Why Reese Witherspoon’s LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE Is Plagued by Problems
By Tess Farrand, Associate Content Editor
*Editor’s Note: At the time of this writing, LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE still has five episodes to air.
Reese Witherspoon’s limited Hulu series LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE is plagued by problems because of its mixed worldview and miscellaneous immorality.
LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE is an adaptation of Celeste Ng’s book with the same title. These days, Witherspoon seems to enjoy working on adapted limited series as her time on HBO’s BIG LITTLE LIES and Apple TV+’s THE MORNING SHOW demonstrates.
In the series, which releases new episodes every Wednesday, Witherspoon plays a doting housewife named Elena Richardson who is the mother of four teenagers in high school. Richardson is a small-town reporter who functions similarly to DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES’ Bree Van de Kamp, as she wears 1950s style clothing and always looks the part.
LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE is set in the late 1990s but likes to bring up the idea of racism against African-Americans in an otherwise mainly white small town.
Kerri Washington (ABC’s SCANDAL) co-stars alongside Witherspoon as Mia Warren, a single mother who’s just moved to the quaint planned community of Shaker, Ohio.
However, Warren has secrets about her past that pertain to her daughter, Pearl. In the coming episodes Richardson plans to get down to the bottom of those secrets. Warren also has a flare for pursuing justice as she sees fit, which forms much of the plot.
The first episodes of LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE begins in jeopardy as the Richardson’s house is on fire, causing massive damage. The rest of the series is told in a series of flashbacks but not in a way that confuses the viewer.
Regrettably, the children in the series don’t always obey their parents, in fact, they blatantly disregard them and act according to their own motivations.
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One episode in particular that’s gut-wrenching is when a high school senior goes through with an abortion.
For these reasons, Movieguide® finds LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE excessive.
Below is a content breakdown of the first five episodes:
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements: Mixed worldview. Moral worldview with characters who obviously know right from wrong but sadly, don’t always act within those parameters. Light humanist worldview where a character believes that things such a sex is purely physical and doesn’t necessarily recognize pitfalls of being led by human feelings and motivations. Light Romantic worldview where a character desires to live a grand life full of blessings and comfortability;
Foul Language: Excessive foul language with several F-bombs, including multiple dropped by underage children and other foul-mouthed obscenities;
Violence: Fire breaks out in someone’s home, teenage proceeds with an abortion;
Sex: Depicted sex of both a married couple, a one-night stand and two underage couples;
Nudity: Upper male nudity in a few episodes, naked woman depicted in a bathtub, but her breasts and private parts are covered, females’ bare backs shown in two sex scenes;
Alcohol Use: Alcohol depicted, social drinking, female characters get a bit tipsy in one scene;
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse: Character smokes weed while working as an artist and;
Miscellaneous Immorality: Excessive miscellaneous immorality. Name-calling, fraud, lying, abortion, children don’t honor their parents.
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.
