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THE LOST HUSBAND

"Promising at First but Ultimately Unsatisfying"

NoneLightModerateHeavy
Language
Violence
Sex
Nudity

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What You Need To Know:

THE LOST HUSBAND is a romantic drama about a woman named Libby whose husband died in car accident, leaving her to provide and parent her two children alone. Libby seeks out shelter at her Aunt Jean’s farm in Central Texas where she slowly learns about her past and even where she might want to go in her future. With a new lifestyle before her, Libby learns to give both her job and personal life the attention they deserve so she can heal and move on with her life. 

THE LOST HUSBAND has the feel of a Hallmark movie. There’s romance, a bit of comedy and some dramaThe actors do a good presenting this story. Ultimately, however, the movie is unsatisfying because some elements seem a bit random and unnecessary. THE LOST HUSBAND has a mixed worldview with some morally uplifting content, such as commitment to one’s marriage, helping others and conversations about forgiveness, combined with some occult references to holding a séance and palm reading. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises strong caution for older children and adults because of this, brief foul language and miscellaneous immorality. 

Content:

(Pa, BB, C, OO, P, Ho, L, V, S, AA, D, M):

Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements:
Mixed pagan worldview includes moral and Christian elements such as a mother tries to give her children the best life after her husband dies, a divorced man still looks after his ex-wife when she’s sick, one instance of the name of Jesus used in a song, helping others is encouraged, and there are conversations about forgiveness, but these positive elements are mixed with overt occult references where two female character have a séance and talk to the dead, one female character believes she can read palms, and there’s a passing comment about being made of “magic and resilience,” light patriotic conservative comment by a Texan man who dates a female he jokingly calls a “hippy,” and a passing joke about someone being homosexual, and two pairs of women dance together hand in hand at a party, one pair is clearly just friends, but the other isn’t as clear

Foul Language:
Two obscenities (an “s” word and an “a” word), three light profanities, and a child gets in trouble for saying the “f” word off screen

Violence:
Female child gets bullied by a boy in her class that leads her to bleed on the head

Sex:
No sex scenes, but a few kisses on the cheek, and another couple kisses on the mouth twice, a snooty female character makes a refence to extramarital sex, there’s a passing comment about losing one’s virginity, and two pairs of women dance together hand in hand at a party, one pair is clearly just friends, but the other isn’t as clear

Nudity:
No nudity, but two females show their midriffs, and a female seen in a towel after getting out of the shower

Alcohol Use:
Social drinking depicted such as wine over dinner and beer at a party, character recalls that she had a “toxic relationship with vodka” in years past

Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse:
Smoking in a few scenes, but no drugs; and,

Miscellaneous Immorality:
Gossip, bullying, adult male defends a female child to a bully saying he kill him, and lying.

More Detail:

THE LOST HUSBAND is a romantic drama about Libby whose husband died in car accident, leaving her to provide and parent for their two children alone. Libby seeks out shelter at her Aunt Jean’s home in central Texas, where she slowly learns about her past and where she wants to go in her future. THE LOST HUSBAND has a mixed worldview with some positive moral elements but sadly features some occult behavior from a supporting character, including a séance and palm reading. Along with some foul language and other miscellaneous immorality, Movieguide® recommends strong caution for teenagers and adults.

The movie opens with Libby, a widow, and her two children drive to a farm in central Texas owned by her Aunt Jean. Libby recently lost her husband to a car accident, forcing her to pick herself up again after that tragedy. At the farm, Libby meets O’Connor, the farm handyman who teaches her the ropes of all things farming.

At first, O’Connor is skeptical that Libby is capable, but eventually sees that she enjoys the simple life. The pair have a sweet friendship and accidentally get locked into a freezer together at one point early on in the movie. Later, at the farmer’s market where they’re selling their goods, O’Connor kisses Libby in front of some old pals of hers that gossip behind her back. A romantic connection between the two seems fitting.

Meanwhile, a young woman named Sunshine befriends Libby but she’s odd in the sense that she likes to read peoples’ palms. In later scenes, after learning how to farm a bit herself, Sunshine takes Libby to an abandoned house on the farm’s property and conjures a séance with candles so that Libby can talk to her dead husband and clear the air. Libby does and says the next morning that she feels better.

At Jean’s birthday party, which functions more like a town event, Libby learns that O’Connor has an interesting backstory. O’Connor’s ex-wife left him for another man five years into their marriage. O’Connor didn’t want a divorce but relented, and then, she became sick. He travels to take care of her throughout the movie.

To top off everything, Libby’s mother tries to convince Libby and her children to live at her house because she looks down on her sister Jean and her “small” life. Libby’s mother is clearly self-absorbed and controlling. Libby doesn’t agree to her mother’s request but does discover that, for the first four years of her life, her Aunt Jean took care of her in the abandoned house on the property because Libby’s mother abandoned her.

The movie ends with a doable ending that shows both O’Connor and Libby as they turn a new page.

THE LOST HUSBAND has the feel of a Hallmark movie. There’s romance, a little bit of comedy and some drama. Ultimately, however, the movie is unsatisfying because some elements seem a bit random, which is perhaps due to the fact that it’s a book adaptation. The three leads, Josh Duhamel, Leslie Bibb, Nora Dunn, do a standup job in their roles. In fact, the entire movie seems to communicate that both Libby and O’Connor needed to get their lives together in order to be a couple and start afresh. To add to the positive elements, the costuming and music are well done.

THE LOST HUBAND has a mixed worldview with some morally uplifting content, such as commitment to once’s marriage, helping others and conversations about forgiveness, but the movie also features many occult elements like a séance and palm reading. The movie would’ve better been served if the characters looked to faith for healing instead of witchcraft. So MOVIEGUIDE® advises strong caution because of this, brief foul language and other miscellaneous immorality.

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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