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WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE

"Finding Healing in Personal Expression"

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What You Need To Know:

In WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE, Bernadette lives in Seattle with her husband, Elgin, and teenage daughter, Bee. Previously in Los Angeles, Bernadette was an acclaimed architect, but something happened that sent her spiraling down into a black hole of depression for 20 years. Now, Bee’s just been accepted into a great prep school. She wants the family to go on a celebratory cruise to Antarctica, but Bernadette doesn’t want to go. Before, Bernadette solved her problems by disappearing. That’s what she does now, and her family has no choice but to go find her.

This movie tells an endearing story of a family that, despite their hardships, truly loves each other. The two-hour movie goes by in a flash. There isn’t a moment that’s not entertaining, and Cate Blanchett portrays the neurotic Bernadette with lots of grace. The movie has a strong Romantic worldview, however. The solution to people’s problems is found in creative expression rather than in God. WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE also has an excessive amount of foul language, brief drug references, and examples of dysfunctional behavior. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution.

Content:

(RoRo, B, LLL, V, A, DD, MM):

Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements:
Strong Romantic worldview where the solution to the main character’s anxiety and depression is to create and be an artist, no one looks to God or biblical values for guidance but go to therapists, medicines, etc., and eventually find the answer in creativity and being able to express oneself artistically, with some positive family content (the family members in the movie clearly love one another)

Foul Language:
13 obscenities (including two “f” words), one strong JC profanity, 17 light profanities, and a woman describes what her toilet looked like after miscarriages

Violence:
A small mudslide damages a house, a locked door is kicked open, and a character seems to pretend a car ran over her foot

Sex:
No sexual content

Nudity:
No nudity

Alcohol Use:
Characters have an alcoholic beverage at a school event, and two women have drinks together on a ship

Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse:
Teenagers are shown smoking vape pens, it’s mentioned that a woman’s son is using marijuana although it’s not shown, a woman asks her assistant for “something strong” to take to deal with motion sickness, references to psychiatric drugs for anxiety and depression, and a teenage girl jokes to her friend about Ritalin;

Miscellaneous Immorality:
Strong miscellaneous immorality and issues such as examples of a dysfunctional marriage and family as a daughter favors her mother and is disrespectful to her father multiple times, another woman is portrayed as a single mother and has disciplinary issues with her son (including him using marijuana), a few examples of lying and deception, two neighbors exchange gossip about title character, a woman fakes being run over to sabotage the reputation of someone else.

More Detail:

WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE follows a formerly very successful architect navigating her life and family problems after what she considers to be a great failure. WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE is a sweet, well-told story about a family trying to be there for each other, but it has a Romantic worldview with a slightly excessive amount of foul language, some brief drug references and examples of dysfunctional behavior.

WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE takes place in Seattle, Washington, after Bernadette Fox and her husband, Elgin Branch, moved there from Los Angeles almost 20 years ago. They have a daughter, Bee, in high school now, and Bee’s just been accepted to one of the best prep schools on the East Coast. Exceptionally close with Bee, Bernadette is feeling quite emotional about this big move, but is trying her best to be happy for her daughter. Because Bee got into this school, she asked her parents for a congratulations present: to go on a family cruise to Antarctica. Although her parents agree, this immediately terrifies Bernadette, sending her through waves of new anxiety. Bernadette has already been dealing with a lot of depression and anxiety for the past 20 years, and this trip isn’t making it any better. She has a hard time dealing with crowds, or individual people, doesn’t like to leave the house much, and hasn’t worked on what she loves in years.

When a stranger comes up to Bernadette expresses what her work has done for her life, viewers learn Bernadette was once the up and coming, hot new architect in town. She was in Los Angeles, creating innovative new ideas, and thriving in her life and art. She had the honor of receiving the Macarthur Genius Grant and was the designing architect of an amazing project that won multiple awards. However, something happened right around the time that she met her husband that sent Bernadette spiraling into a black hole of depression and anxiety.

Of course, her husband, Elgin, is very concerned for Bernadette, especially when he finds her asleep on a couch in a pharmacy. Elgin consults a therapist for help. When they’re ready for an intervention, he also finds out that the personal assistant from India Bernadette has been using is actually a front for a Russian identity theft organization that has taken all of their information after Bernadette unknowingly disclosed it to them. Now that dangerous Russians are after their family, the FBI is knocking at their door, and Bernadette doesn’t know what else to do but to run away. The trip to Antarctica is the next day, but Bernadette is nowhere to be found.

However, the following day, Bernadette’s daughter, Bee, is out walking the dog when the neighbor informs her that she drove Bernadette to the airport because she wanted to make sure to join her family on their trip. In the past, Bernadette solved her problems by disappearing. That’s what’s she done now, and her family has no other choice but to go after her. Panicking, Bee and her father immediately pack their bags and set off to find Bernadette. Eventually, it turns out that the things giving Bernadette the most anxiety are the things that could help heal her the most.

This story is beautifully told by all the filmmakers involved and carried out seamlessly by the cast. What is meant to be humorous is funny, what is meant to be uncomfortable is almost cringing, and what is meant to be sweet is quite endearing. Although this family has been through so much, the love they have for each other is very clear. Bernadette’s husband feels lost in their marriage, but he gets her help rather than give up on her. It’s almost impossible for actress Cate Blanchett to disappoint an audience. She easily embodies the neurotic title character with lots of grace. The movie does follow a primarily Romantic worldview, however, with creative and artistic expression being the solution to the problems at hand. No one looks to God or biblical values for any kind of guidance. WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE also has an excessive number of obscenities and profanities, brief drug references, and examples of dysfunctional behavior. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution.

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


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