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"BREAKIN' ALL THE RULES"
(2004) (Jamie Foxx, Morris Chestnut) (PG-13)

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


QUICK TAKE:
Romantic Comedy: After writing a best-selling guide detailing how to break up with someone, a man ends up falling for his cousin's girlfriend.
PLOT:
Quincy Watson (JAMIE FOXX) and his cousin Evan Fields (MORRIS CHESTNUT) work together at Spoil Magazine where they have a new boss, Philip Gascon (PETER MacNICOL). When his live-in girlfriend, Helen Sharp (BIANCA LAWSON), unceremoniously dumps him, Quincy quits his job and sets out to write a "how to" manual about ending romantic relationships. It's soon a bestseller and Philip asks for Quincy's help in breaking up with his gold-digger girlfriend, Rita Monroe (JENNIFER ESPOSITO), who does not intend to let her rich catch get away.

Meanwhile, Evan mistakenly begins to believe that his girlfriend, physical therapist Nicky Callas (GABRIELLE UNION), is about to break up with him. Thus, he sends Quincy to a bar to talk him up to her. Yet, since he's never met her and she's changed her looks from the description Evan gave him, Quincy doesn't realize he's talking to her, although she does. Meanwhile, Rita learns that Philip is using Quincy as his coach and decides to exchange sexual favors for him laying off the plan.

Unbeknownst to Quincy, however, Evan decides to pose as him to her. From that point on, Quincy finds himself falling for Nicky all while the resulting mistaken identities cause comedic complications to pile up.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
If they're fans of anyone in the cast, they might.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13
For sexual material/humor and language.
CAST AS ROLE MODELS:
  • JAMIE FOX plays a guy who becomes so fed up with how people are dumped during romantic break-ups that he writes a best-selling manual of how to do so. He then gets involved with Nicky (not realizing she's his cousin's girlfriend) and ends up having sex with her. He uses some profanity and drinks some.
  • GABRIELLE UNION plays a hospital physical therapist who's shocked to learn that Evan wants to break up with her. She then knowingly gets involved with Quincy, has sex with him, drinks some and use some profanity.
  • MORRIS CHESTNUT plays Quincy's cousin who wants to break up with Nicky only because they've hit his temporal cap on relationships. He ends up having sex with Rita, drinks, smokes once and uses some profanity.
  • PETER MacNICOL plays Quincy's former boss who hires him as a consultant to help him break up with Rita, but he has no backbone about doing so and always becomes subservient to her.
  • JENNIFER ESPOSITO plays his domineering and apparently gold digging girlfriend who ends up having sex with Evan, mistakenly thinking he's Quincy who could help her make sure that Philip marries her. She uses some profanity and acts provocatively.
  • BIANCA LAWSON plays Quincy's former live-in girlfriend who unceremoniously dumps him but then tries to get him back.
  • 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 romantic comedy that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 5 "s" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are uttered. Sexually related dialogue is also present, as is the sight of some couples fooling around, while off-screen sex is implied. A woman is occasionally seen in revealing attire, while a lecherous old man (who briefly shows some partial nudity for comedy purposes) wants a younger woman to grope his crotch.

    Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, while some drink and/or smoke and some brief drug-related references are made. A dog is given alcohol, some crude humor is present, and a man's hand is briefly seen with some blood dripping down from it. Some characters strike others for comedy purposes, while a man falls to the floor from a heart attack (but is later okay).

    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
  • Philip briefly tells a story of a guy who was fired, got drunk, got a gun and shot up a bunch of his former coworkers.
  • Quincy and Evan have drinks, as do others in a bar.
  • After Helen states that she's going to Paris, Quincy asks her, "Are you high?"
  • We see Evan, Philip and others holding drinks.
  • Quincy has a beer behind him and Nicky a drink in a bar where others drink. He then offers to buy her a drink and she orders a double Bloody Mary.
  • Evan drinks, lets Helen's dog lick from the bottle, and then pours some in its bowl. The dog later appears to be drunk.
  • Quincy and Nicky have wine with dinner.
  • Evan asks Rita if she wants a drink.
  • Philip has a drink.
  • Evan tells Nicky that she doesn't look like Halle Berry, but rather an actress who appeared in a "crack head" film.
  • Quincy and Nicky have drinks on a table by them, as do others.
  • Quincy pours a drink for Nicky and himself.
  • Helen's dog drinks from a glass of booze.
  • Evan downs a martini and we see lots of olives in front of him (suggesting he's had many).
  • Miscellaneous people have drinks at a party.
  • Evan and Nicky's friend, Amy, drink.
  • Helen pours herself a drink and her dog gets all excited by that (she flicks it some drops of her drink).
  • We see a drink by Helen.
  • BLOOD/GORE
  • We see Helen's dog pee on the floor.
  • We hear the dog fart.
  • As Philip tries to have the appearance of sulking, Rita says he looks constipated and wonders when he last had a movement.
  • We see a little bit of blood drip down from Quincy's hand after he's purposefully bitten it.
  • DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE
  • All of the following is played for laughs.
  • Helen dumps Quincy and states that she's going to Paris with some other guy.
  • Nicky learns that Evan has cheated on her and has a three month cap on relationships.
  • Nicky lies to Quincy about who she is and then ends up getting involved with him (including having sex), despite somewhat still being involved with Evan.
  • Evan drinks, lets Helen's dog lick from the bottle, and then pours some in its bowl. The dog later appears to be drunk.
  • Rita comes looking for Quincy, and Evan lies that he's him. She then has sex with him in hopes that he'll stop helping Philip in breaking up with her.
  • Rita cheats on Philip with Evan, who's cheating on Nicky.
  • Evan tells Nicky that she doesn't look like Halle Berry (and does so in a disrespectful manner) but rather an actress who appeared in a "crack head" film.
  • Rita is conceited and admits that she's going to cash in on her good looks and street savvy while she can. She also manipulates Philip so that he can't break up with her (although that's what he wants).
  • Nicky's friend hides a note that Quincy gave her to give to Nicky.
  • We hear the sound of Helen's small dog apparently biting her. She then tells Quincy, "I want that thing put down."
  • We see a man have a heart attack and fall face-first to the floor, but he's later okay and it's all played for laughs (although some viewers might find it offensive if they've dealt with something similar).
  • FRIGHTENING SCENES
  • None.
  • GUNS/WEAPONS
  • None, but Philip briefly tells a story of a guy who was fired, got drunk, got a gun and shot up a bunch of his former coworkers.
  • IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR
  • Phrases: "Oh sh*t," "Better watch your ass," "My bad," "Oh hell no," "Freaky," "Nuts" (testicles)," "Gonna freak," "Gonna whoop your ass," "What the hell?" "Are you that freaky?" "Freaking," "One hell of a cut," "Dumb ass," "It's so freaking obvious," "Who the hell do you think you are?" "The hell we are," "I've got an ass and I'm gonna show it," "Loser," "Little ho,'" "I don't give a damn," "Go to hell," "You ungrateful little misanthrope," "There's not a damn thing you can do to stop me," "Who the hell is he?" and "Idiot."
  • Evan drinks, lets Helen's dog lick from the bottle, and then pours some in its bowl. The dog later appears to be drunk.
  • Rita wears a midriff-revealing top several times, while a miscellaneous woman also wears one.
  • To prove a point to Nicky, Quincy bites his own hand (hard enough to draw blood).
  • JUMP SCENES
  • None.
  • MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)
  • Some playfully suspenseful music plays in one comedy scene.
  • MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)
  • A song has the lyric, "Brick sh*thouse."
  • Other songs had lyrics that we couldn't understand or completely hear, thus offering the possibility of them potentially containing other objectionable content.
  • PROFANITY
  • Note: Either the recorded dialogue or audio playback was muddy, thus making some of the dialogue hard to understand. That said, we did hear the following:
  • At least 5 "s" words, several sexual slang terms (such as "close the deal" and "slap that ass"), 1 slang term for male genitals ("d*ck"), 2 for breasts ("t*t"), 13 asses (1 used with "hole"), 10 damns, 8 hells, 1 crap, 2 uses each of "God" and "Oh my God" and 1 use of "Oh God" as exclamations.
  • SEX/NUDITY
  • Note: Either the recorded dialogue or audio playback was muddy, thus making some of the dialogue hard to understand.
  • We see Quincy and Helen sleeping in the same bed (he's shirtless), but nothing occurs between them.
  • An attractive woman passes by Quincy as he enters Philip's office. We then see a lipstick kiss mark on Quincy's cheek, possibly suggesting something sexual between them.
  • Evan jokingly toasts Quincy about the fact of his friend having sex with the same woman for the rest of his life, over and over again, and there's brief talk of positions.
  • Nicky mentions having a certain dream again, with another woman asking if it's the one involving the straps (Nicky says it isn't).
  • Evan is excited that Quincy might have a groupie, as he states that they're there to please whenever and wherever. Quincy, however, states that he couldn't "close the deal."
  • As Nicky has her hair cut, Evan develops directly related pains in his testicles (since he loves her hair so much).
  • Philip verbally envisions another book called "Spoil's Guide to Sex."
  • Nicky shows some cleavage.
  • Evan mistakenly thinks that Rita, who wears a cleavage and midriff-revealing top, is a hooker and states that he needs to get some money.
  • There's a brief passionate kiss between Evan and Rita.
  • We see one of Nicky's patients, an old man who's sitting nude on his examination table (we see a frontal view with a towel or something similar over his lap and then a rear view of his bare back down to the top of his bare butt -- all played for laughs).
  • A friend of Nicky's mentions something about "afternoon delight" while talking with her.
  • We see Rita in a bathtub, but don't see any nudity. She then saunters out to Philip wearing a robe that's open in the front and shows her in her bra (with cleavage). She then tells him to rub her leg and then to go higher and higher (which breaks his concentration regarding breaking up with her). As she puts her foot at his crotch, she then seductively asks, "What's on your mind, big boy?"
  • A comment is made about "slapped that ass" (sexual).
  • Evan says that he wasn't in love, but lust, and that it involved bumping, grinding, and "slapping that ass."
  • Quincy and Nicky make out on his couch until the following phone call interrupts them.
  • Thinking she's talking to Evan (who was posing as Quincy) on the answering machine, Rita mentions something about "If you want more than sex."
  • Nicky metaphorically asks her older male patient (from above) what she should do about Quincy and Evan, and then answers for him by saying, "Love me and hold your d*ck." That old man then says okay and then asks, "How about it?"
  • Rita is under the sheets while Evan is lying face down and partially under them, suggesting they had sex. She then mentions something about "tit for tat" and says that she can give him "t*t for t*t."
  • Helen shows some cleavage.
  • A classic-style statue shows an archer in an action pose with his legs spread and showing his penis and scrotum.
  • We hear heavy breathing from Nicky and then her saying that maybe they shouldn't (as we see the back of a couch). The angle then reverses and we see Quincy stop being on top of her there (both are clothed). She makes a comment about wild sex, another is made about naked Twister and she then has them tell each other their fantasy. He starts but bumbles his way, so she talks about a stranger and him doing something down her body from her neck to her breasts and belly (all while running her hand down her clothed body). When she mentions an explosion (meaning sexual), he then excitedly climbs on top of her. She makes him stop, but then climbs on top of him and sex is implied.
  • Evan talks of Nicky playing games and then mentions that some were kinky.
  • Helen puts her hand on Quincy's clothed knee and suggestively says that she'd do anything to make their relationship right again.
  • Rita makes a sexual remark about what she does.
  • Nicky's older male patient pulls her hand over toward his covered crotch, but she yanks it away.
  • A woman at a train station gestures to a cop that Nicky's older male patient grabbed her clothed breasts.
  • Nicky and Quincy briefly but passionately kiss.
  • SMOKING
  • Rita smokes several times, while Evan smokes once (Quincy holds something that looks like a cigarette, but it appears to be a white writing pen).
  • TENSE FAMILY SCENES
  • None.
  • TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT
  • Relationships and breaking up.
  • How men and women view relationships.
  • Quincy equates being in love to being crazy.
  • VIOLENCE
  • Evan slaps Quincy on the head for not calling him.
  • Evan slaps Quincy on his head again.
  • Evan or Nicky apparently hit or knocked Quincy down in the dark after he admits his love for Nicky. She then appears to kick him on the floor.
  • Thinking that Quincy is Evan who's been fooling around with Rita, Philip overturns a table and flails at Quincy who easily knocks him down. Philip then throws something at Quincy (a weak throw) that Quincy catches (all played for laughs).
  • We hear the sound of Helen's small dog apparently biting her. Later, many small dogs chase after Helen (played for laughs).
  • We see a man have a heart attack and fall face-first to the floor, but he's later okay and it's all played for laughs.
  • We see Evan holding his ear after Quincy apparently hit him there.
  • To prove a point to Nicky, Quincy bites his own hand (hard enough to draw blood) and then accidentally runs into a post while running alongside a moving train (played for laughs).



  • Reviewed May 11, 2004 / Posted May 14, 2004

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