How Family-Friendly Are These Golden Globe-Nominated Movies?

MARRIAGE STORY is a misleading title, because the movie is actually about two married theater people going through a separation and divorce, which becomes increasingly rancorous when the wife hires an aggressive, feminist divorce lawyer. The performances by Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver in MARRIAGE STORY are excellent, and the movie is emotionally powerful and poignant, but there’s lots of strong foul language and no positive spiritual or religious content to inspire media-wise moviegoers.

THE IRISHMAN is an epic gangster movie by Martin Scorsese about an Irish teamster leader and Mafia hit man who allegedly became a protégé and friend of the head of the Bufalino crime family and Teamster leader Jimmy Hoffa in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Though Frank Sheeran’s story in THE IRISHMAN, which comes from a book, has its skeptics, the movie is a meticulously crafted but overlong epic about connections between mobsters and union leaders, with an electric performance by Al Pacino as Jimmy Hoffa, but it also has abundant foul language, extreme violence and an open-ended conclusion with the protagonist talking to a Catholic priest.

JOKER stars Joaquin Phoenix in the title role of Batman’s future nemesis, in a story that imagines the origins of the psychotic supervillain known as the Joker. JOKER creates a politically correct version of the iconic villain as a man who’s become mentally and emotionally damaged and is eventually driven violently insane and angry against those who’ve done him wrong, including rich people and his own mother. JOKER ends up in an abhorrent place and contains lots of strong foul language and some extreme violence that may inspire some copycats.

DOLEMITE IS MY NAME is an extremely raunchy, comical biography about the groundbreaking, unlikely stand-up comic and Blaxploitation 1970s filmmaker Rudy Ray Moore and his breakthrough role playing a foul-mouthed street character named Dolemite. Eddie Murphy plays the title role with maximum gusto, but DOLEMITE IS MY NAME has a very strong pagan, immoral worldview with constantly obscene, lewd foul language and content in a story about a hardworking businessman with a sunny disposition.

JOJO RABBIT is a quirky satire about a young boy’s growth from being a member of the Hitler Youth during World War II to being a better person when he finds out his mother is hiding a teenage Jewish girl in their attic. Despite the satire, JOJO RABBIT becomes a very moving experience as the boy interacts with the Jewish girl and rediscovers his humanity. However, the movie has lots of PG-13 foul language and some violence, so MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution.

KNIVES OUT is a dark comedy mystery about a dysfunctional family trying to discover the truth about their wealthy father and his mysterious death. KNIVES OUT is funny and unpredictable and ultimately extols doing the right thing, but it has lots of foul language, some lewd content and brief marijuana use. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution.

ROCKETMAN is the story of rock music legend Elton John’s sad childhood and rise to worldwide fame mired by drug and sex addiction and his battle to overcome those problems and achieve happiness until he finally decides to be a homosexual. Dazzling musical numbers and a compelling performance by Taron Edgerton as Elton keep ROCKETMAN flying smoothly, but the R-rated movie has lots of foul language and a mixed worldview with strong Romantic and pro-homosexual elements combined with some strong moral content showing the dangers of substance abuse and proving that money can’t buy happiness.

Quentin Tarantino’s ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD tells about a Hollywood stunt double and his long-time actor friend, a TV western star who’s consigned to playing villains, and their encounter with elements of the Manson Family, who in real life went on a killing spree in 1969. Despite some captivating scenes, ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD meanders too much when it comes to plot and has abundant foul language, some substance abuse, and extreme violence, especially at the end, though it clearly makes the evil Manson Family the bad guys and acknowledges the strong bond of friendship between the actor and his stunt double. The movie’s violence and crude dialogue are excessive and rather gratuitous.

JOKER stars Joaquin Phoenix in the title role of Batman’s future nemesis, in a story that imagines the origins of the psychotic supervillain known as the Joker. JOKER creates a politically correct version of the iconic villain as a man who’s become mentally and emotionally damaged and is eventually driven violently insane and angry against those who’ve done him wrong, including rich people and his own mother. JOKER ends up in an abhorrent place and contains lots of strong foul language and some extreme violence that may inspire some copycats.

THE IRISHMAN is an epic gangster movie by Martin Scorsese about an Irish teamster leader and Mafia hit man who allegedly became a protégé and friend of the head of the Bufalino crime family and Teamster leader Jimmy Hoffa in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Though Frank Sheeran’s story in THE IRISHMAN, which comes from a book, has its skeptics, the movie is a meticulously crafted but overlong epic about connections between mobsters and union leaders, with an electric performance by Al Pacino as Jimmy Hoffa, but it also has abundant foul language, extreme violence and an open-ended conclusion with the protagonist talking to a Catholic priest.

Quentin Tarantino’s ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD tells about a Hollywood stunt double and his long-time actor friend, a TV western star who’s consigned to playing villains, and their encounter with elements of the Manson Family, who in real life went on a killing spree in 1969. Despite some captivating scenes, ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD meanders too much when it comes to plot and has abundant foul language, some substance abuse, and extreme violence, especially at the end, though it clearly makes the evil Manson Family the bad guys and acknowledges the strong bond of friendship between the actor and his stunt double. The movie’s violence and crude dialogue are excessive and rather gratuitous.

MARRIAGE STORY is a misleading title, because the movie is actually about two married theater people going through a separation and divorce, which becomes increasingly rancorous when the wife hires an aggressive, feminist divorce lawyer. The performances by Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver in MARRIAGE STORY are excellent, and the movie is emotionally powerful and poignant, but there’s lots of strong foul language and no positive spiritual or religious content to inspire media-wise moviegoers.

Quentin Tarantino’s ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD tells about a Hollywood stunt double and his long-time actor friend, a TV western star who’s consigned to playing villains, and their encounter with elements of the Manson Family, who in real life went on a killing spree in 1969. Despite some captivating scenes, ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD meanders too much when it comes to plot and has abundant foul language, some substance abuse, and extreme violence, especially at the end, though it clearly makes the evil Manson Family the bad guys and acknowledges the strong bond of friendship between the actor and his stunt double. The movie’s violence and crude dialogue are excessive and rather gratuitous.

KILL THE IRISHMAN is a biopic covering the rise and fall of the notorious Cleveland mobster Danny Greene. KILL THE IRISHMAN ultimately follows a Christian worldview, showing the utter destruction of a violent, criminal life, but it has much foul language, extreme violence, a poor performance by the lead, and uneven direction.

THE FAREWELL is a bittersweet comedy about a geographically dispersed Chinese family forced to reconcile Old Chinese traditions and their adopted western culture as they come together to say goodbye to their dying matriarch without letting her know her terminal condition. THE FAREWELL is devoid of any foul language, but, except for a brief mention of Christian influence in a positive light and the movie’s celebration of family, it mostly presents a pagan approach where the dead are honored and heavy drinking takes place at various times.

PAIN AND GLORY is a Spanish drama about a movie director named Salvador Mallo, who struggles with multiple medical issues as he aches not only for no more physical pain, but also the desire to direct and write movies again. PAIN AND GLORY is very artsy but falls short in giving the audience clarity of onscreen events. Also, the movie’s positive Christian references to God, prayer and forgiveness are spoiled by sexual references, homosexuality, drug use, brief excessive nudity, some foul language, and an ambivalent attitude toward monotheism.

FROZEN II is a sweet animated sequel that follows Queen Elsa and her younger sister, Princess Ana, as they venture to learn about their past and unlock the secrets of an enchanted forest. FROZEN II provides exceptional, funny, exciting entertainment, with powerful plot points, great animation and a beautiful soundtrack. FROZEN II has a moral worldview about doing the right thing and showcases some allegorical Christian themes of sacrifice and love casting out fear, but a few scenes might scare some younger children and some of the elements are politically correct or pagan.

In the animated fantasy adventure HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD, new Viking chief Hiccup must find a legendary dragon world and defend both his people and their dragons from a villainous dragon-hunter. HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD features the heart-pounding adventure and stunning visuals moviegoers have come to expect from this movie franchise, along with a wonderful story promoting selflessness, marriage, love, and family, but caution is advised for young children due to action violence and some light pagan, environmentalist elements.

THE LION KING returns to the big screen in a live-action remake of the popular 1994 cartoon, as Simba the lion has to learn to grow up and save the ones he loves. THE LION KING is well made and has a strong moral, redemptive worldview extolling sacrifice and acting honorably, but it does have some pagan mysticism and scary scenes of lions fighting each other that merit caution for younger children.

TOY STORY 4 is another breakthrough in great computer animation, and even greater storytelling, with a story about Woody needing to rescue a new friend who’s being held hostage in an antique shop. Filled with laughter, tears, thrills, and romance, TOY STORY 4 has a few scary scenes that merit caution for very young children.

MISSING LINK is an animated comic adventure, set in the late 1800s, about a wacky British explorer who searches for Bigfoot, whom he thinks is the missing evolutionary link between man and ape. MISSING LINK has some funny, exciting and suspenseful moments and teaches some strong morally uplifting values, but it also promotes humanist evolution in a politically correct way and contains some inappropriate gun violence. MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for older children.

LITTLE WOMEN is Louisa May Alcott's classic story of four sisters in Civil War era New England. While the strong religious themes in Alcott's book are toned down, the movie does contain positive Christian characters & actions, strong parental figures, chaste courtships, and especially winning performances by Winona Ryder, Kirsten Dunst and Claire Danes.

JOKER stars Joaquin Phoenix in the title role of Batman’s future nemesis, in a story that imagines the origins of the psychotic supervillain known as the Joker. JOKER creates a politically correct version of the iconic villain as a man who’s become mentally and emotionally damaged and is eventually driven violently insane and angry against those who’ve done him wrong, including rich people and his own mother. JOKER ends up in an abhorrent place and contains lots of strong foul language and some extreme violence that may inspire some copycats.

MARRIAGE STORY is a misleading title, because the movie is actually about two married theater people going through a separation and divorce, which becomes increasingly rancorous when the wife hires an aggressive, feminist divorce lawyer. The performances by Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver in MARRIAGE STORY are excellent, and the movie is emotionally powerful and poignant, but there’s lots of strong foul language and no positive spiritual or religious content to inspire media-wise moviegoers.

MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN is the story of a detective with Tourette’s Syndrome in 1957 New York trying to solve the mystery behind the murder of his only friend and mentor. MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN is stylish and well-acted, and sometimes fun and engaging, with a strong moral worldview supporting justice, but it’s too long, the plot is a little too complicated, and it has some bursts of violence, frequent foul language because of the detective’s Tourette’s Syndrome, and a couple references to marijuana use and to Catholic nuns hitting the detective to beat the Tourette’s out of him in school.