Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that although the content in this inspirational sports drama is fairly mild -- the hero parties a lot and sleeps with a string of women in the beginning but eventually transforms his life -- it won't be interesting to most kids and tweens. It's better suited to teens who are prone to thinking about self discovery and analysis. The somewhat-New Agey tale is based on a true story and deals with big issues like inner emptiness and the meaning of life -- not exactly light entertainment.

Sexual Content

Glimpses of the hero in bed with assorted girls (suggestive of his manly jock status on campus).

Violence

Dan suffers a leg fracture from a car accident in a clinical close up. He also gets a mild taste of Socrates' martial-arts skills, but the older man later refrains from using violence in an alley brawl and mugging.

Language

Not applicable

Social Behavior

Through mentoring, Dan evolves from a cocky, disrespectful guy with an appetite for casual sex, junk food, and drink into a better person. Socrates demonstrates compassion for difficult people and even refuses to fight his way out of a robbery. (But some of Socrates' stunts -- like sitting in the rafters of a gym -- shouldn't be emulated.)

Consumerism

A big plug for Texaco gas, and there's a natural tie-in with the books (and seminars) of author Dan Millman.

Drugs / Tobacco / Alcohol

Social drinking. To Dan's surprise, Socrates doesn't abstain (which one might expect of a mentor type).