I'll Be Home For Christmas
MPAA Rating: PG
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Entertainment: +3
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Content: +2
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Disney dishes up a cute story of a college student, Jake, played by Jonathan Taylor Thomas of the HOME IMPROVEMENT TV series. Its a comical adventure about his attempts at getting home for Christmas which are foiled by a series of unfortunate mishaps. His father has promised him a hot red Porsche if he makes it home by 6 p.m. for Christmas dinner. His misadventure begins when he is left stranded wearing a Santa suit in the California desert by a group of jocks because his scheme to help them cheat on a test was gone awry. Jakes girlfriend, Allie (Jessica Biel), of the 7th HEAVEN series, is supposed to ride home to New York with him. But she gets stranded and ends up unwittingly hitching a ride with one of the boys (Adam La Vorga) who dumped Jake in the desert. The story leads us along Jakes desperate journey to catch up with his girlfriend and make it home in time for Christmas. His selfishly motivated attempts at getting out of uncomfortable situations by lying, conning and manipulating end up complicating events and delaying his trip home even more. This lighthearted and fast-paced Christmas adventure should prove to be a family holiday treat.
Jakes journey home also becomes a journey of self-discovery, as he comes face to face with how his less than honest behavior impacts his circumstances and affects his friends and family. While his conning and lying are sometimes portrayed as cute and charming, his girlfriend gives us a reality check by calling him what he is, a "manipulator and a liar." There is no sexual content in the film, but several mild sexual innuendos about waking up with a girl in the bed, fondling and tongue kissing subtly appear in the dialog. These sexual innuendoes and three moderate crudities are the only questionable elements to watch out for, but by and large this is a fun and positive film. So we can recommend ILL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS for all audiences. Its few questionable elements, mostly innuendo, do not overpower the moral lesson that dishonest behavior can adversly affect circumstances and relationships
Preview Reviewer: Cliff McNeely
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures, 500 South Buena Vista Street, Burbank, CA 91521, (818) 560-1003
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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: Few (3) times Moderate
Obscene Language: None
Profanity: Several (9) times Exclamatory only (My G, Thank G, Oh G)
Violence: None
Sex: None
Nudity: Near Nudity (mans towel removed after shower-view obstructed)
Sexual Dialogue/Gesture: Several times - Mild (boy wonders about waking up with girl in bed, girl comments about boy not
Drugs: None
Other: Boy and girl in bed together fully clothed but no sex implied; cheating, lying, and manipulating people portrayed as cute and funny but behavior leads to negative consequences
Running Time: 86 minutes
Intended Audience: All ages
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