The Guilt Trip parents guide

The Guilt Trip Parent Guide

Fogelman's past resume shouldn't leave us too surprised with his ability to bring a humorous dose of relationship reality to the screen.

Overall B-

It started out as a road trip for inventor Andy Brewster (Seth Rogen) to peddle his wares, but after he invites his Mom (Barbra Streisand) along for the ride, it is sure to be a guilt trip too.

Release date December 18, 2012

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

Why is The Guilt Trip rated PG-13? The MPAA rated The Guilt Trip PG-13 for language and some risque material.

Run Time: 95 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

Andrew Brewster (Seth Rogen) has his bags packed and is ready to set out on a road trip that will turn him into a business tycoon. But a quick stop to see his mother Joyce (Barbara Streisand) sends his plans in a whole new direction after she tells him about an old romance prior to her meeting his late father. Anxious to see his mom literally engaged in a new relationship (and focusing her motherly concerns somewhere else) he makes her an offer she can’t refuse: Join him for the trek across the country, during which he will stop at various retail head offices to pitch his organic cleaning product, and they can spend some quality time together. What she doesn’t know is Andrew has discovered her former flame lives on the west coast and that will be the ultimate destination of their voyage.

We’re not surprised that their tepid relationship is stretched early in the trip when Joyce unfolds a 12 CD talking book biography of a hermaphrodite (we hear brief sexual dialogue in the early scenes). Things take another turn for the worse when mom is determined to follow Andrew into the office of his first appointment.

Rogen and Streisand manage to turn all this typical overprotective mother stuff into some funny moments, but what isn’t so typical—at least in the movies—is how this script brings these two back from the brink of mutual aversion to a feeling of compassion and understanding for each other. In a word, it’s honesty. After Andrew comes clean with how sales are truly progressing he and his mother begin to see each other differently.

The overall message is positive but don’t mistake screenwriter Dan Fogelman’s past work with Disney (Cars, Cars 2, Tangled, Bolt) as a reason to take the kids. Aside from a likely lack of interest in this Gen Y’s emotional crisis, the movie contains profanity, including a single sexual expletive. There are also some mild sexual discussions, like Joyce’s frequently voiced belief that hitchhikers typically rape people and her motherly concern that a childhood problem with her son’s private body parts may be contributing to his lack of adult love-life. There is a short scene in a strip bar (no nudity is evident), as well as a scuffle between Andrew and another man that leaves him with a badly bruised face.

Fogelman’s past resume shouldn’t leave us too surprised with his ability to bring a humorous dose of relationship reality to the screen. Rather than resorting to over-the-top scenes full of unbelievable characters, this film instead offers a palette of people and situations that provide insight into the increasingly common interaction of an unwed thirty-something child with his widowed mother. It’s a good start to what may be a productive discussion on your next trip.

Directed by Anne Fletcher. Starring Seth Rogen, Barbra Streisand, Adam Scott, Yvonne Strahovski. Running time: 95 minutes. Theatrical release December 18, 2012. Updated

The Guilt Trip
Rating & Content Info

Why is The Guilt Trip rated PG-13? The Guilt Trip is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for language and some risque material.

Violence: A scuffle breaks out when a man insists on buying a drink for an already intoxicated woman—the punched man is shown with a bruised face afterward. A mother and son have some heated discussions. A car appears to hit a pedestrian during closing credits.

Sexual Content: A couple of snippets are heard from a talking book discussing sexual behavior. A woman is convinced hitchhikers rape people. A mother discusses pregnancy and a problem with her newborn son’s penis. A brief scene takes place in a strip bar where we see dancers in the background wearing bikini tops and bottoms. The term “penetrative sex” is heard in outtakes during closing credits.

Language: A single sexual expletive, a half dozen scatological terms and a few terms of deity (including two Christian terms) are heard.

Drugs/Alcohol: A man drinks to alleviate stress. A woman drinks to the point of drunkedness. While gambling on a slot machine in Vegas, a woman frequently asks for more free drinks.

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The Guilt Trip Parents' Guide

How do relations differ between parents and adult children as opposed to younger children? Do you think the issues in the parent child relationship depicted in this movie are becoming more common? Do you feel they are realistically portrayed?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of The Guilt Trip movie is April 30, 2013. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: The Guilt Tripl

Release Date: 30 April 2013

The Guilt Trip releases to home video (Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy) with the following extras:l

- Barbra & Seth

- UltraVioletl

- Barbra’s Worldl

- Guilt Trip: A Real Mother of a Road Tripl

- In the Driver’s Seatl

- Not Really a Road Trip Moviel

- Alternate Openingsl

- Alternate Endingl

- Over 10 Deleted Scenesl

- Gag Reel

Related home video titles:

The blessings and curses of the relationships adult children have with their parents are also explored in the movies Anywhere But Here, For One More Day and Gifted Hands.