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"SABRINA"
(1995) (Harrison Ford, Julia Ormond) (PG)

Alcohol/
Drugs
Blood/Gore Disrespectful/
Bad Attitude
Frightening/
Tense Scenes
Guns/
Weapons
Moderate None Mild None Minor
Imitative
Behavior
Jump
Scenes
Music
(Scary/Tense)
Music
(Inappropriate)
Profanity
Minor None None None Minor
Sex/
Nudity
Smoking Tense Family
Scenes
Topics To
Talk About
Violence
Mild Minor Minor Minor Mild


QUICK TAKE:
The daughter of a wealthy family's chauffeur disrupts their lives as she becomes romantically involved with their two sons.
PLOT:
Sabrina Fairchild (JULIA ORMOND), is the daughter of the chauffeur to a rich Long Island family. She spends her nights watching their elaborate parties and watching David Larrebee (GREG KINNEAR), the young carefree playboy of the family whom she adores but he doesn't even know she exists. Her father sends her off to Paris where she blossoms and later returns like a beautiful butterfly. She immediately draws the attention of David who, although he is engaged to Elizabeth Tyson (LAUREN HOLLY), comes on to her. This gets both Linus Larrebee (HARRISON FORD), the hard working no nonsense head of their corporation, and Maud Larrebee (NANCY MARCHAND), the matriarch of the family, all in a dither. For Elizabeth is the daughter of the owners of the Tyson Electronic corporation which is preparing to merge with the Larrebee corporation. If David goes after Sabrina, the marriage and then the merger will be out the window. Linus decides to take care of things and plans an elaborate deception that soon backfires as he begins to be romantically drawn to her. From then on, the families strive to make sure the right man gets the right woman and that the merger still goes through.
WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
Harrison Ford might draw some, but this isn't one of his action films. This old fashioned romance will probably only draw preteen and teenage girls.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG
For some mild language.
CAST AS ROLE MODELS:
  • JULIA ORMOND plays the idealistic young woman who finds herself in Paris and eventually finds herself the right man. She has no bad traits and is a good role model.
  • HARRISON FORD plays the no nonsense, hard working head of the family corporation. Although he plans an elaborate deception involving Sabrina (to save the merger), he instead softens up and falls for her. In that way, he turns out to be a good role model.
  • GREG KINNEAR plays the spoiled, live off the family wealth, playboy who doesn't even know what day it is. Although he strains at his engagement to Elizabeth, by the end he comes around and turns into a good role model.
  • CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

    HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE


    OUR TAKE: 6 out of 10
    The movie is a throwback to the romantic films of long ago (of which it is a remake of one of those) and thus moves along with a steady, if not quick pace. The performances are good all around and the plot will keep you interested in how the story will end. However, a little more comedy might have spiced things up a bit as would a gentle nudge in the pacing department. We give the movie a 6 out of 10.
    OUR WORD TO PARENTS:
    There's nearly nothing offensive in the movie and as a matter of fact could nearly have been given a "G" rating. There's a minor, minor sex scene (a breast is felt), and there is a moderate amount of mainly social drinking, but overall this is a throwback to the more inoccent films from long ago. Granted kids probably won't flock to see this movie ("Romance?" "Yuk!"), but if they do, there's not much to object to.

    ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE
  • People are seen drinking champagne and later wine at an outdoor party.
  • David takes a bottle of champagne to meet a woman.
  • The young Sabrina drinks cooking sherry to get up the nerve to tell David how she feels about him before she leaves for Paris.
  • A Parisian photographer asks Sabrina to have a drink with him. Later they're seen drinking wine.
  • Mr. Tyson proposes a toast to the newly engaged couple and everyone drinks wine.
  • Linus has a drink.
  • David drinks wine.
  • People drink at Maud's birthday party.
  • David tells Sabrina to drink her champagne at fast as possible to ease her nervousness and she does.
  • Linus and Sabrina have wine with their picnic dinner.
  • Wine is consumed with dinner.
  • David drinks champagne by himself while playing pool.
  • BLOOD/ GORE
  • None.
  • DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE
  • David has a "love ‘em and leave ‘em" attitude toward women.
  • David wants to back out of the marriage to Elizabeth and comes on to Sabrina (first when he doesn't know it's her, and later even when he knows it's her).
  • David doesn't care about the cost of anything and spends the family's money without thinking about it.
  • Linus arranges to have David heavily sedated (after getting stitches for sitting on several champagne flutes) so that he can't put the moves on Sabrina for a while.
  • Linus goes through an elaborate set of lies to get Sabrina to fall for him instead of for David. This includes telling her he donated a building he owned to be used as a half-way house and that he'll go and stay with her in Paris. His intentions all along are to lead her astray and then leave her in Paris. (He was doing this because if she and David got together, David's marriage to Elizabeth Tyson would be finished as would be the merger between the Larrebee and Tyson corporations.)
  • FRIGHTENING/TENSE SCENES
  • None.
  • GUNS/WEAPONS
  • Handgun: Fired by Linus at a prototype flat screen TV (he's trying to sell) to show how durable it is.
  • IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR
  • Phrases: "Screw up," "Bimbo," "Idiot," and "Jerking your chain."
  • JUMP SCENES
  • None.
  • MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)
  • None.
  • MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)
  • None.
  • PROFANITY
  • 5 hells, 2 damns and 7 uses of "Oh my God," "Oh God," or "God" and 1 use of "Jesus" as exclamations.
  • SEX/NUDITY
  • It's implied that David is quite the "love ‘em and leave ‘em" kind of guy (toward women).
  • Innuendo: Mrs. Tyson, talking to Linus, says "I bet I could get your seat back into the upright position" (when flirting and referring to her former work as a "stewardess").
  • A Parisian photographer makes out with Sabrina and cups her breast with his hand, but they both stop and he tells her she won't solve her problems in bed, that she has to solve them in her head.
  • There is a brief conversation among the wait staff as to whether Linus is gay or not (since he never dates anyone), but the chauffeur says he's definitely a heterosexual.
  • SMOKING
  • People are seen smoking out on the street.
  • Linus lights a cigar.
  • Mr. Tyson holds an unlit cigar.
  • TENSE FAMILY SCENES
  • The family occasionally argues with David over his womanizing behavior.
  • TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT
  • What a "transvestite" is (the word is used once).
  • VIOLENCE
  • Threat: Maud says to David, "You screw up with Elizabeth and I swear I'll kill you."
  • David sits down in a chair, forgetting the two champagne flutes in his back pockets, and breaks the glasses injuring himself.
  • Sabrina smacks Linus for kissing her (even though he was delivering the "message" from David), but then immediately apologizes.
  • David slugs Linus as they discuss what's going on with Sabrina.
  • Linus slugs David when he gets mad that David didn't go with Sabrina.



  • Reviewed July 12, 1996

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