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"NIGHTS IN RODANTHE" (2008) (Diane Lane, Richard Gere) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Heavy None Heavy Mild None Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild None None None Moderate Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy None Extreme Moderate Mild QUICK TAKE: Drama: A separated mother contemplating her failed marriage and a surgeon on a personal mission end up staying in the same oceanfront house and develop feelings for each other while dealing with their own issues. PLOT: Adrienne Willis (DIANE LANE) is a former artist turned housewife and mother to moody teenager Amanda (MAE WHITMAN) and her 10-year-old brother Danny (CHARLIE TAHAN). Adrienne has faced several setbacks in the past year, most notably the death of her father, as well as her husband, Jack (CHRISTOPHER MELONI), moving out and leaving her for another woman. Now, just as Adrienne is headed for the coastal town of Rodanthe, North Carolina to run an inn for her friend Jean (VIOLA DAVIS) who's going on vacation, Jack informs Adrienne that he made a mistake and wants to move back home. She tells him she'll think about it and then sets out for the shore where she meets the inn's lone guest, Dr. Paul Flanner (RICHARD GERE), a surgeon from Raleigh. Before heading overseas to find and return his estranged adult doctor son, Mark (JAMES FRANCO), Paul has arrived in Rodanthe to meet Robert Torrelson (SCOTT GLENN), the husband of one of his patients who died during surgery. As he tries to deal with that and all of its repercussions, and Adrienne tries to figure out what to do with her marriage, the two end up befriending and eventually falling for each other. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Unless they're fans of someone in the cast or melodramatic romance dramas, it's not that likely. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For some sensuality. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: DIANE LANE plays a former artist turned housewife who's had to contend with various family issues of recent including the death of her father, her husband leaving her for another woman, and the effects the latter has had on their children. She uses a little profanity, drinks (a lot in one scene), and has sex with Paul while being conflicted about her estranged husband's desire to reconcile. RICHARD GERE plays a surgeon who's arrived in Rodanthe to deal with the aftermath of the sudden death of one of his patients. Feeling responsible for that yet unable to emotionally connect with the widower who's now suing him, he's also uptight about his estranged adult son. He uses some profanity, drinks some, and has sex with Adrienne. JAMES FRANCO plays his son, also a doctor, who's gone to a third world country to practice medicine after becoming disillusioned, yet again, with his father. He uses some profanity. SCOTT GLENN plays a widower who's upset with and suing Paul over the death of his wife during an operation. CHRISTOPHER MELONI plays Adrienne's estranged husband who cheated on her, but now wants to move back home and patch things up. MAE WHITMAN plays their rebellious, attitude-filled teenager who uses some profanity and has a belly tattoo. CHARLIE TAHAN plays her 10-year-old brother who's similarly not happy about their parents' split, but is more scared than angry about it. VIOLA DAVIS plays Adrienne's friend who goes off on vacation and leaves her running her inn. She uses a little profanity. 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 drama that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 1 incomplete "f" word and 1 "s" word, while a handful of other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Brief and non-explicit, but sexually related dialogue is present as is the sight of an unmarried couple fooling around and then having sex, while earlier off-screen sex is also implied. A painting shows abstract nudity (nothing explicit). A tropical storm causes property damage, while a character is killed off-camera in a mud slide. Those scenes might be unsettling for some viewers (especially if they're sensitive to storms and such), while various characters drink (one to the point of being tipsy). Bad attitudes are present, while tense family material (regarding deaths, failed marriages and children's reaction to that, etc.) occurs in various scenes 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 Jean pours herself some champagne. Adrienne pours wine for Paul and then some for herself when they end up having dinner together. We see wine, liquor and beer for sale in the local store. We see a shirtless man who's holding drinks sit down with Jean and briefly kiss her (while she's on vacation). Adrienne and Paul have wine. Mad about something Jack did, Adrienne says she's going to have a drink, and then asks Paul if he wants a shot. He says sure, and the two then have shots of whiskey. She then has several more, appears tipsy while throwing out some of Jean's expired food, and then announces she has to go to bed (by herself). Paul, Adrienne and others have beer. Adrienne and Jean have wine. BLOOD/GORE None. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Amanda sports a standard teenager attitude (smart mouth, etc.) toward her mother. We learn that Adrienne's husband left her for another woman (sometime in the past, and now wants back into the marriage). Robert's adult son, Charlie, is not happy to see Paul when he shows up looking for Robert. That young man tells Paul to leave and kicks his sports car, denting the side. Paul and Adrienne get into a brief tiff about the way he handled Robert's grief, and it takes the surgeon a while to switch his focus from himself to the widower. Amanda and Danny see their father storm out of the house, angry that Adrienne turned down his offer to reconcile. Amanda is then upset with her mom, saying that she hates her. FRIGHTENING SCENES We see brief flashback images of Paul in surgery (nothing bloody/gory), preparing a syringe (we don't see it used), and then the patient flat-lining and him doing chest compressions to try to revive her. A hurricane strikes the beach house at night, rattling and even tearing off a few shutters, with the power going out, the wind howling, and the rain and lightning coming down. During this, Paul and Adrienne race to close all of those shutters, with Paul pushing Adrienne out of the way just in time as a cabinet crashes over right where she was standing. The next day we see all sorts of property damage (belongings strewn about, etc.). A man recounts the story of his father's death by being swept away by a flash flood or landslide. We see flashback images of the mud and water rapidly entering a cabin or hut, but don't see the death. Amanda and Danny are a bit scared when they see their non-responsive mother deep in grief. GUNS/WEAPONS None. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Here comes the crap and bullsh*t," "Jeez," "You're an idiot," "Reptile Jack," "Great ass," "Why the hell are you here?" "What the hell do you want?" and "I covered your ass." Amanda has streaks of color in her hair and reveals that she has a new tattoo on her belly. While drinking, Adrienne and Paul throw away cans of expired food in Jean's pantry by tossing them into a trashcan like basketball shots. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 1 incomplete "f" word, 1 "s" word, 3 asses, 3 hells, 1 crap, 1 S.O.B. and 1 use each of "For God's sakes," "God," "G-damn" and "Oh my God." SEX/NUDITY We see a man with his shirt open at the beach. Jean shows some cleavage. Jean tells Adrienne that she should have married the man with "the great ass" rather than Jack. We see a shirtless man who's holding drinks sit down with Jean and briefly kiss her (while she's on vacation). On the phone with Adrienne, she drops the suggestive line (about this man) that she's giving it all she's got. A somewhat abstract painting shows a bare-breasted woman in the surf (nothing terribly explicit). During a hurricane, Paul and Adrienne end up passionately kissing on the floor, clothed. When he wakes up the next morning (clothed), he seems surprised that Adrienne is not there (suggesting they might have slept together). We briefly see Adrienne in just a towel, and then in a dress that shows a little cleavage. Paul and Adrienne slow dance on a pier and then passionately kiss there and then back at the beach house. He then unzips the back of her dress and runs his hand inside there, while she unbuttons his shirt. We next see a head and shoulders shot of them having sex (with movement, but no nudity or sounds as only music plays on the soundtrack). The next morning, we see them in bed lying face down toward the camera, both shirtless. We only see partial glimpses of parts of the tops of her bare breasts, while he romantically runs his hand up her arm, across her back and then around her front, possibly holding or at least touching her breast. About that, we later hear a passage from his letter to her, saying where he's located is beautiful, but not nearly as much as the peaks and valleys that he traced along her body. About Paul, Jean tells Adrienne that being handsome and with a dirty mind he's definitely a keeper. SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Amanda sports a standard teenager attitude (smart mouth, etc.) toward her mother. Danny doesn't want to go to Orlando with his dad and we then learn that Adrienne and Jack are estranged. That said, he surprises her when he says he wants to move back home and that he made a mistake (of seeing someone else). Jean asks Adrienne where her husband Jack was when her father died. We hear that Paul is divorced. We hear that Adrienne's father died a few months ago. We see a flashback to Mark being upset with his father, and of Paul's wife leaving him. Paul admits that it's been almost a year since he last spoke with Mark, but that he's headed to the third world country where Mark is practicing medicine and is going to bring him home. On the phone, Amanda is upset with her mom when the latter says her potential reconciliation with Jack is still up in the air. Adrienne is then mad at Jack on the phone for getting the kids involved in trying to put pressure on her to make it work, and tells him "I covered your ass" while he was gone leaving her alone to care for their kids. Robert talks about his dead wife (Paul's patient) and is still in deep grief about her passing. Adrienne is upset about a phone call she received regarding Danny having an asthma attack and now being in the hospital. She's upset because she said she should have been there. Robert again talks about his dead wife, and that she had elective surgery to remove a benign facial growth that she thought prevented her from being beautiful for him (he says he didn't even see it, meaning it didn't bother him). Amanda and Danny see their father storm out of the house, angry that Adrienne turned down his offer to reconcile. Amanda is then upset with her mom, saying that she hates her. A man recounts the story of his father's death by being swept away by a flash flood or landslide. We see flashback images of the mud and water rapidly entering a cabin or hut, but don't see the death. Amanda and Danny are a bit scared when they see their non-responsive mother deep in grief. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT The effects of affairs on marriages and children. Second chances at love. Why Paul is initially unable to grasp and accept Robert's grief. Amanda and Danny see their father storm out of the house, angry that Adrienne turned down his offer to reconcile. Amanda is then upset with her mom, saying that she hates her. Malpractice lawsuits. VIOLENCE Robert's adult son, Charlie, is not happy to see Paul when he shows up looking for Robert. That young man tells Paul to leave and kicks his sports car, denting the side. A hurricane strikes the beach house at night, rattling and even tearing off a few shutters, with the power going out, the wind howling, and the rain and lightning coming down. During this, Paul and Adrienne race to close all of those shutters, with Paul pushing Adrienne out of the way just in time as a cabinet crashes over right where she was standing. The next day we see all sorts of property damage (belongings strewn about, etc.). A man recounts the story of his father's death by being swept away by a flash flood or landslide. We see flashback images of the mud and water rapidly entering a cabin or hut, but don't see the death. Reviewed August 28, 2008 / Posted September 26, 2008

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