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"WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS"
 (2016) (Morris Chestnut, Regina Hall) (PG-13)

At-A-Glace Content Summary

Alcohol/Drugs Heavy
Blood/Gross Stuff Heavy
Disrespectful/Bad Attitude Extreme
Frightening/Tense Scenes Heavy
Gun/Weapons Heavy
Imitative Behavior Heavy
Jump Scenes Minor
Music (Scary/Tense) Extreme
Music (Inappropriate) None
Profanity Moderate
Sex/Nudity Extreme
Smoking Minor
Tense Family Scenes Heavy
Topics to Talk About Heavy
Violence Extreme

QUICK TAKE:
Suspense/Thriller: A couple hires a woman to be the surrogate mother for their child, but must contend with her becoming obsessed with the man of the house.
PLOT:
John (MORRIS CHESTNUT) and Laura Taylor (REGINA HALL) are a successful and well-to-do couple living in New Orleans. He's a lawyer about to make partner, while she's a chef about to be promoted to CEO. But the one thing they're missing in their life is having a family, and after three miscarriages, they're now looking into using a surrogate to carry their last frozen embryo to term. They believe they've found the right woman in 21-year-old waitress Anna Walsh (JAZ SINCLAIR), a sweet and shy girl whose boyfriend, Mike Mitchell (THEO ROSSI), is about to be deployed once again overseas.

Everything seems perfect, although John is a bit uneasy about Mike, and that's later proven true when the soldier beats up Anna. Knowing Mike will be shipped out in ten days, John gives him the ultimatum of leaving Anna alone for good or face the legal consequences of his actions. To ensure her safety, he and Laura invite the young woman to live in their guest house while carrying their child. All seems well until Anna starts to develop a crush on John, something he initially dismisses but becomes increasingly concerned about.

So much so that he contacts his private eye friend, Roland White (MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS), to look into her and Mike's past, something that reveals troubling details. Not wanting to upset Laura, John doesn't tell her about what he's learned or of Anna's actions. But as things progressively get worse, it's uncertain how things will play out or what will happen to their unborn child.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
They might if they're fans of anyone in the cast or like these sorts of domestic thrillers featuring outsiders who become increasingly psychotic.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13
For violence, sexuality/partial nudity, thematic elements, some disturbing images, and language.

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