Sweet November parents guide

Sweet November Parent Guide

Overall C-

Can sex with a quirky woman for a month solve a man's obsession with himself and his work? This tearjerker wants us to buy into the plan, but neglects to include some of the consequences of joining the "Man-A-Month" club.

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

Why is Sweet November rated PG-13? The MPAA rated Sweet November PG-13 for sexual content and language. (Previously rated R in 2000).

Parent Movie Review

A woman once told me she wished she could marry every man she meets for half an hour… just long enough to make his life wonderful. However, my years of chuckling over her comment turned to astonishment after seeing Sweet November, a movie that proposes a similar plan.

Sweet November - Official site After busy ad exec Nelson (Keanu Reeves) asks Sara (Charlize Theron) to help him cheat on a driver’s license exam, her test is disqualified, leaving Nelson feeling obligated to be Sara’s taxi. What he doesn’t know is Sara is evaluating him for her next “experiment.”

Convinced Nelson hasn’t found joy in his life, Sara reveals her true intentions when she invites him to move in and spend November under her tutelage. At month’s end he will leave a new man, just like Mr. October and others before him. At first Nelson rejects the ludicrous idea, but after losing his job and girlfriend, he finds himself on Sara’s doorstep. There he begins his transformation under Sara’s direction and with help from her homosexual neighbor and a fatherless boy across the street.

Sweet November - Official site Certainly the idea of turning a workaholic into a sensitive guy is attractive and worthwhile, but it doesn’t take a genius to discover a romp on the beach with an attractive woman is a lot more fun than writing ad pitches. Even more bothersome is Sara’s 30-day treatment comes off as nothing more than an exercise to convince Nelson to participate in her “take it slow” sexual preferences as opposed to his “drive-through” sexual behavior.

Sweet November - Official site As Nelson undergoes Sara’s instructions, we witness bedroom banter with clothed foreplay, a bathtub scene containing bare-ly enough bubbles, a visit with their transvestite neighbors, and a “carefully” filmed scene of the naked couple engaged in sex.

However, careful observation reveals that for all her criticism of Nelson, Sara is just as unwilling to make a commitment, using a serious personal crisis to justify her rejection of his marriage proposal. Abandoning commitment in favor of physical gratification, Sara’s quick fix will likely have short-term effects on Nelson while leaving a long lasting impression on young viewers.

Starring Keanu Reeves, Charlize Theron. Updated

Sweet November
Rating & Content Info

Why is Sweet November rated PG-13? Sweet November is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for sexual content and language. (Previously rated R in 2000).

Overall: C-
Can sex with a quirky woman for a month solve a man’s obsession with himself and his work? This tearjerker wants us to buy into the plan, but neglects to include some of the consequences of joining the “Man-A-Month” club.

Violence: B
A frustrated man knocks some awards off of a table in his apartment. A woman steals puppies from an experimental lab.

Sexual Content: D+
No sexual activity occurs between married characters: Sounds of sexual activity including partial rear female nudity and male upper frontal nudity. Woman in underwear. Woman makes risqu0xE9 sexual comments to a man on a public street. Man makes business presentation about hot dogs with sexual innuendo. Man and woman begin sexual activity, including fondling and with verbal comments-no nudity-scene ends with implication that further sexual activity takes place. Man in boxer shorts. Mention of female dominatrix sexual activity. Man and woman in bubble bath with shoulders and tops of breasts exposed. Two homosexual men dressed as transvestites. Man and woman engaged in sex-shoulders and back are seen with movement.

Language: C-
At least: 1 derogatory sexual term, 11 moderate profanities, 13 mild profanities, 19 terms of Deity.

Alcohol / Drug Use: B
Frequent social drinking.

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Sweet November Parents' Guide

What non-sexual solutions could Sara have tried with Nelson to have a positive effect on his life?

If you’ve seen the movie, what do you think will happen to Nelson in the weeks and months ahead? Do you think he has permanently changed in a positive way? Or will he return to his former lifestyle?

Why is commitment often overlooked in movies?

Home Video

Related home video titles:

Obsessed business freaks working in glass monolithic towers seem to be the targets of Hollywood makeovers lately with Nicolas Cage finding his domestic self in The Family Man and Mel Gibson developing his female side in What Women Want .

For a movie that portrays the positive effects of making a marriage commitment even in the face of desperate personal circumstances, check our review of Shadowlands .

Also check our review of Enya’s CD A Day Without Rain that includes the song Only Time, heard in the soundtrack of this movie.