Did You Hear About The Morgans? Parent Guide
While there are serious concerns this film glosses over in a comedic fashion, this movie provides a refreshingly positive message about marriage and the importance of living up to one's vows.
Parent Movie Review
After watching this movie’s trailer for months, spending even part of an evening with the Morgans seemed like it would be a sacrifice. I didn’t think I could stomach one more depiction of Meryl Morgan (Sarah Jessica Parker) running after a loose horse or Paul Morgan (Hugh Grant) trying to appease a grizzly bear by promising to become a member of PETA. And enough already with the Sarah Palin joke. It’s old news.
But in case you haven’t heard about the Morgans, they’re a high-powered New York couple. She sells real estate. He is a lawyer. They’ve been separated since Meryl found out about Paul’s infidelity while he was on a business trip to L.A. She got the apartment. He lives in a hotel.
Despite Paul’s profuse pleas for pardon, they haven’t lived together for three months. Then one night, after an awkward dinner date where they attempt to talk about their future, they witness a man being murdered. Unfortunately, the killer (Michael Kelly) sees them as well.
To protect the Morgans until they can testify in court, U.S. Marshals (Kevin Brown, Steven Boyer, Sharon Wilkins) force the two unhappy members of this marriage into the Witness Protection Program. Their home-away-from-home is Ray, Wyoming, where they temporarily live with Clay and Emma Wheeler (Sam Elliott and Mary Steenburgen), the local law enforcement agents.
From the moment of the Morgans arrival at the Cody airport, the script pits the stereotypical depictions of snooty New Yorkers (who can’t live without their Blackberry devices, bagels and good Chinese takeout) against the unsophisticated country folk who gather at Annette’s diner for home cooking and watch bull riding for entertainment. Meryl steps off the plane in a pair of high heels that would make Carrie Bradshaw coo, only to be met by Emma checking out the rapid-fire action on a new rifle.
Fortunately the film doesn’t stay mired down in these oversimplified portrayals. Alongside jokes about mounted animal heads, vegetarianism and being a Democrat in a predominantly Republican state, the script addresses the issues that are tearing this young couple apart. But rather than getting marriage advice from a trendy counselor in a high-rise office, Paul and Meryl learn a thing or two about devotion and fidelity from Clay and Emma while splitting firewood and milking cows. And though neither couple is ready to embrace the others’ lifestyle, they do gain a healthy respect for their similarities and differences.
In the meantime, Paul and Meryl also get out of their own heads long enough to share their relevant expertise with the other citizens of Ray and make some new friends along the way. While there are still plenty of serious concerns this film glosses over in a comedic fashion (like a killer on the loose and issues of infertility) and certain content concerns (frequent terms of Deity, the brief use of other profanities and the depiction of a murder), Did You Hear About The Morgans? provides a refreshingly positive message about marriage and the importance of living up to one’s vows.
Starring Hugh Grant, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sam Elliott, Marc Lawrence . Running time: 101 minutes. Theatrical release December 18, 2009. Updated October 31, 2020About author
Did You Hear About The Morgans?
Rating & Content Info
Why is Did You Hear About The Morgans? rated PG-13? Did You Hear About The Morgans? is rated PG-13 by the MPAA PG-13 for some sexual references and momentary violence.
A murdered man falls from a second floor balcony after being stabbed in the back. A man is shot in the chest at close range. A killer fires at a couple on multiple occasions in an attempt to kill them. An individual is hit in the head with a horseshoe. Characters are sprayed in the face with bear spray several times. A couple repeatedly discusses a past infidelity (without explicit details) and infertility problems. Embracing and kissing is depicted between married couples. A man walks in on another man in the shower and later embraces him. The sight of meat in a fridge disgusts a character. A wild animal threatens a man. One character smokes in a restaurant and others drink at a social event. The script contains infrequent profanities and scatological slang along with numerous terms of Christian Deity.
Page last updated October 31, 2020
Did You Hear About The Morgans? Parents' Guide
How vital is it to continue courting after marriage? What happens when this couple is forced to give up their cell phones, pagers and other electronic devices? Why is it important in a relationship to have time away from the demands of work and other responsibilities, even if only for a little while?
What role do personal assistants play in the lives of Meryl and Paul? Who is really running these executives? What would you have a personal assistant do for you?
How do men and women differ in the way they deal with problems? Is Paul as anxious to talk as Meryl? How is forgiveness and the building of trust portrayed in this film?
Home Video
The most recent home video release of Did You Hear About The Morgans? movie is March 16, 2010. Here are some details…
Release Date: 16 March 2010
Did you Hear About the Morgans? releases to DVD and Blu-ray with the following extras:
- Deleted Scenes
- Outtakes
- Commentary with Director Marc Lawrence and stars Hugh Grant & Sarah Jessica Parker
- Featurette: Location, Location, Location (The Making Of Did You Hear About the Morgans?), Cowboys and Cosmopolitans (The Stars of Did You Hear About the Morgans?), Park Avenue Meets Prairie (The Fashions of Did You Hear About the Morgans?), A Bear of a Scene (Behind the scenes with the bear trainer from the film) and International Making-of Special.
The blu-ray disc also includes:
- MovieIQ
- BD-Live
Related home video titles:
Although the Morgans are sent to Wyoming to hide out, this production was actually shot in New Mexico. For films featuring sites from Wyoming, check out the following titles. In A River Runs Through It, locations around Granite Falls show up in this tale about two brothers who have nothing in common except fly-fishing. The alien invasion movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind features the state’s famous Devil’s Tower. Flicka, shot partly on a ranch in Sheridan, tells the story of a young girl who adopts a wild horse. In Rocky IV, Jackson Hole stands in for Siberia when the fighter heads to Russia for training.