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"LICENSE TO WED" (2007) (Robin Williams, Mandy Moore) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Moderate Mild Heavy Minor None Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate None None None Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy *None Mild Moderate Mild QUICK TAKE: Comedy: A couple must contend with the repercussions of taking a minister's wedding preparation course to see if they're compatible enough to get hitched. PLOT: On her parents' 30th wedding anniversary, florist Sadie Jones (MANDY MOORE) is both surprised and pleased when her boyfriend, Ben Murphy (JOHN KRASINSKI), proposes to her. Her parents are a little concerned, especially since their other daughter, Lindsey (CHRISTINE TAYLOR), has moved back in with them after her divorce. Yet, Sadie is determined to make it work, and thus convinces Ben to take a wedding preparation course at her childhood church run by Reverend Frank (ROBIN WILLIAMS). Along with his young helper, Choir Boy (JOSH FLITTER), the minister put prospective couples through the paces in something of a pre-marital boot camp. During the next three weeks, the two learn things about each other, such as Ben seemingly not liking Sadie always turning to her childhood friend Carlisle (ERIC CHRISTIAN OLSEN) for advice, while Ben's friend, Joel (DeRAY DAVIS), thinks the whole thing is crazy and warns him about the pitfalls of marriage. With Reverend Frank determined to make sure the couple has what it takes to have a happy marriage, Sadie and Ben must put up with his unorthodox tests, eavesdropping and more, all of which threaten to break up their relationship. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're fans of anyone in the cast (especially Williams or Moore), they just might. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For sexual humor and language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: ROBIN WILLIAMS plays a reverend who uses decidedly unorthodox means to test couples to see if they're compatible enough to survive marriage (as they take his marriage prep course). He eavesdrops on bedroom conversations, talks frankly about sexual matters with Sadie, and uses a little profanity. MANDY MOORE plays a florist who wants him to marry her and Ben, and thus agrees to take his marriage prep course. She does what he asks (including some frank sexual talk about what she likes), gets mad at Ben when the dirty laundry starts to air, and uses some profanity. JOHN KRASINSKI plays her live-in fiancé who isn't crazy about the prep course to begin with, and becomes increasingly angry about it with each passing test and practice. He's particularly frustrated by her wanting to follow Reverend Frank's rule about no sex before marriage. He drinks some. CHRISTINE TAYLOR plays Sadie's divorced sister who's moved back home with their parents and isn't the best person to give advice to her about men or marriage. She drinks and appears tipsy in one scene. ERIC CHRISTIAN OLSEN plays Sadie's best friend from childhood who she always turns to for advice. He drinks some. JOSH FLITTER plays Reverend Frank's young henchman who assists him in the marriage prep course, which includes planting an audio bug in Sadie and Ben's bedroom. DeRAY DAVIS plays Ben's friend, a married man who tries to warn him about the pitfalls of marriage, and plants doubts in his head about the marriage prep course he's taking. He uses some profanity and drinks. 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 comedy that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of an incomplete "f" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are uttered. Sexually related dialogue is present, as are views of a couple fooling around, with off-screen sex heavily implied. A character punches another, while some other contact and slapstick material occurs, including a baseball hitting a person in the face (with a bloody nose as a result). Some behavior may be enticing for some kids to imitate, and various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes. Crude humor (verbal and visual) is present, while various characters drink, and a slightly veiled drug reference is made. 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. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there's a spin around camera shot late in the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Various people have drinks at the 30th wedding anniversary reception for Sadie's parents, and Lindsey appears tipsy. Ben and Joel have beer. Miscellaneous people drink beer in a bar, with Reverend Frank saying that husbands will do anything for appetizers and beer. Responding to Ben and Sadie trying to fake a verbal fight in class, Reverend Frank asks if they travel medicated, adding that what he just witnessed was like "Prozac takes a vacation." Carlisle has champagne, while Ben has beer. Others there drink. While playing a word association game about his future in-laws, Ben comments on Sadie's mother using alcohol as a crutch. Ben and Joel have beer in a bar where others also drink. Carlisle and members of Sadie's family have drinks. A flight attendant states that there's no smoking on the flight, but that anyone can light up whatever they want once they land in Jamaica. We see the two fake, mechanical babies drinking, with one falling over, seemingly passed out. BLOOD/GORE Ben has a bloody nose after a baseball accidentally hits him in the face. About Ben and Sadie saying they've never had a fight, a miscellaneous woman responds, "I seriously think I'm going to puke." With Reverend Frank taking Ben and Sadie through a maternity ward to show them about pregnancy and labor, a person there talks about nine months of constipation. We see some goo come out of a fake, robotic baby's mouth. A fake, robot baby farts, and Ben reacts to the smell. He then takes the "child" into the bathroom changing station, seeing robotic parts when he takes off the diaper, followed by thick blue goo coming from its rear end. Fake urine then sprays up and hits Ben in the face. A long scene has Ben upset that the inscription on Sadie's wedding band reads "Never to fart" rather than "Never to part," with various people stating what they think his original request says. As Ben snoops around Reverend Frank's place (while Reverend Frank is in the shower, not knowing Ben is there), Reverend Frank's dog surprises Ben. Rather than attack him, the dog pins him to the floor and then sneezes twice on him, showering him with all sorts of goo. About being frightened in a car going the wrong way down a one-way street, a person says they might actually pee their pants. One of the fake, mechanical babies vomits. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE While his intentions are good (to make sure Ben and Sadie are compatible for marriage), Reverend Frank breaks the law and various ethical issues in how he goes about that (having Choir Boy break into their place and plant an audio bug so he can eavesdrop on their bedroom conversation, etc.). He also talks frankly about sexual likes with Sadie. Some viewers might not like a scene where Reverend Frank tries various prayers to stop Ben's nosebleed, with Ben acting like he knows that's not going to work, and the reverend saying he knew that as well, but figured he'd give it a try. Ben's friend tells him they shouldn't give women control, saying that leads to them running companies and such. He also repeatedly tells Ben about how bad marriage is for men. While played for comedy, some viewers might not like that stemming from child abuse humor where Ben repeatedly bashes a fake, robotic baby, trying to get it to stop crying, with the head eventually coming off it. Joel tells Ben (over the phone) to break into Reverend Frank's place and snoop around for any dirt on him, so Ben does just that. Talking about her ex, Lindsey says he was too busy sleeping with their dental hygienist. Ben learns that Reverend Frank was divorced, but the minister later explains that by saying a woman was going to be deported, so the marriage was just to get her a green card, and they were divorced right after that (some viewers might not like that tactic). Upset about how Reverend Frank's course has ruined his relationship with Sadie, Ben punches Reverend Frank to the floor. Before and after that, Ben and Sadie progressively become testier toward each other. We see the two fake, mechanical babies drinking, with one falling over, seemingly passed out (some viewers might not like that joke). FRIGHTENING SCENES As Ben snoops around Reverend Frank's place (while Reverend Frank is in the shower, not knowing Ben is there), Reverend Frank's dog surprises Ben. Rather than attack him, the dog pins him to the floor and then sneezes twice on him, showering him with all sorts of goo. As part of a communication test, Reverend Frank (in the passenger seat) blindfolds Sadie and then has her drive, with Ben giving driving directions from the back. That results in close calls, including Sadie accidentally driving the wrong way down a one-way street, and an older man in a scooter hitting and then flipping up into a convertible (all of that's played for comedy). GUNS/WEAPONS None. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Giving a sh*t," "A whole sh*t-load," "Beef and booty," "Do you want to walk the midget?" "I want to play pickle me, tickle me with my hot fiancé," "It sucketh," "Your wussy ass," "That's so lame," "We're still going to Hell," "Let's get the flock out of here," "My little Mensa," "A cute control freak," "I seriously think I'm going to puke," "You're pissed at each other," "Do you guys travel medicated?" "That's like Prozac takes a vacation," "Jackass," "Pissing," "Ball-busting mother," "You're a sad, sad man," "Go to hell," "Potato skins down," "Rat patrol" (kids), "What the hell /are you doing/am I doing/is going on?" "Praise Gouda," "Yada, yada," "Get your butt out of the way," "She's gonna freak out," "Dude," "Are you nuts?" "I got you sucker," "You're insane," "I might actually pee my pants," "Looking good, Hollywood," "You're such a jerk" and "Like hell I will." About coveting thy neighbor's wife, Reverend Frank says it starts with coveting and ends "with the clap" (while clapping his hands together in unison with the kids and adding that's why God invented the cold shower). About a deflated basketball, Reverend Frank jokes that it needs Viagra. Reverend Frank has Ben throw a baseball with him, with Reverend Frank throwing it harder each time (so that it stings Ben's hand, even in the glove). Another throw then hits Ben in the face, flooring him and bloodying his nose. Choir Boy does some breaking and entering into Ben and Sadie's place, to plant a surveillance bug there. Later, he and Reverend Frank eavesdrop on the couple. With Reverend Frank taking Ben and Sadie through a maternity ward to show them about pregnancy and labor, a doctor or nurse purposefully pinches Sadie and then stomps on her foot, to give her an idea about labor pain. As part of a communication test, Reverend Frank (in the passenger seat) blindfolds Sadie and then has her drive, with Ben giving driving directions from the back. That results in close calls, including Sadie accidentally driving the wrong way down a one-way street, and an older man in a scooter hitting and then flipping up into a convertible. This ends when Reverend Frank grabs the steering wheel and makes the car do a sliding spin into a parallel parking space. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 1 incomplete "f" word (used with "mother"), 2 "s" words, 2 slang terms for sex ("do" and "tag"), 1 for male genitals ("midget"), 1 for breasts ("jugs"), 6 hells, 2 asses, 2 damns, 1 incomplete S.O.B., 15 uses of "Oh my God," 3 each of "God" and "Oh God," and 1 use each of "Dear Jesus," "Jesus" and "Oh my Lord." SEX/NUDITY To stop Sadie from stepping out into traffic, Ben reflexively puts his arm out to stop her, but his hand accidentally ends up on her clothed breast. She then jokes about him getting to second base before first, so they kiss. We then see them going into a room and kissing on the way in, with Reverend Frank (in post narration) asking that we didn't think he was going to let us see that. We hear (and then see) that Sadie and Ben moved in together. Sadie's dad jokes about her and Carlisle bathing together as kids and him acting like a submarine commander (Carlisle then jokes that he destroyed all of the photos). Sadie playfully whips off Ben's belt, pushes him back to a bed, and then climbs onto him, kissing him there (with him playfully joking about them going to be late, with her saying they won't be -- both are still clothed). Later, and after off-screen sex, she asks Ben how she looks, with him replying, "Like a woman who just..." and "We're still going to Hell" (for being late to meet Reverend Frank). Reverend Frank teaches a group of kids about the Ten Commandments, including commenting on adultery and wondering why one would go out for milk when they have "perfectly good jugs at home." About coveting thy neighbor's wife, Reverend Frank says it starts with coveting and ends "with the clap" (while clapping his hands together in unison with the kids and adding that's why God invented the cold shower). Reverend Frank makes some comment about Sadie having a bisexual roommate in college. He then asks Ben what he does "...besides Sadie." Reverend Frank mentions several rules about his pre-marriage counseling program, including no sex until the honeymoon. Ben asks if he's serious (Reverend Frank is), and later asks Sadie if Reverend Frank was kidding about the no-sex thing. When Ben comments about the no-sex rule from Reverend Frank, Joel jokes that's supposed to happen after you get married, while his wife makes some comment about getting her tubes tied. Joel says that Ben should have strippers and Sizzler at his bachelor's party, calling that "beef and booty." Reverend Frank says a prayer for some man who's back from Thailand, adding, "Let's just hope it's a rash." Seeing Sadie get into a car, Reverend Frank says, "Tight," prompting a reaction from Ben, which makes Reverend Frank say he's referring to the car (and not Sadie). About a deflated basketball, Reverend Frank jokes that it needs Viagra. About Sadie, Ben says she's beautiful inside and out. When Reverend Frank asks what he means by inside and whether that was spiritually, Ben says yes. As Reverend Frank and Choir Boy eavesdrop via an audio bug (although the reverend doesn't let the boy hear the steamy parts), we see Ben and Sadie in bed (clothed). He asks, "Do you want to walk the midget?" and she says, "Of course I do," but then cites Reverend Frank's "no sex" rule. Ben then says, "I want to play pickle me, tickle me with my hot fiancé," but she says no, adding that three weeks (without sex) never killed anyone. He then playfully says he's a cigar vendor, but she again turns him down. With Reverend Frank taking Ben and Sadie through a maternity ward to show them about pregnancy and labor, one person says, "A view of her wide open..." with another calling out the name "Virginia" so that it sounds like one sentence. A person tells Ben he'll never look at Sadie the same way again, sexually. A woman then says the equivalent pain for men would be raising their scrotum over their head. Sadie shows some cleavage. We see some skimpy lingerie on mannequins in a store. Ben pulls Sadie onto the bed with him where they passionately kiss and he starts to undo her robe. Having been eavesdropping on their bedroom activities from just outside their place, Reverend Frank suddenly arrives at their door, interrupting them. He says that many couples resort to sex to fix problems, and then asks Ben if he's uncomfortable talking about sex. Ben says he isn't, but having Reverend Frank there talking about that makes him that way. Reverend Frank then says that it's important to know what one's partner likes sexually, and then tries to get Ben to complete the sentence, "I like it when..." Ben doesn't want to play along, despite Sadie wanting to know, so Ben then says he likes it when Reverend Frank doesn't interrupt them before sex. Sadie then says what she likes is something out of the ordinary, prompting Reverend Frank to say he thought of her as an in the bedroom type of person, but she says that's not the case. The two then talk of the various places they (with others) like to have sex, with Ben feeling left out and thus chiming in that they had sex on the carpet and he got rug burns. After Reverend Frank leaves, Sadie is upset with Ben, saying she can't believe the first person who asked what she likes in bed turned out to be her minister. We see a belly dancing class, with women in traditional garb, as well as one man also dressed that way, also exposing his bare belly, etc. (all played for laughs). We see Reverend Frank in the shower from the chest up, and then just in a towel when he gets out. Talking about her ex, Lindsey says he was too busy sleeping with their dental hygienist. Reverend Frank makes a comment about his usual advice to couples about acting surprised on their honeymoon. Later, Reverend Frank gives that same advice to Ben. About Sadie's earlier confession, Ben is dejected that he's not adventurous enough in bed. Joel tries to give advice to Ben about there being many women in the world to date, using various animal analogies. One of them equates Ben to a bear that's to "tag" as many cute and furry bear bottoms as he can. Ben and Sadie do some passionate kissing while clothed and standing. Sadie shows some cleavage. SMOKING None, but a flight attendant states that there's no smoking on the flight, but that anyone can light up whatever they want once they land in Jamaica. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Ben proposes to Sadie at her parent's 30th wedding anniversary reception, prompting her dad to appear mad, but he then shows that he was just joking. Ben and Sadie's engagement becomes strained as the reverend's many tests start to drive them apart. We hear that Lindsey moved back home with her parents (following her divorce, a point brought up by her grandmother). Talking about her ex, Lindsey says he was too busy sleeping with their dental hygienist. Ben learns that Reverend Frank was divorced, but the minister later explains that by saying a woman was going to be deported, so the marriage was just to get her a green card, and they were divorced right after that. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Marriage and related preparation courses and tests. We hear (and then see) that Sadie and Ben moved in together. Asking kids in his religion class questions, Reverend Frank queries one, telling the boy to make his (the boy's) moms proud. Ben's friend tells him they shouldn't give women control, saying that leads to them running companies and such. Ben learns that Reverend Frank was divorced, but the minister later explains that by saying a woman was going to be deported, so the marriage was just to get her a green card, and they were divorced right after that. VIOLENCE Ben accidentally hits a stanchion in a coffee line, causing the retractable belt to zip back, hitting several people in the face (played for comedy). Reverend Frank has Ben throw a baseball with him, with Reverend Frank throwing it harder each time (so that it stings Ben's hand, even in the glove). Another throw then hits Ben in the face, flooring him and bloodying his nose. After struggling with Sadie over a fake tire iron in a fake fight about changing a tire, Ben ends up falling into a table that collapses. With Reverend Frank taking Ben and Sadie through a maternity ward to show them about pregnancy and labor, a doctor or nurse purposefully pinches Sadie and then stomps on her foot, to give her an idea about labor pain. Ben repeatedly bashes a fake, robotic baby, trying to get it to stop crying, with the head eventually coming off it. An older man in a scooter his and then flips up into a convertible. Upset about how Reverend Frank's course has ruined his relationship with Sadie, Ben punches Reverend Frank to the floor. Reviewed June 27, 2007 / Posted July 3, 2007

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