A Little Bit of Heaven Review

Messages: As you would expect from a movie about someone dying of cancer, A Little Bit of Heaven's overriding message is to seize the day and open yourself up to the possibility of love and commitment.

Role models: Marley is tenacious and free-spirited, but she only opens herself up to the possibility of love when she's dying. Her initial fear of commitment transforms into an ability to recognize and find love, even if it's short-lived. She goes through all the stages of grief associated with dying and is able to say her final goodbyes before finally passing away. Marley's best friends, Peter and Sarah, stand by her at every turn, even though Renee finds it too difficult (as a pregnant mother) to deal with the certainty of Marley's death. Marley's mother is always there for her, even when Marley criticizes her and is cruel.

Violence: No violence, but it might be disturbing for some viewers to watch a movie about a dying character.

Sex: Lots of kissing and a couple of love scenes. At the beginning of the movie, Marley makes it clear that she believes in having casual, no-strings-attached sex. She texts a guy over for a booty call; sexual noises and thumping are heard.  She's shown in bed wearing a bra, and he's shirtless. Marley and Julian have sex after one date –- there's lots of kissing, a darkly lit scene of them in bed, and then in the morning he gets out of bed and shows his naked behind. In a humorous scene, Marley and a male escort make loud noises so that a neighbor will think they're having sex. Julian tells a couple of dirty jokes.

Language: Several uses of "s--t," "ass," "bitch," and "t-ts," plus milder language like "hell" and "damn." Marley makes a couple of cultural jokes to Dr. Goldstein about him being Mexican and Jewish, like "What do you want to eat, gefilte fish tacos"?

Consumerism: Marley mentions the powerful connotations of Trojan condoms' logo/name in an advertising meeting with a fictional rival condom brand. In one sequence, Marley takes her best friends and mom on a shopping spree, where they discuss splurging on Louis Vuitton and Prada purses, Jimmy Choo shoes, etc.

Drinking, drugs and smoking: Grown-ups drink socially (wine, beer, cocktails) at restaurants, bars, clubs, and dinner parties.