What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this often-uncomfortable indie drama revolves around a teen boy who hangs out with a dissolute, dying older man who becomes a questionable mentor-father figure (he turns the kid on to alcohol, etc.). The older man, Ray, spends his days smoking, drinking, and dealing with the negative consequences of his actions. Viewers who can look at Ray from a somewhat sophisticated perspective -- he doesn't get obsessed with bitter regrets or the obvious lessons of his bad choices -- won't notice (or miss) the absence of the expected preaching. But teens may not take away the same message. Be ready for frank locker-room language, as well as a false accusation of pedophilia.
- Families can talk about how the media depicts father-son relationships. What kinds of emotions (or lack thereof) characterize the way dads and sons deal with each other in movies and on TV shows? How would you describe the two different types of fathers presented in this film? What lessons do you think Dave will learn from both of them, and how will those lessons affect him as he grows up?