Superhero Movie Review

Messages: Pointedly stupid characters make pointedly wrong decisions; villain and hero are equally vulgar. Stereotypes are repeatedly played up for laughs. Rick's dead father appears in a photo wearing Ku Klux Klan robes.

Violence: Various fights involve punching, kicking, bruising, slamming bodies into/through walls and glass, and banging heads against surfaces (walls, bars). Rick is slammed by a bus stop sign; an old woman is tossed into a chipper (legs visible, no blood). Weapons include titanium stars, automatic weapons, and handguns (in a flashback, young Rick accidentally shoots his parents multiple times). References to suicide. "Barry Bonds," demonstrating steroids' effects, appears monstrous, with red laser eyes. "Tom Cruise" is killed when he attempts to fly (photo of corpse in news report). Blinking bomb attached to crotch. Flying hero hit by helicopter.

Sex: Jill shows cleavage repeatedly; Pamela Anderson shows major cleavage. Rick watches as Jill appears in her window, removing one bra and showing another beneath, then donning a literal string for a thong (not shown). Jokes about computer porn (goats, questionnaires), sex with animals (Rick is "jumped" by lab animals). In two scenes, men appear to be having sex with corpses. Woman tells her husband he has a "tiny penis." Uncle tells Rick that in puberty, "You may bleed from your vagina" (then realizes he's reading from the "wrong book"). Mention of circumcision. "Medical" Web site asks Rick if he's a virgin. "Stephen Hawking" tells students he thinks about sex, describes his "lesbian" nurse. Reference to Hooters. In a rainstorm, both Jill and Rick's nipples appear beneath their wet costumes. Aunt stuffs turkey with items that simulate sex. "Dalai Lama" stripped to diaper.

Language: Language includes one use of "f--k," plus other profanity, "s--t" (one with "dip-"), "son of a bitch," "hell," "damn," "ass" (with "dumb-"), "c--k," and "p---ies." Repeated use of the term "douche-bag" (in lyrics and speech).

Consumerism: Not an issue

Drinking, drugs and smoking: "Stephen Hawking" offers high school students hashish. A doctor injects himself with painkiller (he faints). Aunt puts vodka in Thanksgiving turkey. Rick uses a bong to inhale cake frosting.