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Parents' Guide to

The Congressman

By Andrea Beach, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

So-so political drama has lots of strong language.

Movie R 2016 98 minutes
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Despite a strong performance from Hollywood veteran Treat Williams, this political drama tries to take on too much and falters as it fails to knit the various plot threads together cohesively. Instead of an in-depth exploration of freedom of expression and the freedom not to have to express anything, or an in-depth look at the fishing industry and its impact on the oceans and on small fishing communities, we get a shallow, half-look at each. Williams is ably supported by a solid cast drawn mostly from TV, but the only one who really shines (and very briefly) is George Hamilton as the smarmy congressman-turned-lobbyist.

Teens who can handle the strong language will no doubt learn a lot about the history of the Pledge, and about the damage over-fishing is doing to our oceans, but the slow pace and focus on older characters may prevent them from making it all the way to the (predictable) end.

Movie Details

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