The Rite parents guide

The Rite Parent Guide

Overall C-

Although he is skeptical of the reality of demonic possession, an American seminary student (Colin O'Donoghue) attends several exorcisms performed by a believing priest (Anthony Hopkins).

Release date January 28, 2011

Violence C
Sexual Content B-
Profanity C-
Substance Use B

Why is The Rite rated PG-13? The MPAA rated The Rite PG-13 for disturbing thematic material, violence, frightening images, and language including sexual references.

Run Time: 114 minutes

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Parent Movie Review

Having veteran and award-winning actor Anthony Hopkins lead the cast of The Rite suggests this film might be more than the run-of-the mill horror flick. Hopkins certainly has cemented his ability to create the creep factor in his role as the depraved Hannibal Lector in Silence of the Lambs and its sequels. And even this movie’s opening scenes offer the promise of a suspenseful mind game. Yet that potential doesn’t last for long.

Father Xavier (Ciarán Hinds) teaches the rite of exorcism at the Vatican. But one of his students, Michael Kovak (Colin O’Donoghue), is clearly skeptical. To shore up the floundering faith of the young priest, Father Xavier sends him to visit Father Lucas Trevant (Hopkins), a well-known exorcist who has performed the ritual thousands of times. During Michael’s first visit, Father Lucas recites the religious prayer over a young, pregnant 16-year-old (Marta Gastini) who has been raped by her father.

Michael suspects her ordeal may have as much to do with the girl’s mental disturbances as her supposed demonic possession. He also distrusts the hoof-shaped bruises all over the body of a young boy Lucas is called to visit. Yet despite his misgivings about the old man’s practices, Michael can’t seem to keep himself from returning to the rundown and cat-invested abode of the aging Father who seems eager to have the young priest accept the reality of the devil.

However all too soon the film loses its focus on the spiritual uncertainty of the young seminary student who grew up in a mortuary and now questions the existence of both the devil and God. Instead the script slides unceremoniously into the predictable ploys of the genre. Rainy nights, fleeting images, sinister sounds and an orchestrated score that becomes increasingly ominous all prepare audiences for occasional jump scenes. Other disturbing images, including bloody accident victims, grotesque bodily contortions (enhanced by computer animation) and the vomiting of large nails, provide the inevitable gore.

While predictable, these often-graphic depictions may raise a different concern for parents of teens. Michael challenges the defining line between mental illness and demonic possession. For adolescents suffering from feelings of isolation or depression, it may be a hard line to recognize as well, especially if they are inclined to dabble in satanic practices. Equally unsettling for young viewers may be fiendish images and the dangerous portrayal of innocent or abused children losing their souls to the devil.

Unfortunately the film also fails to engage adult audiences in a way that leaves them just a little bit leery to leave the theater. And even Sir Anthony’s contributions as the bedeviled exorcist can’t redeem this horror movie from becoming a ritualistic re-enactment of a plot we’ve seen time and time again.

Directed by Mikael Håfström . Starring Colin O'Donoghue, Anthony Hopkins, Ciarán Hinds. Running time: 114 minutes. Theatrical release January 28, 2011. Updated

The Rite
Rating & Content Info

Why is The Rite rated PG-13? The Rite is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for disturbing thematic material, violence, frightening images, and language including sexual references.

Violence: A man in a mortuary prepares a suicide victim for burial. A cyclist is hit and killed by an automobile. Another deceased traffic accident victim is shown lying on the street. A man slaps a child and knocks her to the ground. A religious leader yells at and baits patrons. Characters undergo disturbing transformations and contortions, including spitting up blood and nails. A young boy’s bruised body is seen. Bloody images of a birth are portrayed along with the suggestion of a murder. Characters are choked. Other disturbing satanic images are depicted.

Sexual Content: One man questions another character’s sexual orientation and briefly talks about a crude form of castration. A girl admits her father raped her. Later she invites another man to rape her. Partial buttock nudity (in a nonsexual context) is briefly seen.

Language: The script contains one extreme sexual expletive and infrequent profanities, crude sexual terms and scatological slang. Several scenes contain crude sexual comments.

Alcohol / Drug Use: A man drinks at home. A nun is briefly shown smoking.

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The Rite Parents' Guide

Michael seeks to find evidence of the devil’s existence. How does this movie provide that proof? Is it any easier to disprove the reality of God or the devil than it is to substantiate it?

What impact may Michael’s childhood have had on his spiritual uncertainty? How could a close association with death (such as working in a mortuary) influence a person’s outlook on life?

How might regrets or unresolved mistakes from the past affect a person’s mental wellness? Could that anguish be confused with mental illness or demonic possession?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of The Rite movie is May 17, 2011. Here are some details…

The Rite releases to home video on May 17, 2011, with the following bonus extras:

-  Alternate ending

- The Rite: Soldier of God (meet Father Gary Thomas, the Vatican-ordained exorcist whose life story inspired the film).

Related home video titles:

The Vatican also serves as the setting for the movies The DaVinci Code and Angels & Demons. To learn more about this city/state, check out the documentary, Inside the Vatican.