Activism, History
- Run time: 112 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG-13
- MPAA explanation: Mature thematic content and some bloody/disturbing images.
- Last updated: March 31, 2022
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