SCREEN IT! PARENTAL REVIEW: GONE BABY GONE

"GONE BABY GONE"
(2007) (Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan) (R)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	*Moderate	Extreme

Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Mild	Minor	Moderate	Heavy	Extreme

Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Heavy	Minor	Heavy	Heavy	Extreme

QUICK TAKE:: Drama: A Boston private detective finds more than he was bargaining for after he and his girlfriend partner agree to help find a missing girl.

PLOT:

Patrick Kenzie (CASEY AFFLECK) is a Bostonian through and through, and the fact that he seems to know everyone and how to work the locals makes him good at being a private detective. Along with his live-in girlfriend and business partner, Angie Gennaro (MICHELLE MONAGHAN), he's agreed to work on the case of Amanda McCready (MADELINE O'BRIEN), a 4-year-old who's recently disappeared.

Yet, it isn't her drugged out and sleazy mom, Helene (AMY RYAN), who hires them. Instead, it's the young girl's aunt Beatrice (AMY MADIGAN) and uncle Lionel (TITUS WELLIVER), and there's no love lost between Beatrice and her sister-in-law who loves her daughter, but is arguably the worst mother around.

Local police captain Jack Doyle (MORGAN FREEMAN) isn't pleased that the private detectives have been hired, despite or because of having lost his daughter sometime in the past, thus leading to him heading up a special missing children division within the force. He assigns detectives Remy Bressant (ED HARRIS) and Nick Poole (JOHN ASHTON) to assist Patrick and Angie in whatever limited way they can.

As the couple's investigation leads them to various lowlifes such as drug dealer Cheese (EDI GATHEGI), they end up uncovering unexpected conspiracies, cover-ups, and danger as they attempt to find the little girl and bring her back alive.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: Older teens may be interested, as might anyone who's a fan of someone in the cast, or seeing what Ben Affleck can do as a director.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R: For violence, drug content and pervasive language.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: CASEY AFFLECK plays a rough around the edges, private detective who knows the locals and how to work them, thus making him good at what he does. He uses strong profanity, briefly drinks, kills a murderous pedophile, and most choose between the lesser of two evils in terms of what's right or wrong.
MICHELLE MONAGHAN plays his girlfriend and business partner who reluctantly agrees to take the case, not wanting to find a dead child somewhere along the way.
MORGAN FREEMAN plays the local police captain who's in charge of the force's missing child division (due to him having lost his child in the past). He reluctantly allows the civilians to work on the case, uses strong profanity, and does what he thinks is right and necessary to save the child.
ED HARRIS plays a local police detective, originally from New Orleans, who's assigned to give Patrick and Angie limited assistance in working on the case. He uses strong profanity, smokes, drinks, and admits that he isn't a squeaky-clean cop, evidenced by his actions here.
JOHN ASHTON plays his cop partner who uses strong profanity.
AMY RYAN plays the missing girl's sleazy mom, a drug addict who loves her girl, but is a horrible mother to her. She drinks, uses strong profanity, and clashes with her sister-in-law.
TITUS WELLIVER plays her brother, the man who hires Patrick and Angie to work on the case. He uses profanity and finds himself stuck between a rock and hard place in terms of his wife and sister.
AMY MADIGAN plays his wife who doesn't get along with Helene and constantly clashes with and belittles her (using strong profanity in the process).
EDI GATHEGI plays a local drug dealer who may be involved with the case, as well as the murder of a man.
MADELINE O'BRIEN plays the young girl who's missing.; MICHELLE MONAGHAN plays his girlfriend and business partner who reluctantly agrees to take the case, not wanting to find a dead child somewhere along the way.
MORGAN FREEMAN plays the local police captain who's in charge of the force's missing child division (due to him having lost his child in the past). He reluctantly allows the civilians to work on the case, uses strong profanity, and does what he thinks is right and necessary to save the child.
ED HARRIS plays a local police detective, originally from New Orleans, who's assigned to give Patrick and Angie limited assistance in working on the case. He uses strong profanity, smokes, drinks, and admits that he isn't a squeaky-clean cop, evidenced by his actions here.
JOHN ASHTON plays his cop partner who uses strong profanity.
AMY RYAN plays the missing girl's sleazy mom, a drug addict who loves her girl, but is a horrible mother to her. She drinks, uses strong profanity, and clashes with her sister-in-law.
TITUS WELLIVER plays her brother, the man who hires Patrick and Angie to work on the case. He uses profanity and finds himself stuck between a rock and hard place in terms of his wife and sister.
AMY MADIGAN plays his wife who doesn't get along with Helene and constantly clashes with and belittles her (using strong profanity in the process).
EDI GATHEGI plays a local drug dealer who may be involved with the case, as well as the murder of a man.
MADELINE O'BRIEN plays the young girl who's missing.; MORGAN FREEMAN plays the local police captain who's in charge of the force's missing child division (due to him having lost his child in the past). He reluctantly allows the civilians to work on the case, uses strong profanity, and does what he thinks is right and necessary to save the child.
ED HARRIS plays a local police detective, originally from New Orleans, who's assigned to give Patrick and Angie limited assistance in working on the case. He uses strong profanity, smokes, drinks, and admits that he isn't a squeaky-clean cop, evidenced by his actions here.
JOHN ASHTON plays his cop partner who uses strong profanity.
AMY RYAN plays the missing girl's sleazy mom, a drug addict who loves her girl, but is a horrible mother to her. She drinks, uses strong profanity, and clashes with her sister-in-law.
TITUS WELLIVER plays her brother, the man who hires Patrick and Angie to work on the case. He uses profanity and finds himself stuck between a rock and hard place in terms of his wife and sister.
AMY MADIGAN plays his wife who doesn't get along with Helene and constantly clashes with and belittles her (using strong profanity in the process).
EDI GATHEGI plays a local drug dealer who may be involved with the case, as well as the murder of a man.
MADELINE O'BRIEN plays the young girl who's missing.; ED HARRIS plays a local police detective, originally from New Orleans, who's assigned to give Patrick and Angie limited assistance in working on the case. He uses strong profanity, smokes, drinks, and admits that he isn't a squeaky-clean cop, evidenced by his actions here.
JOHN ASHTON plays his cop partner who uses strong profanity.
AMY RYAN plays the missing girl's sleazy mom, a drug addict who loves her girl, but is a horrible mother to her. She drinks, uses strong profanity, and clashes with her sister-in-law.
TITUS WELLIVER plays her brother, the man who hires Patrick and Angie to work on the case. He uses profanity and finds himself stuck between a rock and hard place in terms of his wife and sister.
AMY MADIGAN plays his wife who doesn't get along with Helene and constantly clashes with and belittles her (using strong profanity in the process).
EDI GATHEGI plays a local drug dealer who may be involved with the case, as well as the murder of a man.
MADELINE O'BRIEN plays the young girl who's missing.; JOHN ASHTON plays his cop partner who uses strong profanity.
AMY RYAN plays the missing girl's sleazy mom, a drug addict who loves her girl, but is a horrible mother to her. She drinks, uses strong profanity, and clashes with her sister-in-law.
TITUS WELLIVER plays her brother, the man who hires Patrick and Angie to work on the case. He uses profanity and finds himself stuck between a rock and hard place in terms of his wife and sister.
AMY MADIGAN plays his wife who doesn't get along with Helene and constantly clashes with and belittles her (using strong profanity in the process).
EDI GATHEGI plays a local drug dealer who may be involved with the case, as well as the murder of a man.
MADELINE O'BRIEN plays the young girl who's missing.; AMY RYAN plays the missing girl's sleazy mom, a drug addict who loves her girl, but is a horrible mother to her. She drinks, uses strong profanity, and clashes with her sister-in-law.
TITUS WELLIVER plays her brother, the man who hires Patrick and Angie to work on the case. He uses profanity and finds himself stuck between a rock and hard place in terms of his wife and sister.
AMY MADIGAN plays his wife who doesn't get along with Helene and constantly clashes with and belittles her (using strong profanity in the process).
EDI GATHEGI plays a local drug dealer who may be involved with the case, as well as the murder of a man.
MADELINE O'BRIEN plays the young girl who's missing.; TITUS WELLIVER plays her brother, the man who hires Patrick and Angie to work on the case. He uses profanity and finds himself stuck between a rock and hard place in terms of his wife and sister.
AMY MADIGAN plays his wife who doesn't get along with Helene and constantly clashes with and belittles her (using strong profanity in the process).
EDI GATHEGI plays a local drug dealer who may be involved with the case, as well as the murder of a man.
MADELINE O'BRIEN plays the young girl who's missing.; AMY MADIGAN plays his wife who doesn't get along with Helene and constantly clashes with and belittles her (using strong profanity in the process).
EDI GATHEGI plays a local drug dealer who may be involved with the case, as well as the murder of a man.
MADELINE O'BRIEN plays the young girl who's missing.; EDI GATHEGI plays a local drug dealer who may be involved with the case, as well as the murder of a man.
MADELINE O'BRIEN plays the young girl who's missing.; MADELINE O'BRIEN plays the young girl who's missing.

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 137 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Sexually related dialogue is present (some of it explicit), some women show some non-explicit skin (in revealing attire), and it's suggested a woman is topless in front of her boyfriend.

Violence includes several people being shot to death, some fighting, and the viewed results of unseen violence (including the abduction, suggested molestation, and murder of a child by pedophiles). Some of that violence has rather bloody results, and those scenes and moments of potential peril might be unsettling or suspenseful to some viewers.

Varying degrees of bad attitudes occur, while some smoking, more drinking, and some drug use (cocaine) and related talk are also present. That same holds true for tense family material (regarding abducted and murdered children) and some potentially imitative behavior.

If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.

For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, there's some of that from flashing police lights.

For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there are varying amounts of camera movement (including handheld) throughout the film.

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: Patrick has a beer.
Patrick talks of a young woman in the past who was "blowing" like others (presumably pertaining to cocaine).
We see beer bottles in the house and Lionel says that Helene drinks every day, adding that she has the (alcoholism) gene, but that he's been sober for a number of years. He also says that she does coke several times a week.
We see miscellaneous beer drinking.
A man says that a lot of drug use occurs in a bar frequented by Helene.
There's talk of criminals with drug habits.
Patrick talks of Helene's boyfriend who does "blow" (cocaine).
We see beer by a miscellaneous person.
The term "f*cking coke-head" is used.
There's talk of Helene being a drug mule, and that she's involved with coke and heroin.
There's talk of hopheads.
Helene has beer.
A drug dealer snorts some coke and then offers some to Patrick, but the latter declines, saying he quit. The dealer then smokes pot.
We see Patrick with a beer in his hand.
Patrick has a beer in a bar.
We see a man and woman snort cocaine.
Remy and Patrick share a bottle of booze after a shootout.
Remy talks of a "crack den" from the past and that he planted an ounce of heroin to catch the bad guys.
Remy talks about a bottle of rum from the night before.
Lionel orders three shots and beer in a bar.
Lionel talks of his sister off smoking "doobies" with others.
We see a few beer bottles in front of Patrick.
Helene has beer.

BLOOD/GORE: We see a dead and bloody person who's tied to a chair, was beat with a pipe, and then finished off with a gunshot (we don't see the violence, just the results).
Remy and Nick prep their guns outside the child abduction suspects' home , but when they go there, Nick is shot in the neck (he's bloody and stumbles, and we later hear he died from that). Shots are then fired at Patrick who returns fire, and then ends up inside the dimly lit house where he finds a dead and bloody man. A woman then fires shots at Patrick and chases him up the stairs. He enters a room and searches for the abducted boy, only to find bloody underwear in the sink and then the dead boy in the bathtub (with a bloody mouth, briefly seen). The pedophile says it was an accident (it's clear it wasn't as there are signs of bondage, etc. in his room), and thus Patrick shoots that man in the back of the head, killing him (with bloody results). Patrick then comes out and finds the woman dead and bloody (from Remy's unseen fatal shot or shots into her).
Patrick has blood on his shirt following a shootout with criminals.
A gunman is bloody (shirt, hands, etc.) after being shot, while Patrick has some blood on him from tackling that man after the shooting.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: Those responsible for kidnapping the girl obviously have bad attitudes despite their best intentions for her.
About Helene, Beatrice says, "She's a c*nt."
A person uses the term "Like a f*cking faggot."
The "f" word is used sexually, and referring to Angie, a man in a bar states, "There is some fine p*ssy in here tonight." He then tells her that if she ever wants "to get f*cked," to let him know (all in Patrick's presence).
Remy and Nick talk of criminals who abduct children (girls and boys) in order to have sex with them.
Helene tells Beatrice, "Why don't you go suck a nigger's d*ck?"
A kid tells Patrick, "Go f*ck your mother."
The terms "faggot" and "retarded" are used.
A person uses the phrase, "Nigger, please."
A person uses the term "f*cking retard."
We see that a pedophile has killed a boy (there's bloody underwear in the sink, signs of bondage, and the dead boy in the bathtub).
Having killed a murderous pedophile, Patrick is bothered as he views any murder as a sin, with Remy replying it depends on who you do it to.
Remy admits having placed evidence in the past to get his man.
With Patrick facing a moral dilemma of choosing between the lesser of two evils (where a young girl's life hangs in the balance), Angie says she'll hate him if he picks the legally correct thing to do, adding that she doesn't want to hate him.
Despite her kidnapped daughter having just been brought back to her, Helene goes out on a date without thinking much of who will watch the girl.

FRIGHTENING SCENES: Scenes listed under "Violence" and "Blood/Gore" may be unsettling or suspenseful to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material.
A drug dealer becomes suspicious of Patrick and Angie, and thus pulls a gun on them. Thinking she's wearing a wire, the dealer then tells Angie, "Let me see some t*t," and she thus lifts her shirt revealing only her bra (while Patrick also lifts his shirt, briefly revealing his bare chest).
We suddenly hear a lot of gunfire at a quarry at night. Patrick then rushes over there, finds a dead guy on the ground, and Angie then leaps off a cliff down into the quarry water after hearing a splash down there (thinking it was the girl), but all she finds is a doll. We then see Angie in the hospital, injured from her long jump.
Patrick and a friend, who's armed, arrive at a couple's home, having gotten word that the latter have abducted a boy. They don't make their intentions clear until they start looking around the inside, prompting the woman to hold a gun on Patrick's friend, while Patrick holds his gun on her and that woman's adult son who's upstairs.
Remy and Nick prep their guns outside the child abduction suspects' home , but when they go there, Nick is shot in the neck (he's bloody and stumbles, and we later hear he died from that). Shots are then fired at Patrick who returns fire, and then ends up inside the dimly lit house where he finds a dead and bloody man. A woman then fires shots at Patrick and chases him up the stairs. He enters a room and searches for the abducted boy, only to find bloody underwear in the sink and then the dead boy in the bathtub (with a bloody mouth, briefly seen). The pedophile says it was an accident (it's clear it wasn't as there are signs of bondage, etc. in his room), and thus Patrick shoots that man in the back of the head, killing him (with bloody results). Patrick then comes out and finds the woman dead and bloody (from Remy's unseen fatal shot or shots into her).
A masked and armed man enters a bar and acts as if he's robbing the place. However, it's really cover for his desire to murder some patrons. He hits one man in the face with his shotgun and then aims it at Lionel and Patrick, but the bartender then shoots that man twice. Patrick then tackles the intruder who manages to beat him off with the gun and escape. Patrick then slowly follows the trail up to a rooftop where that man dies.

GUNS/WEAPONS: Handguns/Shotguns: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound, or kill others. See "Violence" for details.
We see a photo of two people holding guns.
We see a dead and bloody person who's tied to a chair, was beat with a pipe, and then finished off with a gunshot (we don't see the violence, just the results).
Patrick and a friend, who's armed, arrive at a couple's home, having gotten word that they've abducted a boy. They don't make their intentions clear until they start looking around the inside, prompting the woman to hold a gun on Patrick's friend, while Patrick holds his gun on her and that woman's adult son who's upstairs.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: Phrases: "F*cking cops," "Don't you f*cking yell at her," "F*ck you," "Get the f*ck out of here," "Go f*ck yourself," "M*therf*cker," "She's f*cking terrible," "F*cking positive," "Like a f*cking faggot," "What the f*ck /is that/is this?" "Fat f*cking retard," "Who the f*ck is this guy?" "A f*cking bitch," "F*cking cokehead," "I don't f*ck with skeezers," "I'm the king of this m*therf*cking jungle," "F*ck's sake," "I give a f*ck," "Go f*ck your mother," "F*cking retard(ed)," "I know I f*cked up," "Life is a m*therf*cker," "To f*ck you up," "You f*cked it up," "I hope I didn't f*ck this up," "I don't f*cking appreciate it," "Don't f*ck around," "It's f*cked up," "F*ck him," "Nice f*cking job," "Don't f*ck with me," "They will f*ck you up," "It's really f*cking pissing me off," "Shut the f*ck up," "Wasn't f*cking around," "Those dirty m*therf*ckers," "You should f*cking sue," "F*ck no," "No one gave a sh*t," "Oh sh*t," "Bullsh*t," "Worth a sh*t," "You're sh*tting me," "Don't say sh*t," "Sh*tty," "Sh*t-hole," "Sh*t-head," "C*cks*cker," "She's a c*nt," "There is some fine p*ssy in here tonight," "Why don't you go suck a nigger's d*ck?" "I don't care if he does have a big d*ck," "It smells like c*ck," "Poor pr*ck," "Let me see some t*t," "Corn-holed," "You fat bastard c*nt," "You're a fresh pr*ck," "Coke-hole," "Smart ass," "Douche bag," "Jackass," "Jesus, Mary, and Joe," "Sucks," "Faggot," "Who's a faggot now?" "Nigger, please," "Bitch," "Fool," "The hell I don't" and "Nuts" (crazy).
We see a woman with a tattoo on her exposed belly (in her midriff-revealing top).
We see miscellaneous graffiti.
We see miscellaneous tattoos.
Helene wears a midriff-revealing top.

JUMP SCENES: Remy suddenly yells loudly in a quiet scene.
We suddenly hear a lot of gunfire at a quarry at night.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): A moderate amount of suspenseful and ominous music plays in the film.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): A song contains at least 1 use of the "f" word.

PROFANITY: At least 137 "f" words (9 used with "mother," 3 used sexually as is the term "corn-holed"), 20 "s" words, 7 slang terms using male genitals ("pr*ck," "c*cks*cker," "d*ck" and "c*ck"), 3 using female ones ("c*nt" and "p*ssy"), 1 for breasts ("t*t"), 6 asses (2 used with "hole"), 1 damn, 1 hell, 3 uses each of "Christ," "Jesus" and "Oh my God," 2 each of "Jesus Christ" and "Swear to God," and 1 use each of "Hope to Christ," "Jesus, Mary and Joe" and "My God."

SEX/NUDITY: The "f" word is used sexually, and referring to Angie, a man in a bar states, "There is some fine p*ssy in here tonight." He then tells her that if she ever wants "to get f*cked," to let him know (all in Patrick's presence).
Remy and Nick talk of criminals who abduct children (girls and boys) in order to have sex with them.
Helene tells Beatrice, "Why don't you go suck a nigger's d*ck?"
Helene shows a little cleavage.
A kid tells Patrick, "Go f*ck your mother."
Helene says she doesn't care if her boyfriend has a "big d*ck."
Someone says, "It smells like c*ck."
We see a miscellaneous woman in small shorts and a cleavage-revealing halter top.
A drug dealer becomes suspicious of Patrick and Angie, and thus pulls a gun on them. Thinking she's wearing a wire, the dealer then tells Angie, "Let me see some t*t," and she thus lifts her shirt revealing only her bra (while Patrick also lifts his shirt, briefly revealing his bare chest).
Patrick tells a criminal type that the latter will be "corn-holed" by a bunch of "crackers" in prison.
We see Patrick shirtless.
As Patrick is behind her, we see a mirror view of Angie that suggests she's topless, but all we see is from the top of the chest up (and nothing sexual is occurring).
We see a shirtless older man.
We see Patrick shirtless.
There's talk that Remy married a prostitute in the past.
Helene shows cleavage in her midriff-revealing top that she wears along with very tight pants for a date.

SMOKING: Remy smokes at least once, while some miscellaneous characters also smoke.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: We see Amanda's mom on TV regarding her missing daughter, and the girl's aunt and uncle worry about her.
Helene and Beatrice constantly clash.
Helene cries over her missing daughter.
We see a newspaper article about Jack's 12-year-old daughter being killed (in the past), and he then briefly discusses that with Patrick and Angie, commenting on the guilt and that he honors his dead child with his police division.
We see a funeral service for the young girl (including a picture in a child's casket), but we hear she was never found.
We see a funeral for Nick, killed in the line of duty.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: We see beer bottles in the house and Lionel says that Helene drinks every day, adding that she has the (alcoholism) gene, but that he's been sober for a number of years. He also says that she does coke several times a week.
Remy and Nick talk of criminals who abduct children (girls and boys) in order to have sex with them.
Having killed a murderous pedophile, Patrick is bothered as he views any murder as a sin, with Remy replying it depends on who you do it to.
Remy admits having placed evidence in the past to get his man.
People facing moral dilemmas (especially when choosing the lesser of two evils).

VIOLENCE: Mad at a guy for being a jerk and insulting Angie, Patrick punches the man and then holds a gun on him.
Remy swipes things off a table in anger.
We see a dead and bloody person who's tied to a chair, was beat with a pipe, and then finished off with a gunshot (we don't see the violence, just the results).
We suddenly hear a lot of gunfire at a quarry at night. Patrick then rushes over there, finds a dead guy on the ground, and Angie then leaps off a cliff down into the quarry water after hearing a splash down there (thinking it was the girl), but all she finds is a doll. We then see Angie in the hospital, injured from her long jump.
There's talk that a person was gunned down.
Remy and Nick prep their guns outside the child abduction suspects' home , but when they go there, Nick is shot in the neck (he's bloody and stumbles, and we later hear he died from that). Shots are then fired at Patrick who returns fire, and then ends up inside the dimly lit house where he finds a dead and bloody man. A woman then fires shots at Patrick and chases him up the stairs. He enters a room and searches for the abducted boy, only to find bloody underwear in the sink and then the dead boy in the bathtub (with a bloody mouth, briefly seen). The pedophile says it was an accident (it's clear it wasn't as there are signs of bondage, etc. in his room), and thus Patrick shoots that man in the back of the head, killing him (with bloody results). Patrick then comes out and finds the woman dead and bloody (from Remy's unseen fatal shot or shots into her).
There's a flashback to the quarry shooting where we see one man shoot another, while the abducted girl trips and falls (we don't see the latter).
A masked and armed man enters a bar and acts as if he's robbing the place. However, it's really cover for his desire to murder some patrons. He hits one man in the face with his shotgun and then aims it at Lionel and Patrick, but the bartender then shoots that man twice. Patrick then tackles the intruder who manages to beat him off with the gun and escape. Patrick then slowly follows the trail up to a rooftop where that man dies.
On TV, we see Jerry Springer type violence (people on a show attacking and fighting with others, sensationally done), while we later see a cartoon featuring the firing of guns.

Reviewed September 13, 2007 / Posted October 19, 2007

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