Parents need to know that Three Day Millionaire is a British heist comedy about a group of trawlermen who, after discovering that their fish processing plant is being sold to a property developer, decide to steal cash from their boss (Colm Meaney). The movie features heavy drinking and drug use. One character uses pills and cocaine but passes on smoking crack at the last minute. He later seeks help for his substance use through a support group. A security guard is tricked into taking ketamine, which knocks him unconscious. Expect frequent strong language, including "c--t" and "f--king," as well as British slang terms such as "twat" and "fanny." There are two sex scenes, neither of which features nudity. In one scene, a man crawls among his mother's sex toys while she has sex with his boss. Several people are held hostage by a man wielding a shotgun, and some are struck with the weapon. A character has gasoline thrown over them, and people are trapped inside a burning building. Despite its comedic tone, the movie offers positive messages about moving on after setbacks and highlights renewable energy as a source of hope for the future.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
a lot
Some brief sex scenes without nudity. A character finds his boss and his mom having sex under a sheet on the family couch. He later crawls into his mom's bedroom while she's having sex and sees a variety of sex toys. Innuendo and lewd language throughout. A mom says her daughter should "treat herself to some c--k," and later checks in on her and her partner while they are still in bed. A couple kiss on a bed. A person pulls down their trousers during a hypnosis act.
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Multiple uses of "s--t," "f--k off," "bastard," "balls," "c--t," "f--kers," "crap," "boner," "f--king," "t-ts," "bulls--t," "f--k," "c--k," "pissing," and "farted." Also British slang "shite," "bloody," "bollocks," "dips--t," "sodding," "cow," "fanny," "arse," "twat," "shag," and "divvy." French people are called "frogs" as a derogatory slur.
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The title is a reference to people blowing their wages across a weekend, as they let off steam after a busy work week. People binge-drink at a party and someone passes out. A character experiencing alcohol addiction is found drinking in the bath during the day and asks their son for money. A few characters smoke cigarettes. A character smokes a joint while driving. A character with a reputation for drug use takes a pill, snorts cocaine, and does shots in a nightclub scene that glamorizes their experience. A person smokes crack and gives the pipe to a character who decides to not use it. A security guard is tricked into smoking ketamine to knock them out.
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Some tension and threat. Characters shove each other during an argument. A character holds people hostage with a shotgun and hits some of them with it. Someone has gasoline thrown over them, and people are trapped in a burning building. A character grieves after their father dies. Historical footage shows fish being loaded into fishing boats. Fish are chopped up in a factory. A character steps in vomit, and someone urinates in an alley on a night out.
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A pint of Guinness is poured in a pub. A character buys an item on eBay. Stolen money is put into Bitcoin cryptocurrency, and a character uses a Lenovo laptop.
Diverse Representations
a little
The main characters involved in the heist are White, supported by a Black man who has no backstory and whose character trait is that he smokes cannabis. Two Black women hold high positions in business. Another Black man is an Elvis impersonator at a cabaret club hosted by a man in drag. A man with a reputation for drug use is called a "crackhead" and a "rack-head" by his friends. He realizes he has a problem and gets help from a support group. Some female characters fit the British "ladette" stereotype of lewd talk, hard drinking, and swagger. An adult character who is written to be unintelligent and sensitive behaves like a child. Most of the local characters are shown to be down-to-earth people with grit and integrity, while characters from London have posh accents and don't care about the town. The movie has a political edge that criticizes past political decisions, but looks to the future with renewable energy. The screenwriter grew up in the region where the movie is set and worked as a shipbuilder before he became a writer.
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Positive Messages
very little
Characters plan a heist—which is depicted as a victimless crime—using teamwork and perseverance to steal money from their boss. Renewable energy is presented as a source of hope for the future. For those struggling with addiction, support groups can be of great help.
Positive Role Models
very little
Curly is a cocky young trawlerman in a declining fishing port. When he finds out the docks have been sold to developers, he gets furious and vows to do something about it. Mr. G is a former trawlerman turned office worker who tips Curly off to a large sum of money and turns out to be untrustworthy. Budgie is Curly's friend who shows a lack of intelligence and behaves immaturely. Codge is a young man who regularly uses drugs, but eventually gets help from a support group for his addiction. Gilly is a high-powered manager at a fishing firm. She tries to get Curly to see that they are more than their jobs and should be in a relationship. She finds out about his plan and asks him to not go ahead with it. Mr. Barr plans to sell the docks to property developers from London. He has a change of heart and moves into renewable energy. Teapot, Curly's dad, lives with alcohol addiction.
In THREE DAY MILLIONAIRE, fisherman Curly (James Burrows) faces the closure of the fishing plant that his ancestors all worked at. When he learns about a large sum of money in his boss Mr. Barr's (Colm Meaney) safe, Curly and his friends make a plan to steal the money.
Is It Any Good?
Our review:
Parents say :Not yet rated
Kids say :Not yet rated
With its political commentary and celebration of working people, this British heist-comedy movie has good intentions. Three Day Millionaire takes a lighthearted look at the current generation of workers in a town in economic decline, with broad commentary on damaging historical political decisions and the way big business affects communities. This serves as the background for a broad comedy that rarely hits the mark. Influenced by early-2000s Guy Ritchie movies, Three Day Millionaire is an easygoing crime caper with jokes that don't always land, but it remains a small-scale comedy drama that offers a feel-good time regardless.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the motive of the characters in Three Day Millionaire. Do you think the characters are right to steal the money? The movie shows it as a victimless crime—does that make it OK? Can you think of any other stories where characters commit crimes under the impression they are doing good?
Are drinking, smoking, or drug use glamorized here? Are there realistic consequences for their use? Why does that matter?
Discuss the strong language used in the movie. What does it contribute? Is a certain kind of language expected in a film like this?
How are sex and relationships portrayed in the movie? Is it affectionate? Respectful? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding sex and relationships.
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Tom Cassidy
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based on child development research. How do we rate?
