Common Sense Media Review
By Amanda Nojadera
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Painfully clichéd romcom is full of sex and profanity.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Some Kind of Beautiful
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Following in his promiscuous father's (Malcolm McDowell) footsteps, Richard Haig (Pierce Brosnan) is a charismatic poetry professor at Cambridge who's known for sleeping with his students. But Richard is forced to reevaluate his playboy lifestyle when his young American girlfriend, Kate (Jessica Alba), tells him she's pregnant. Although Richard is thrilled to embrace fatherhood and aspires to be a better role model than his own dad, things get complicated when Kate falls in love with a younger man, and Richard acts on his growing attraction to Kate's beautiful older sister, Olivia (Salma Hayek). while he tries to figure out how to avoid deportation.
Is It Any Good?
There's nothing beautiful about this painfully predictable romantic comedy, except for the picturesque shots of Cambridge and Los Angeles. Not only is the lack of chemistry between Brosnan (once again playing a suave womanizer) Hayek excruciating to watch, but it's unfortunate that her most memorable scene is when Olivia imitates orgasms while walking through an elementary school. There are some tender moments between fathers and sons here, but the rushed, formulaic plot makes the positive messages come across as clichéd. While this certainly isn't SOME KIND OF BEAUTIFUL movie, it certainly is some kind of awful mess.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Some Kind of Beautiful compares to other romantic comedies. What do most Hollywood romcoms tend to have in common? How is this one different (if it is)?
How does the movie depict sex? What about drinking and smoking? What role do they play in the story and in the characters' lives? Are there realistic consequences?
What makes a relationship work or fail? How does the movie handle this topic?
Movie Details
- In theaters : August 21, 2015
- On DVD or streaming : December 1, 2015
- Cast : Pierce Brosnan , Jessica Alba , Salma Hayek
- Director : Tom Vaughan
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Latino Movie Actor(s) , Middle Eastern/North African Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Lionsgate
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 99 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language, sexual content, some nudity and drug use
- Last updated : February 15, 2023
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