America's Sweethearts

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Entertainment: +2 1/2

Content: -3

Gwen Harrison's (Catherine Zeta-Jones) film career is going downhill since separating from co-star and husband, Eddie Thomas (John Cusack). Considered Americas sweethearts, every film they made together was a hit. After losing money on Gwens solo efforts, the studio wants to guarantee the as-yet-unseen production by reclusive director Hal Weidmann (Christopher Walken), starring Gwen and Eddie, scores well. The producer calls on press agent Lee Phillips (Billy Crystal) to arrange a special publicity tour showing the couple still happily together, even though they arent. Lee enlists the help of Gwens personal assistant and sister, Kiki (Julia Roberts) to get Gwen and Eddie to set aside personal issues for the media weekend. Humorous clashes occur as Kiki and Lee try to keep Eddie and Gwens private life from intruding into their public faade until the film shows up. And Kikis views about Eddie and romance differ from her self-absorbed sister. Filled with popular stars and comic antics, AMERICAS SWEETHEARTS should be a hit.

This film follows the trend of crude bathroom humor in recent films as numerous references are made to male genital size, self-gratification and adulterous affairs. The major reason for Gwen and Eddies split is her affair with a Spanish actor from the last film. After crashing his motorcycle into a restaurant where Gwen and her lover are eating, Eddie is found in a holistic rehab center for depression. But Gwen wavers on serving Eddie divorce papers to avoid further damaging her image. Tired of her sisters manipulations, Kiki sympathizes with her brother-in-law. Unfortunately, sympathy slides into a sexual affair as the two are shown in bed. The dialogue overflows with obscenities, profanities, anatomical references and crude terms. Eddie makes an explicit sexual reference to deliberately shock one reporter referenced as being from Salt Lake City. What could have been a light romantic comedy treats adultery lightly and degrades itself with heavy sexual humor.

Preview Reviewer: Paul Bicking
Distributor: Columbia Pictures, 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232

Summary
The following categories contain objective listings of film content which contribute to the subjective numeric Content ratings posted to the left and on the Home page.

Crude Language: Many (22) times - Mild 9, moderate 13

Obscene Language: Many (29) times - F-word 1, s-word 17, other 10, finger gesture 1

Profanity: Many (12) times - Regular 7 (GD 2, G 2, JC, J, Swear to G); exclamatory 5 (OMG 4, OG)

Violence: Several times - Mild and moderate, often comedic (Crash motorcycle through window, dog jumps man and drags away, fall on cactus, imaginary shooting, man hit by golf ball, men struggle/ fall over table, hit w/serving tray, slide down roof tiles)

Sex: Once - Implied (couple in bed - adulterous)

Nudity: Near Nudity - few times (womans bra seen while dressing, low cut dress emphasizes cleavage, skimpy costume in film clip)

Sexual Dialogue/Gesture: Many times (crude slang for self-gratification and sex, references to adulterous affairs, woman strokes mans rear w/foot, comment about dog sniffing/licking mans crotch, man pulling cactus needles from leg appears as sexual act, sensual kisses, explicit sexual comments, anatomical references to male genitals)

Drugs: Few times - alcohol at bar, wine & beer w/meals, cigarette smoking

Other: Agent lies to clients, adulterous affair treated as common, couple together only for publicity, woman has affair with brother-in-law, man in holistic rehab center/ reference to holistic herbs, security guards bribed, sexual comments to shock implied Mormon press, hidden camera reveals truth

Running Time: 100 minutes
Intended Audience: Older teens and adults

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