Roxanne, Roxanne

A sexual assault shows a man grabbing and pulling at a woman's clothes, throwing her on a couch, and struggling on top of her. Rape implied but it's not clear exactly how far the assault actually goes; no body parts are visible but there's some grunting and thrusting. Shanté mentions she's beaten every day. She's shown being dragged by the hair, choked, and offcamera a punch is implied; her pain and suffering are shown. Someone offers to kill her abuser for her.

Sex and violence implied during a montage to show time passing. It depicts Shanté having an orgasm, then making the same face and noises, including screaming, while giving birth, which then cuts to the same screams while she's being dragged across the floor by her hair. Otherwise there are a few kisses with some implied sex, with a man and woman in bed together. No sensitive body parts shown.

"Goddamn," "s--t," "ass," "f--k" and variations, the "N" word, and lots of verbal hostility.

Shanté's mother abuses alcohol after a friend encourages her by telling her it'll take her mind off her emotional pain "for now." Several people are shown snorting cocaine. A man smokes a joint. A couple of characters smoke. Shanté mentions she doesn't drink. Lyrics mention being high on crack.

Parents need to know that Roxanne, Roxanne is a gritty biopic of '80s East Coast rap sensation Roxanne Shanté. A few instances of violence include a sexual assault that implies rape without clearly showing what exactly happened and a man physically abusing a woman. A punch to the face is implied, and he's shown dragging her by the hair. There's lots of verbal hostility. Profanity isn't frequent but includes "f--k" and variations, the "N" word, and "s--t." Snorting cocaine is shown several times. There are a few kisses and adults in or on beds, but no sensitive body parts are shown. One montage implies a connection between sex, childbirth, and physical abuse. A few characters smoke, and a man smokes a joint once. One character abuses alcohol but eventually changes for the better; Shanté mentions that she doesn't drink, and she's a good role model for persevering, for being a loyal friend and sister, standing up for herself, and doing whatever she can or has to in order to help provide for her family. Kids interested in the history of rap and hip-hop or who are fans of the East Coast battle style of rapping are likely to be interested, but it's best for teens and up who can handle the intense situations and harsh realities of Shanté's life in the projects.

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