- Content: “Navigating Single Parenthood with Faith and Community”
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What You Need To Know:
Overall, the first episode of Season 1 of IT’S NOT LIKE THAT has a strong Christian worldview, featuring scenes with characters discussing their faith, attending church and preaching sermons. There is one scene that features foul language and a scene featuring a conversation about sex, as well as some scenes of bullying, lying, and dysfunctional family portrayals. Otherwise, the episode features no objectionable content. MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for young children.
Content:
Strong Christian worldview, with many scenes showing characters discussing their faith, attending church, and giving or listening to sermons. The episode also emphasizes family — the two lead characters are devoted parents — and community, ex. A scene where one character asks his church congregation to support him, which they readily agree to;
One “A” word obscenity;
Some scenes featuring wrestling, as two characters are on the school wrestling team, and a scene that shows a bully pushing a boy’s face into a plate of food;
Two characters discuss a conversation one had with a woman at a bar, who asked him if he wanted to have sex with her. In another scene, two people go to a hotel room with the implication that they were going to have sex, but nothing is depicted;
No nudity;
No alcohol use;
None; and,
One character is an absent father following his divorce, another character is disrespectful to his mother, as he blames her for his parents’ divorce, one character sees her friend bullying someone and says nothing, even lying to adults when they ask her if she knows who is behind an anonymous video, but she later comes clean.
More Detail:
Friends Malcolm and Lori are struggling. Malcolm, a pastor and father of three, is still reeling after the death of his wife, and feels helpless to steer his daughters and son through their own grief. Meanwhile, Lori still feels blindsided by her divorce — and by how easily her ex-husband is taking to single life.
As the pair lean on each other, encouraging and supporting each other as they try to be the best parents they can be, their children are struggling with their own problems. Lori’s son Merritt still feels angry about his parents’ divorce, while his sister Casey deals with mean girls.
Malcolm’s children also have their problems. Daughter Penelope is freezing out former friend Casey and trying to deal with her new friendship with a mean girl at school. Meanwhile, her sister Flora is drowning in grief and anger about her mother’s death, and struggling with her faith, and brother Justin feels lost in the shuffle.
Episode One of IT’S NOT LIKE THAT does a good job of introducing a large cast of characters, as well as their individual problems, while still keeping the action moving. Leads Scott Foley and Erinn Hayes give excellent, moving performances, and the cast of younger actors are impressive. The episode sets up plenty of drama and questions that will have viewers anxious to watch the next episode!
The first episode of IT’S NOT LIKE THAT has a strong Christian worldview, with many mentions of characters’ faith, as well as scenes involving church services and sermons. There is one instance of foul language and a scene featuring a conversation about sex, as well as some immorality that includes bullying, lying, and dysfunctional family depictions, but otherwise features no objectionable content. MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for young children.
