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"ALPHA DOG" (2007) (Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Extreme Moderate Extreme Heavy Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Heavy None Minor Extreme Extreme Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Extreme Heavy Heavy Heavy Extreme QUICK TAKE: Drama: A group of wannabe suburban gangsters must deal with the repercussions of kidnapping an associate's 15-year-old brother. PLOT: It's 1999, and young drug dealer Johnny Truelove (EMILE HIRSCH) rules his California neighborhood with utmost authority. Among his followers is Frankie Ballenbacher (JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE), Tiko (FERNANDO VARGAS), and their collective yes-man, whipping boy Elvis Schmidt (SHAWN HATOSY). Johnny gets his drugs from his dad, Sonny Truelove (BRUCE WILLIS), whose older accomplice, Cosmo Gadabeeti (HARRY DEAN STANTON), likes giving Johnny a hard time about girls such as Angela Holden (OLIVIA WILDE). Giving him a different sort of hard time is junkie and resident hothead Jake Mazursky (BEN FOSTER) who doesn't bow down to Johnny's authority despite owing him money. That leads to some tense encounters between them, eventually leading to Johnny and his gang impulsively kidnapping Jake's brother Zack (ANTON YELCHIN). The 15-year-old doesn't mind, however, since his parents, Olivia (SHARON STONE) and Butch (DAVID THORNTON), have recently found his drug paraphernalia. He obviously enjoys hanging out with the older guys and smoking pot with them rather than dealing with them. Moreover, most of the drug crew -- especially Frankie -- take a liking to the kid, who's eventually introduced to others in their circle such as fellow pothead Keith Stratten (CHRISTOPHER MARQUETTE) and Susan Hartunian (DOMINIQUE SWAIN), who isn't happy once she learns Zack's been kidnapped. With Zack's family dealing with his disappearance, Sonny tries to pressure Johnny into admitting he's involved. Realizing they may have gone past the point of no return and could face serious and possibly life-long repercussions for their act, the young drug dealer tries to figure out their best option, a choice that might not sit well with the others and especially Zack. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Teens probably will, especially if they're fans of anyone in the cast. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For pervasive drug use and language, strong violence, sexuality and nudity. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: Considering all that occurs, it's highly doubtful anyone would view any of the characters as good role models. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated drama. Profanity consists of at least 367 "f" words, while plenty of other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Sexually related dialogue (much of it explicit) is present, as are various types of sexual encounters (with movement, varying amounts/views of nudity, and related sounds), including two young women collectively seducing a 15-year-old boy in a pool, as well as several scenes involving oral sex. Violence includes a person being shot to death (and others are killed or wounded in a brief clip from a rap music video) as well as several intense fight scenes, while other physical contact also occurs. Some of that and other moments might be unsettling or suspenseful for some viewers. Various types of behavior (including defecating on a rival's floor) may be enticing for some kids to imitate, while various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes. A great deal of drug use is present (mostly pot), as is plenty of drinking and smoking. Meanwhile, tense family material includes tension among family members, as well as a mother grieving for her murdered son. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE During an interview, the questioner asks Sonny about Johnny being a major drug dealer. Sonny disputes that, saying his son sold some weed, with the interviewer saying it was reported the boy was a major distributor who got his goods from Sonny. Elvis tells Johnny that there's beer in the fridge. Cosmo holds a bottle of booze at a playground ball field. Johnny buys or at least distributes his drugs from Sonny. We see beer ads at a convenience store. Olivia and her husband have wine with dinner. Olivia comments on Jake being stoned out of his mind. Frankie holds a bong, talks of being high, and then takes a hit. Johnny smokes pot, as does Jake. Jake, Zack, and a girl drink beer, while Zack and the girl smoke pot. Jake later drunk-drives to return Zack (who's also drunk/high) back home. Sonny, Cosmo, and some of the guys drink in a restaurant, with one telling a waitress, "Get us some drinks, bitch." Jake appears high while meeting his boss who wants him to take a drug test. Jake refuses and then gets physical with his male boss, resulting in some struggling and the boss eventually shoving Jake from his office. Frankie carries a beer outside. Zack, who's 15, hears his parents arguing, including Olivia asking her husband, "Why do you have to be such a f*cking p*ssy?" His father then shows that they found his pot bong, leading to some arguing and Zack then leaves the house. A song has lyrics about getting high. A man and two women have beer in front of them and smoke pot. Frankie smokes pot. Zack and another guy smoke pot. Frankie smokes pot. Jake has beer. Frankie gets a beer for Zack and himself from a convenience store (in brown paper bags) and they later litter those bottles in a yard. Olivia drinks. Frankie's dad wants him to "smoke a doobie" or have a drink with him, but Frankie declines the offer. The next day, the dad states, "I'm hung-over like a bitch." Later, Frankie shows Zack that his dad grows pot. Frankie, Zack, and some young women smoke pot from a bong, while also drinking beer. Frankie gives Keith a bag of what's presumably pot. Keith states he's going to roll "the biggest f*cking joint." Johnny smokes a joint that he shares with Frankie. Various people drink at a party. Zack smokes pot. A lot of drinking occurs at a party. Zack, Frankie and others smoke pot. A girl chugs a beer or wine cooler in one long gulp, adding that they should see her with a beer bong. Zack tries to do the same, but isn't as good/experienced as her (the other young woman with them also drinks). Keith has a beer. Elvis drinks from a bottle of liquor. Cosmo brings over a beer for Sonny and himself. BLOOD/GORE A rap-based music video shows a person shooting two others, resulting in bloody wounds (seen in slow motion). Jake and two friends want to get revenge on Johnny, so they break into the latter's house, with Jake dropping his pants to defecate on the floor (we see his bare butt and then some excrement on the floor). Others later comment on that, with one pointing it out to Frankie and wondering how Jake wiped himself. Jake's head is bloody after someone bashes a beer bottle on it during a fight. Frankie enters a bathroom with others and pulls a young woman off the toilet, sending her out of the room (we briefly see her bare butt). After a person is shot with a machine gun, we see some bloody bullet holes in the clothing and some blood behind him in the dirt, but the scene is set at night and in the shadows, so details are not obvious). DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Sonny supplies his son Johnny with the drugs he distributes. Johnny is a drug dealer. Although he's part of their gang and does everything to please Johnny, everyone else in it is condescending to Elvis. Various characters use homophobic, misogynist and/or racist comments including but not limited to the following: "You sound like half a f*cking fag," "You f*cking fruitcake," "Fag," "Faggot," "Homo," "Queer," "It's kinda gay," "Your little butt-buddy," "Bitches," "You're a f*cking c*nt," "Get us some drinks, bitch," "You f*cking kike," "Running around like a bunch of f*cking Chinamen" "Are you trying to nigger me?" and "Let the spooks do the hard time." Jake apparently often borrows money from his dad to pay for his drug habit and/or business. We see a waitress in small shorts and Cosmo comments, "Look at the caboose on that one," adding that he'd knock the bottom out of that, with Sonny joking that he's too old for that. One of the guys then tells her, "Get us some drinks, bitch." One of the guys then stiffs her with the bill, with a note telling her to get her "kike" boyfriend to pay. Zack, who's 15, hears his parents arguing, including Olivia asking her husband, "Why do you have to be such a f*cking p*ssy?" His father then shows that they found his pot bong, leading to some arguing and Zack then leaves the house. Johnny and his minions kidnap Zack to get back at Jake. Keith asks his female friend's mother if she's going to "go down" on her husband for their anniversary, making the female to male oral sex gesture while also asking about giving the husband a "little tube steak boogie." Johnny implies that he might be considering killing Zack to get rid of him as their unwanted problem (resulting from them kidnapping him). About Susan being upset about the overall kidnapping incident, Frankie tells her, "Have a period or something" and calls her a "whiny f*cking bitch." About Johnny doing little time in prison if he plays his cards right, Cosmo says, "Let the spooks do the hard time." A young woman has a bad attitude toward Johnny when he can't perform sexually with her. Johnny goes on the run from the authorities. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" may also be unsettling or suspenseful to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. When Jake questions his authority, Johnny grabs him around the neck with something and then smashes him down through a glass coffee table. They struggle with Jake then knocking Johnny away before driving him through a sliding glass door out to the pool where he hits Johnny and tries to drown him in the pool (by holding his head underwater as a dog bites on Jake). Others then pull Jake away, Johnny pulls a gun on him, and Jake challenges him to shoot it (Johnny does, but only off to the side). Jake and two friends want to get revenge on Johnny, so they break into the latter's house with an ax (used to smash into the wall), guns, and one throws a planter through a sliding glass door to get in. Johnny grabs his gun and hides behind a door, but Jake and the others leave after robbing and defacing the place. Jake gets physical with people at a party, pushing one backwards. When a young woman gets after him for that, he punches her to the floor. That causes various partygoers to try to attack them, but he easily repels them with brutal punches and kicks (including stomping down on his last victim, just out of the camera shot), even after someone bashes him over the head with a bottle, drawing blood. Elvis informs Frankie that the plans have changed and they're to kill Zack, something that Frankie wants no part of. Jake angrily yells at Johnny on the phone, saying that he's going to find and kill him. Elvis and a reluctant Frankie and Keith head off to murder Zack for Johnny (taking him off into the rocky hills at night). At first, Zack doesn't know what's happening, but when Keith chickens out, hugs him, and cries, Zack realizes his fate. He then cries and tries to reassure them that he won't tell, pleading that he doesn't want to die. After a person tapes another person's hands together and then places tape over their mouth, a third person hits the bound one over the head with a shovel, causing him to fall into a pre-dug, shallow grave. The third person then uses a small machine gun to shoot the victim, killing him (we see some bloody bullet holes in the clothing and some blood behind him in the dirt, but the scene is set at night and in the shadows, so details are not obvious). GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Machine gun: Used to threaten or kill a person. See "Violence" for details. In some home movie footage of kids playing, we see one pointing a toy gun at the camera. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "F*ck that sh*t," "Shut the f*ck up," "Get the f*ck out of here," "F*ck it," "You sound like half a f*cking fag," "You f*cking fruitcake," "You gotta plow some f*cking fields," "Don't f*cking touch me," "M*therf*cker," "Suck my f*cking c*ck," "Calm the f*ck down," "F*ck that," "F*cking c*cks*cker," "You f*cking p*ssy," "You f*cking kike," "F*cking-A," "You deaf f*ck," "I swear to f*cking God," "What the f*ck, dude?" "F*ck some bitches," "F*ck him," "You guys are f*cking idiots," "Why do you have to be such a f*cking p*ssy?" "Are you f*cking kidding me?" "Are you f*cking nuts?" "Mind your f*cking business," "F*cking sh*t," "I don't give a f*ck," "Back the f*ck up," "F*cking d*ck," "You f*cking blow," "F*ck you," "That's f*cked up," "Sounds pretty f*cking dubious," "That's f*cking hot," "F*cking awesome," "That's so f*cking cool," "We're f*cked," "Crazy m*therf*cker," "F*ck knows," "You're so f*cking stupid," "Stop f*cking around," "Running around like a bunch of f*cking Chinamen," "Chill the f*ck out," "A whiny f*cking bitch," "Up my ass with a f*cking broom," "Little f*ck," "Don't f*cking move," "F*ck me? F*ck you," "F*ck-ups," "Jesus f*cking Christ," "You're a sissy little bitch who can't f*ck" (said to a man by a woman), "You're a f*cking c*nt," "Get the f*ck out of my house," "(It's all) Bullsh*t," "Oh sh*t," "Dog sh*t," "I got some sh*t to do," "So full of sh*t," "Holy sh*t," "Check this sh*t out," "Can you believe that sh*t?" "You're in deep sh*t," "Sure as sh*t," "All kinds of crazy sh*t," "Are you chasing tail?" "Your little butt-buddy," "D*ckwads," "Suck my balls," "You blunt d*ck faggot," "D*ck-head," "Get on your c*cks*cking knees and pray," "C*ck and balls," "Ever been laid stoner boy?" "Who's sucking whose c*ck now?" "Suck my d*ck," "You are a jerk-off," "That's messed up," "Bitch" (woman and man), "What up, bitch?" "Punk ass bitches," "Fag," "Faggot," "Homo," "Balls," "Are you trying to nigger me?" "It's G*ddamn creepy," "Whacky Zacky," "Don't get your panties all in a wad," "You're a son of a bitch," "Look at the caboose on that one," "Get us some drinks, bitch," "Dude," "Dawg," "Loser," "I'm hung-over like a bitch," "Greedy bastard," "You suck," "Suck it," "Shut up," "Chill out," "Scumbag," "Are you insane?" "Are you down with that?" "Wax him" (kill), "A big pain in the ass," "Hell no, bitch," "Queer," "You moron," "Let the spooks do the hard time" and "It's kinda gay." Many characters smoke pot during the film. In some home movie footage of kids playing, we see one giving "the finger." All sorts of characters (mostly male, but also at least one woman) have various tattoos, with some (including Frankie) having a lot all over their body. Jake and two friends want to get revenge on Johnny, so they break into the latter's house, with Jake dropping his pants to defecate on the floor (we see his bare butt and then some excrement on the floor). Frankie and another guy throw large rocks through some motel windows (to get back at Jake). Johnny and his minions kidnap Zack to get back at Jake. Frankie gets a beer for Zack and himself from a convenience store (in brown paper bags) and they later litter those bottles in a yard. Keith asks his female friend's mother if she's going to "go down" on her husband for their anniversary, making the female to male oral sex gesture while also asking about giving the husband a "little tube steak boogie." Various young women wear midriff-revealing tops. A girl chugs a beer or wine cooler in one long gulp, adding that they should see her with a beer bong. Zack tries to do the same, but isn't as good/experienced as her (the other young woman with them also drinks). JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A little bit of ominous music plays late in the film during a tense scene. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) Various songs had lyrics that we couldn't fully hear and/or understand (thus presenting the possibility of other objectionable content being present), but we did hear extreme profanity, various sexually related lyrics, and some drug-related lyrics. PROFANITY At least 367 "f" words (26 used with "mother," 6 used sexually as is the term "laid"), 62 "s" words, 23 slang terms using male genitals ("c*ck," "c*cks*cker," "d*ck"), 4 using female ones ("c*nt" and "p*ssy"), what sounded like one for breasts ("t*t"), 18 asses (6 used with "hole"), 4 hells, 2 craps, 1 S.O.B., 9 uses of "G-damn," 6 of "Swear to God," 2 each of "God" and "Jesus" and 1 use each of "Christ" and "Jesus Christ." SEX/NUDITY At various points in the film, miscellaneous young women show varying amounts of cleavage. The "f" word is used sexually and the guys throw male genital-related banter back and forth at each other. We see Frankie and Elvis shirtless while working out. Cosmo playfully chides Johnny about any girls he's seeing, asking if he's "chasing any tail" and then says the boy has to "plow some f*cking fields." We see a teen or young woman doing some sexy dancing for the guys, while another was playfully cavorting with some of them. Frankie meanly jokes that if Johnny asked, Elvis would probably "suck his c*ck." More related talk ensues. We see Jake having rear entry sex with a woman who's lying face down (we see movement as both face the camera, but no nudity, and hear related sounds). Zack then knocks on the door, and Jake stops to answer it (we see him shirtless). The girl then walks out fully nude, holding a pillow over her front (but we see her bare butt and the side of her bare breast). We see a young woman in a t-shirt and panties. We see a waitress in small shorts and Cosmo comments, "Look at the caboose on that one," adding that he'd knock the bottom out of that, with Sonny joking that he's too old for that. Jake and two friends want to get revenge on Johnny, so they break into the latter's house, with Jake dropping his pants to defecate on the floor (we see his bare butt). Frankie comments on going out to "f*ck some bitches." We see a miscellaneous guy shirtless after having showered (not seen). One of the guys says he has to leave (from watching Zack as their kidnap victim) because, "My girl gets mad if I don't f*ck her." Frankie returns home to find his dad shirtless and cavorting with two scantly clad women (one in a top and panties). His dad then introduces him to the women. We see Frankie shirtless. Keith asks his female friend's mother if she's going to "go down" on her husband for their anniversary, making the female to male oral sex gesture while also asking about giving the husband a "little tube steak boogie." Later, the teen returns home to hear sexual sounds and her mother then answers the door, all out of breath, complaining about the one night she wanted alone to make love to her husband. Various rap songs have sexually related lyrics or innuendo, such as disappearing like the Loch Ness Monster (innuendo for sex). Frankie enters a bathroom with others and pulls a young woman off the toilet, sending her out of the room (we briefly see her bare butt). Keith is shirtless and kissing a girl in a bathroom, all as two other girls come on to Zack (having previously told him that being a kidnapping victim is "hot"). A girl chugs a beer or wine cooler in one long gulp, adding that they should see her with a beer bong. Zack tries to do the same, but isn't as good/experienced as her (the other young woman with them also drinks). One of them then asks Zack if he's really stoned and he says he is. One then asks if he's "ever been laid" and soon the three are out at the pool where the two girls strip and then skinny dip in the pool at night in somewhat dimly lit environs (we see their bare breasts and one's brief, full frontal nudity from a distance). Zack then strips to join them and we see his bare butt as he enters the water. One then blindfolds him, they play Marco Polo that way, and then he kisses one of the sultry girls and the third girl then joins them (still in the water, with him making out with both, and sex being implied with one or both). Angela tells Johnny, "I want to suck your d*ck" and then goes down toward his crotch in a restaurant, with another guy with them enthusiastically saying it's going to happen now. But all that occurs is some playful and drunken (and/or drug induced) kissing and cavorting. We see a young woman on top of a shirtless Frankie in bed, writhing about on him when a call interrupts them. Elvis grabs Frankie and then slams him back against a wall and then sarcastically states (about earlier related comments), "Who's sucking whose c*ck now?" We see Frankie shirtless. We see Johnny on a bed with a young woman, she asks, "You wanna f*ck?" and he says yes. They quickly start undressing (we see her bare breasts) and he then pulls her pants off (but we don't see anything as the view switches to another). They then get into bed under the covers and start making out, but she complains, "Your d*ck's not even hard...it's like bubble gum" (all as we hear sexual lyrics in a song on the soundtrack including, but not limited to, being about a woman putting her mouth on the crotch of the singer's pants, or something like that). The young woman states, "I want to f*ck" and Johnny then has her go under the covers to remedy the situation, and she presumably starts performing oral sex on him, only to come back out a few moments later, upset about him still being flaccid (he's preoccupied by what's been occurring elsewhere). She then tells him, "You're a sorry little bitch who can't f*ck." He tells her to "suck my d*ck," but she sarcastically replies she already tried that. She then sits up and smokes (we see her bare breasts) and he gets up to dress (we see his bare butt). SMOKING Johnny smokes at least 5 times, Cosmo, Frankie and Sonny each smoke several times, Elvis and Zack smoke at least once, and a number of minor and miscellaneous characters smoke in various scenes. Frankie offers Zack a smoke, and when the 15-year-old says he doesn't smoke, Frankie makes him, adding, "It's good for you." TENSE FAMILY SCENES Jake wants to borrow $800 from his dad, but that creates some family tension when Olivia learns of that. Zack, who's 15, hears his parents arguing, including Olivia asking her husband, "Why do you have to be such a f*cking p*ssy?" His father then shows that they found his pot bong, leading to some arguing and Zack then leaves the house. Olivia repeatedly slaps Jake, but he then embraces her (all over Zack being missing). Sonny twice slaps Johnny and then pushes him back against a wall (trying to get him to say what he's done with Zack). A mother, having gained a lot of weight presumably from being depressed, grieves and lashes out during an interview about her son's murder (saying that when he died, so did she). There's then some talk about her trying to kill herself three times following that murder. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Parenting and its ultimate role in how kids grow up. Teens posing as wannabe gangsters (the type seen in rap music videos). Drug dealers and use. Casual sex. Kidnapping. Despite having been kidnapped, Zack doesn't mind, especially since that allows him to drink, smoke pot, and have a three-way sexual encounter in a pool with two young ladies. The Stockholm Syndrome. A mother, having gained a lot of weight presumably from being depressed, grieves and lashes out during an interview about her son's murder (saying that when he died, so did she). There's then some talk about her trying to kill herself three times following that murder. VIOLENCE A rap-based music video shows a person shooting two others, resulting in bloody wounds (seen in slow motion). When Jake questions his authority, Johnny grabs him around the neck with something and then smashes him down through a glass coffee table. They struggle with Jake then knocking Johnny away before driving him through a sliding glass door out to the pool where he hits Johnny and tries to drown him in the pool (by holding his head underwater as a dog bites on Jake). Others then pull Jake away, Johnny pulls a gun on him, and Jake challenges him to shoot it (Johnny does, but only off to the side). Jake appears high while meeting his boss who wants him to take a drug test. Jake refuses and then gets physical with his male boss, resulting in some struggling and the boss eventually shoving Jake from his office. Jake and two friends want to get revenge on Johnny, so they break into the latter's house with an ax (used to smash into the wall), guns, and one throws a planter through a sliding glass door to get in. Johnny grabs his gun and hides behind a door, but Jake and the others leave after robbing and defacing the place. Frankie and another guy throw large rocks through some motel windows (to get back at Jake). While abducting Zack with Frankie, another guy pushes the teen to the ground, hits him and then he and Frankie drag him back to their van. We later see them bind and gag him with duct tape. Olivia repeatedly slaps Jake, but he then embraces her (all over Zack being missing). Jake gets physical with people at a party, pushing one backwards. When a young woman gets after him for that, he punches her to the floor. That causes various partygoers to try to attack them, but he easily repels them with brutal punches and kicks (including stomping down on his last victim, just out of the camera shot), even after someone bashes him over the head with a bottle, drawing blood. Susan pushes Keith backwards. After hearing that Zack has a black belt in some sort of martial arts, Frankie gets him in a headlock and won't let go. Zack finally breaks free, Frankie half-playfully wants to spar, and so Zack kicks him to the floor, and then again back into an empty bathtub (Frankie isn't hurt or mad). Elvis grabs Frankie and then slams him back against a wall and then sarcastically states (about earlier related comments), "Who's sucking whose c*ck now?" Sonny twice slaps Johnny and then pushes him back against a wall (trying to get him to say what he's done with Zack). After a person tapes another person's hands together and then places tape over their mouth, a third person hits the bound one over the head with a shovel, causing him to fall into a pre-dug, shallow grave. The third person then uses a small machine gun to shoot the victim, killing him (we see some bloody bullet holes in the clothing and some blood behind him in the dirt, but the scene is set at night and in the shadows, so details are not obvious). Elvis tries running from the cops, but they arrest him at gunpoint. Reviewed January 9, 2007 / Posted January 12, 2007

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