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Parents' Guide to

Savage Grace

By James Rocchi, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Not-for-kids drama is showcase for Julianne Moore.

Movie NR 2008 97 minutes
Savage Grace Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 18+

Based on 1 parent review

christian2011
christian2011 Adult
July 8, 2012
age 18+

Very Mature Film about Sex and Drugs.

Savage Grace is definitely not a show for kids and teenagers because the theme of this movie involves drugs and very disturbing sexual acts such as explicit sex scenes involving a mother and son, graphic conversations about sex, prostitution, and violence is infrequent but very shocking and disturbing (aftermath of a suicide attempt, shootings involving victims with bloody wounds, and a fatal stabbing scene.) The main character is like a prostitute who seeks out random strangers and performs graphic sexual acts on them including oral sex, and the language is strong and constant (multiple uses of f**k, motherf**ker, c**k, c**t, sh*t, d*ck, and p*ssy). You see people smoking and drinking throughout the film and struggling with drug addiction.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

SAVAGE GRACE tells the true story of the wealthy Baekeland family's rise and fall, following the relationship between British plastics heir Brooks Baekeland (Stephen Dillane), his American wife Barbara Daly Baekeland (Julianne Moore), and their son, Antony (Eddie Redmayne). As the cracks between Brooks and Barbara widen, shattering their marriage, Antony becomes his mother's best friend, confidant, and ... lover. It's a desperate kind of consolation, and it can't stand for long.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (2 ):

While Savage Grace is occasionally hard to watch, Moore keeps you riveted. She can shift between kind care and venomous contempt with razor sharpness, and yet she always makes you believe in Barbara Daly Baekeland as a person. The other cast members are strong (Dillane especially, nailing both the shine of class and the rot of weakness in Brooks Baekeland), but they can't compare to Moore's shining, disturbing, and compelling performance. Director Tom Kalin previously helmed Swoon, which was based on the infamous Leopold and Loeb murders -- another true tale of sexual desire and murderous behavior. Savage Grace is tough to take, but mature viewers who appreciate modern film acting at its finest will want to seek it out just for Moore's performance.

At first glance -- as the privileged-but-miserable Baekelands feud, fuss, and fight in their marriage, with ugly words spoken in beautiful rooms -- Savage Grace seems like a big-screen version of one of those guilty-pleasure tales of globe-trotting, bed-hopping, and bad behavior among the wealthy that you find tucked near the back of every issue of Vanity Fair. As the film unfolds, it becomes less of a movie (we know how things are going to turn out, after all) and more of a showcase for Moore, who's one of America's greatest living actresses.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about whether the Baekeland family's power and privilege mean they don't have to follow conventional rules of society. Is it true that the rich are different? Is that a good thing? How do movies and TV shows tend to depict the wealthy? Do you think they're like that in real life? Families can also discuss what a film like this -- with its tough subject matter and unflinching discussion of sexual behavior -- is trying to do. Is the film an exploration of real human behavior or a salacious tale of sex and death intended for shock value?

Movie Details

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