Running for Grace

Characters die in non-gory but sometimes violent ways; their dead bodies can be seen (they look mostly uninjured). A character takes poison after he's financially ruined and begs to be allowed to die (he doesn't); another character calls his actions an "honorable suicide." A man slaps a young boy who steals a dumpling; another man knocks a man out so he can treat the second man's ailing wife. A young boy loses his mother, is seen mourning next to her body.

Two characters kiss briefly, exchange longing glances. A man wants to marry a young woman for her money, while her family hopes he's rich and can support them.

Cursing is infrequent and includes "hell," "damn," and "bastard." Lots of language concerning race and class: "half-breed," "haole," "Orientals," "Jap," "country doctor," "backwoods country hick," "Nip-lovers."

A main character smokes cigarettes frequently. Another smokes cigars and drives a car filled with liquor bottles, presumably drinking while he drives; out of the car, he sneaks drinks from a flask. One character is referred to as "guzzling gin"; she also drinks from a flask. A teen is given alcohol by an adult and then challenges his authority figure.

Parents need to know that Running for Grace is a drama set in 1920s Hawaii about a wrong-side-of-the-tracks boy who romances a rich girl. The movie includes lots of period-accurate racism and classism, though its sympathies are clearly with the downtrodden. A boy is slapped and despised for his biracial heritage, and he's called things like "half-breed." His (white) guardian is called things like a "country doctor" and "backwoods country hick." People of color are also called "Jap," "Nip," and "Orientals," and nonnative Hawaiians are called "haoles." Race also figures in the movie's most upsetting scene: A Japanese man attempts to poison himself after financial ruin, something that a character calls an "honorable suicide." Other characters die suddenly and violently; viewers see their relatives mourning them and their (non-gory) dead bodies. Characters smoke cigarettes and drink; one character drinks while driving and gives alcohol to a teen. Cursing is infrequent and mild ("damn," "hell," "bastard"), and sexual content is limited to significant looks and a single kiss. The movie offers clear messages about the evils of racism, as well as the transcendent power of love and the importance of courage, perseverance, kindness, and care.

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