Driving Lessons

Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that this coming-of-age story (which stars Rupert Grint, of Harry Potter fame) focuses largely on sexual awakening and insecurities. This involves the 17-year-old hero's mooning over a classmate, fretting over his mother's adulterous affair, and learning about the sexual interests of his employer, a retired actress. He ultimately loses his virginity to a college student (brief skin is visible). Several references (visual and verbal) to hitting women with cars. Some drinking and salty language, especially from Evie (a couple of "f--k"s, plus other profanity).

Sexual Content

Discussions of sex and a young man's sexual desire; slang for breasts ("t-ts"); adulterous affair; 16-year-old's crush leads to bad romantic poetry; boy's loss of virginity (kiss and embrace, some clothing removed, wakes in the morning with girl in bed); a fan tells Evie her TV soap is "big on the gay scene."

Violence

Car careening; car-related injury; discussion of a man running over his wife with his car (treated as comedy, but doesn't sound so funny).

Language

At least two "f--ks" (pushing it for PG-13), plus other familiar profanity ("s--t," "hell," "ass"), British profanity ("bloody," "bugger"), and some other language ("queer," "you silly cow").

Social Behavior

Characters lie; Evie encourages Ben to disobey his mother and is stubbornly obstinate; jokes about evangelical Christian faith; Ben's pushy/insecure mother pays dearly for her "sins" Ben's wimpish father remains wimpish.

Consumerism

Not applicable

Drugs / Tobacco / Alcohol

Evie drinks to the point of drunkenness and passing out; Ben drinks wine with Evie (he identifies himself as underage), then drinks liquor in a pub; some background smoke.

This information for parents is provided by Common Sense Media, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving kids' media lives.

© Common Sense Media, Thu Jun 22 12:12:29 GMT 2017. All rights reserved