A CURE FOR WELLNESS | FAMILY MOVIE REVIEW INFORMATION FOR PARENTS AND KIDS

"A CURE FOR WELLNESS"
(2017) (Dane DeHaan, Jason Isaacs) (R)

QUICK TAKE:: Suspense/Horror: A young man must contend with his slipping grip on reality when he's institutionalized at a foreign sanitarium where he was sent to retrieve his missing boss.

PLOT:

Lockhart (DANE DeHAAN) is a young stockbroker working for a Manhattan-based financial services company. With their CEO, Harold Pembroke (HARRY GROENER), having seemingly given up all capitalistic interests while spending time at a Swiss sanitarium run by Dr. Volmer (JASON ISAACS), Lockhart has been tasked with traveling there and returning the executive so that their company's merger can go through. He does so and eventually ends up at the establishment in the Swiss Alps above a local village where the residents there aren't the best of neighbors. Those at the sanitarium, however, including Victoria Watkins (CELIA IMRIE), seem quite content to spend their days reading, dining, playing croquet and making sure to drink plenty of the provided water that supposedly has rejuvenating properties.

When Lockhart initially can't get Pembroke out of the place, he heads back down the mountain to seek lodging, only to be involved in a single car accident that results in him waking up three days later in the sanitarium, his leg in a cast. Unable to return to New York, he starts poking around the place that grows increasingly suspicious to him, what with odd occurrences happening at night, all while he's beguiled by a young patient there, Hannah (MIA GOTH), who seems out of place among all of the much older clientele.

As Lockhart tries to figure out what's really happening at the sanitarium, his grip on reality begins to slip, what with drinking all of that special water that now has him wondering if he's simply developed paranoid hallucinations or if something truly nefarious is occurring there.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: Older teens might be intrigued by the unusual look and atmosphere surrounding the horror film.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R: For disturbing violent content and images, sexual content including an assault, graphic nudity, and language.

I have subscribed to ScreenIt for more than a decade. I check in every week to take advantage of their amazing services. Not only does their site provide a glimpse of exactly what content a movie offers, I've found the “Our Take” reviews and ratings for each movie to be right on the money every single time. I've referred dozens of friends to this service because my #1 resource for deciding whether or not to show a movie to my kids, or to see one myself, is ScreenIt.com!

Josh Nisbet
Director, State of CA Public Sector

I signed up to get Screen It weekly reviews a long time ago, when my kids were young and I wanted to know more about movies before we went to a theater or rented. Now one child is in law school, other in undergraduate, and I still read the weekly Screen Its! It helps me know what my husband and I want to see or rent, and what to have waiting at home that we all will enjoy when my "kids" come home. I depend on Screen It reviews. They usually just present the facts and let me decide if the movie is appropriate or of interest for my family and me. Thank you for providing that service, Screen It!

Patti Petree
Winston Salem, NC

I have 4 children who are now in college. I signed up for Screen It when my children were pre-teenagers. Often my children would ask to see a movie with a friend and I wished I could preview the movie prior to giving permission. A friend told me about ScreenIt.com and I found it to be the next best thing to previewing a movie. The amount of violence, sexual content, or language were always concerns for me and my husband as we raised innocent kids with morals. We constantly fought the peer pressure our kids received to see films that in our opinion were questionable. With the evidence we received at Screen It, our kids couldn't even fight us when we felt a film may have been inappropriate for them to watch. Thank you, Screen It. Continue to make this helpful service available to everyone, but especially the young parents.

Christine Doherty
Machesney Park, IL

Screenit.com is an amazing resource for parents, educators, church groups or anyone who wants to make an informed decision whether a movie is suitable for their viewing. The reviews and content descriptions are so detailed I am mystified how the reviewers can put them together.

Scott Heathe
Vancouver, BC

I love screen It! I don't know what I would do without it. It is well worth the membership. Before we take our son to the movies we check it out on screen it first. Thank you SO much for making it. Keep up the good work & keep 'em coming!!!

Patrina Streety
Moreno Valley California

Other new and recent reviews include:

Privacy Statement and Terms of Use and Disclaimer
By entering this site you acknowledge to having read and agreed to the above conditions.