Loving parents guide

Loving Parent Guide

Based on the real 1967 case of Loving vs. Virginia, this movie offers solid performances and masterful production design that take us back to this important time in history.

Overall A-

Based on a true story of Richard and Mildred Loving (played Joel Egerton and Ruth Negga), this film follows the unlikely history makers who find themselves challenging the laws of the State of Virginia which prohibit the mixed-race couple from getting married and living together as husband and wife.

Release date December 1, 2016

Violence B-
Sexual Content B
Profanity B
Substance Use C

Why is Loving rated PG-13? The MPAA rated Loving PG-13 for thematic elements.

Run Time: 123 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

White men have been getting black women pregnant since the dawn of slavery. But heaven pity the white man foolish enough to try to make an honest woman out of the black expectant mother.

Richard Loving (Joel Edgerton) is one such fool. Although white, he hangs out with the black residents in his community of Caroline County and has a black girlfriend (Ruth Negga). When Mildred (nicknamed Bean) tells him she is with child, he is happy to marry her. Unfortunately for them, their home state of Virginia prohibits interracial unions. So, on June 2, 1958, the couple makes the short drive to Washington DC and ties the knot there.

This quiet decision made by an equally quiet pair doesn’t stay quiet for long. Soon the police are raiding their home in the middle of the night and dragging the newlyweds off to jail. The best plea bargain their lawyer (Bill Camp) can arrange to keep them from being locked up is to have the Lovings agree to leave the state for the next 25 years. For Mildred, the forced separation from home and extended family still feels like a prison sentence.

Over the next few years, as the two live in exile in Washington DC, the whole country becomes more and more caught up in the Civil Rights Movement. Taking some hope that the tide might be turning in their favor, Mildred writes to the Attorney General, Bobby Kennedy, and is referred to Bernard Cohen (Nick Kroll), a lawyer representing the American Civil Liberties Union. Eventually he and Philip J. Hirschkop (Jon Bass) take their case all the way to the Supreme Court.

Based on the real 1967 case of Loving vs. Virginia, this movie offers solid performances and masterful production design that take us back to this important time in history. Included in the depiction are moments of racial tensions, confrontation and slurs. Cigarette smoking and alcohol use are also frequent. Other content concerns are mild profanities, illegal betting and car racing, along with portrayals of childbirth (with minimal details). Yet considering the antagonism that was brewing during this period, the film focuses on this couple’s affection for each other more than the violence surrounding them.

Examining the marriage of Richard and Mildred Loving means taking a closer look at social norms too. Why was society willing to overlook sexual activity between races (often carried on without consent) and leave unwed mothers to raise children alone, but opposed to the idea of solemnizing consensual mixed-race relationships with marriage so both parents could take responsibility for their offspring? Perhaps the strangest part of this true story is that a shy man and the timid woman he loved would be the pair that ultimately changed the laws of the United States of America.

Directed by Jeff Nichols. Starring Ruth Negga, Joel Edgerton, Will Dalton. Running time: 123 minutes. Theatrical release December 1, 2016. Updated

Loving
Rating & Content Info

Why is Loving rated PG-13? Loving is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for thematic elements.

Violence: Characters are involved in street racing and gambling. Police break into a house and arrest a man and woman accused of an illegal marriage. The couple is separated and put in jail. A pail of bloody water is thrown out after a baby is born. Verbal threats are made. Characters are afraid for their safety and prepare to protect themselves with guns. A child hit by a car sustains minimal injuries.

Sexual Content: Unwed pregnancy is discussed. A midwife delivers babies and depictions of labor are shown. A man is seen in his underwear. A couple kisses and is shown talking in bed.

Profanity: A few mild profanities are used, along with racial slurs.

Alcohol / Drug Use: Characters smoke and drink throughout this period movie. A minor character is depicted as drunken.

Other: People professing religious ideals are portrayed as bigots.

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Loving Parents' Guide

In what ways are Richard and Mildred ordinary people? In what ways are they extraordinary? Why do you think they were motivated to take their case to court? How did involving the media help their cause?

News About "Loving"

Loving opened in limited release on November 4, 2016.

Learn more about the real Richard and Mildred Loving.

From the Studio:
From acclaimed writer/director Jeff Nichols, Loving celebrates the real-life courage and commitment of an interracial couple, Richard and Mildred Loving (Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga), who married and then spent the next nine years fighting for the right to live as a family in their hometown. Their civil rights case, Loving v. Virginia, went all the way to the Supreme Court, which in 1967 reaffirmed the very foundation of the right to marry – and their love story has become an inspiration to couples ever since.
© Focus Films

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Loving movie is February 7, 2017. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: Loving
Release Date: 7 February 2017
Loving releases to home video (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD) with the following special features:
- Making Loving - Featurette
- A Loving Ensemble - Featurette
- Loving v. Virginia - Featurette
- Virginia: A Loving Backdrop - Featurette
- Audio Commentary with Director Jeff Nichols

Related home video titles:

Racial prejudice is also the theme of these movies: The Help, Remember the Titans and Glory Road.

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