What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that the movie begins as a young man has lost his well-paying job and considers suicide; though this act is represented "comically," as he sets up an exercise bike and knife as if to stab himself, it might raise questions for some younger viewers. He must also deal with his father's death (and mother and sister's upset). The film includes references to sexuality (sometimes romantically, but also in ruder contexts, as during drunken boy-talk), and a couple of women appear in scanty clothing. Characters use mild language (out of frustration, anger, and occasional excitement), smoke, and drink (during a weekend-long wedding party, characters are visibly drunk).
- Families can talk about Drew's efforts to come to terms with his father's death, and especially, what this means for his own sense of identity. How does Drew accommodate his mother and sister's needs, at first as a means to put off his own sense of loss, and then as a way to understand his own background and needs? How does the movie represent the idea of "family" as eccentric and stressful, but also supportive and crucial in shaping identity? What are the various models of "family" you see in the movie? How does Drew's erratic romance with Claire eventually provide him with direction, or another, perhaps healthier, lens through which he can see himself?