Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that while this dark, disturbing comedy may be funny, it's very different from star Seth Rogen's other R-rated raunchfests. It has all of the language, strong sexual content (including full-frontal male nudity), drinking, and drug use of Judd Apatow-style comedies but doesn't have any of their underlying heart. Plus, it has some scenes of brutal violence and a sex scene in which the main female character is so drunk that the encounter could easily be seen as an assault. While mature teens and grown-ups will likely understand that the main character isn't being presented as a hero, it's still not appropriate for young people.

Sexual Content

Characters have sex while one of them is pass-out drunk; her consent is the "punchline," but it's still a deeply disquieting moment. There's also a long scene with full-frontal male nudity in which a flasher is pursued in slow-motion. Two characters have sex in the back of a car. Women are ogled.

Violence

Brutal, unapologetic violence. People are beaten (one by police) and Tasered; skateboarders are beaten with their own skateboards; characters have rough fistfights. A character uses a flashlight as a weapon. Guns are used -- in one case at point-blank range, with the bloody wound prominently shown.

Language

Extensive, constant, and strong, including "f--k," "motherf---er," "s--t," "p---y," "ass," "balls," "dick," "c--k," "piss," "goddamn," "oh my God," and much more.

Social Behavior

Despite the slapstick and profanity, this is a disquieting, darkly complex story about a character that we're never sure we should be rooting for. Ronnie (who has bipolar disorder) may be the protagonist, but he's hardly a hero -- he commits violent, brutal acts and is rewarded for them. Characters are also stereotyped (Ronnie suspects an immigrant vendor of being a terrorist based solely on the color of his skin, for example), and there aren't really any positive messages for viewers of any age.

Consumerism

The movie is set in a mall, so there's some contextual mention of real-life brands.

Drugs / Tobacco / Alcohol

Characters drink to excess (sometimes until they vomit) and mix their alcohol with illicit prescription drugs; characters also smoke pot and use cocaine. One character is an alcoholic, and a supporting character shoots up heroin. One character's extreme inebriation precedes an uncomfortable sex scene in which the matter of her consent is unclear.