fbpx

MAGGIE’S PLAN

"The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Women. . ."

What You Need To Know:

MAGGIE’S PLAN is a quirky romantic comedy about a lively New Yorker in her mid-thirties who’s convinced she will never find love. She decides to have a baby on her own, but her plans change when she meets John, a sharp anthropology professor. To further complicate matters, John is married with two children. John leaves his wife for Maggie, and they have a child. However, their life together isn’t how Maggie imagined it as she watches John’s career take over his life, and he commits the same mistake his ex-wife did. So Maggie and the ex-wife, Georgette, plot to see whether Ethan’s still in love with Georgette.

MAGGIE’S PLAN is well made with some good performances, but the plot’s a little far-fetched and unbelievable. Though the filmmakers take a lighthearted approach to their story, the fact remains that much of the movie strongly promotes adultery. Also, the ending seems to suggest that Maggie’s efforts to escape godless fate aren’t successful. Finally, MAGGIE’S PLAN has some strong foul language and crude, immoral situations and behavior. Despite its lighthearted tone, MAGGIE’S PLAN is unacceptable.

Content:

(PaPaPa, B, LL, SSS, NN, AA, MMM) Very strong mixed pagan worldview with pagan elements that seem to give a nod to godless fate at the end and doesn’t see anything wrong with adultery, though the adultery that occurs doesn’t result in a successful marriage, so the movie has some moral elements that acknowledge the values of love, compassion, honesty, and women taking care of children and that show adultery doesn’t really improve anything, plus quirky and rebellious title character’s husband and his ex-wife put family last and their career’s first, forgetting what matters in life; 12 obscenities and profanities include a few “f” words; no violence; very strong sexual immorality includes a pro-adultery message through most of the movie (though the ending lightly suggests the adultery turned out to be a bad idea after all), husband commits adultery on his wife and on his new wife with his ex-wife (though the new wife planned it to happen because she realizes their own marriage turned out to be a bad idea), married man flirts with his ex-wife, references to sperm donations and masturbation, woman in bathtub tries to inject sperm into herself, and some crude talk; upper female nudity in one scene; light alcohol and drunkenness displayed; no smoking or illegal drug use; and, very strong miscellaneous immorality includes revenge, lying, greed, blackmail, bad role models, dysfunctional families

More Detail:

MAGGIE’S PLAN is a quirky romantic comedy about a woman in her mid-thirties who’s desperate to have a baby but marries the wrong man though she gets her wish in the end in an unexpected way. MAGGIE’S PLAN is an abhorrent movie that promotes adultery and other immoral behavior.

MAGGIE’S PLAN is a quirky romantic comedy about a woman’s desire to have a baby. Maggie is a sharp women in her mid-thirties living in New York, but she hasn’t found a man and her biological clock is ticking if she ever wants children. She decides the best plan of action is to get a sperm donor and have a baby on her own. When she meets her attractive sperm donor, she’s certain her child will be beautiful, until he speaks. When Guy introduces himself, Maggie learns he’s a pickle farmer with an IQ to that of a middle schooler. Her two friends, Tony (Bill Hader) and Felicia (Maya Rudolph), beg her not to have this child with his sperm, but she refuses to listen and is certain this is how her life was meant to be.

During this time, Maggie meets John (Ethan Hawke), an anthropologist and struggling novelist desperate to get his book out. He asks Maggie to take a look at his novel, which sparks a new friendship between the two. As Ethan spends more time with Maggie, he spends less time with his wife, Georgette (Julianne Moore), an ambitious academic and a French woman with attitude. The night Maggie makes the decision to go through with the sperm donor, she gets a knock at the door that distracts her from finishing the task. She’s convinced the procedure didn’t work, but her baby struggles are soon to be over. That night Ethan comes over and confesses he’s in love with her. He undresses her, and they fornicate in her tiny apartment.

Flash forward three years later. Ethan has left Georgette and is now married to Maggie,. They live in a retro New York apartment filled with books and funky furniture, a place that’s fits Ethan better than his former home with Georgette with its fine china, white furry couches and pink walls. He and Maggie have a daughter together, and his novel is on the path to success. Maggie has everything she wanted, a child and a man to love her, but her happiness has depleted. She’s become a full-time mother to her daughter and Ethan’s children from his previous marriage as she watches Ethan putting career over family, doing exactly what Ethan’s ex-wife did to him. Maggie is convinced Ethan is still in love with his ex-wife, and she wants the truth.

Believing she’s doing the right thing to give her husband his ultimate happiness, Maggie devices a plan with Georgette. They plot for Ethan to attend the same overnight writers retreat to see how he responds when he’s alone with Georgette.

MAGGIE’S PLAN is well made with some good performances, but the plot’s a little far-fetched and unbelievable. Though the filmmakers take a lighthearted approach to their story, the fact remains that much of the movie strongly promotes adultery. Also, the ending seems to suggest that Maggie’s efforts to escape godless fate aren’t successful. Finally, MAGGIE’S PLAN has some strong foul language and crude, immoral situations and behavior. Despite its lighthearted tone, MAGGIE’S PLAN is unacceptable.

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.